[edwardsean]

Hi,

I'm making a solid core silver interconnect. I was wondering which would produce better sound quality: 6 conductors of 28AWG or 3 conductors of 18AWG? I'm not sure whether extra conductors merely add more mass or need to be enclosed in separate insulation. As I look at offerings from cable builders like ALO they have both double conductors like the six-shooter and ones with larger gauges. Any experience you could share would be appreciated thanks.

 

[swifttal]

If you're not sure, and would like to experiment, try using copper first. Your results will be similar, it's way less expensive, and you'll get to iron out the bugs in construction on the "test cables" before spending $300 bucks on the "real ones". Plus you'll now have spare cables for down the road when you buy an extra piece of equipment, etc.

As for an answer on the above, of course it depends on the length, construction methods, etc, but I would most likely go with 3x18

 

[Miguel]

To experiment first with copper is a great suggestion

. Copper is way cheaper than silver, even when bough oxygen-free.

You should also consider the rest of your equipment: silver cables tends to be brighter, copper cables tends to emphasize bass frequencies (especially thick ones). I would match it to your personal preferences or to balance your overall system.

IMO i prefer to use 6x28AWG because of two reasons:

1. Thick solid wire suffers more from the skin effect: higher frequencies tend to travel on the outside of the conductor (as frequency rises, the tendency is bigger), increasing the impedance.

2. The cable will be easier to bend.

If you were going to e.g. recable some headphones, using more conductors allows you to use "separated" grounds for each channel, which is better.

Also, remember that a good dielectric is important. Try to buy Teflon coated wire, not PVC. Ideally, there are better options, but way more difficult to handle.

I hope this helps you