Some thoughts.....
Silver plated copper tends to sound bright and aggressive at analog audio frequencies. It's great for digital and video because the frequency range is much higher, which means the signal primarily rides the silver layer near the skin
High purity solid copper can sound excellent
The dielectric, or lack thereof, can have a bigger effect on sound quality than the conductors themselves.
All of the very best (and most musical & not harsh or bright) cables I have heard are pure silver.
While Albert is correct about copper oxide and the potential issue of the permeability of Teflon, in my own experience taking apart 10+ year old copper cables, the actual degradation is so minuscule as to be non-existent. Even air-dielectric copper w/ Teflon tubes are ok for many, many years.
Silver plated copper tends to sound bright and aggressive at analog audio frequencies. It's great for digital and video because the frequency range is much higher, which means the signal primarily rides the silver layer near the skin
High purity solid copper can sound excellent
The dielectric, or lack thereof, can have a bigger effect on sound quality than the conductors themselves.
All of the very best (and most musical & not harsh or bright) cables I have heard are pure silver.
While Albert is correct about copper oxide and the potential issue of the permeability of Teflon, in my own experience taking apart 10+ year old copper cables, the actual degradation is so minuscule as to be non-existent. Even air-dielectric copper w/ Teflon tubes are ok for many, many years.