Dear Tod,
It matters a lot!
AC is very sensitive to soldering.
If you solder with "multicore" (very strong and hard to cut & melt) the sound differs from the very soft WBT solder.
Durability is just one thing, as contact area is another, but adding a soldering compound to the signal chain, is a thing of big interest.
Unfortunately, in most of cases, you must to choose priorities.
A pure silver plug that is soldered, sounds better than a crimped of lower quality metal.
But then, even this, is dependable upon the rest of materials and the whole philosophy by which the conductors and the insulation is made of.
e.g.1 : Even the highest quality soldering may easily rejected by a cable design of cotton, silk, beeswax, paper, wood, leather, oil, .....
and degrade the cable's signature as seriously as the poorest quality plug, or a shrinking tube at the end (if makes direct contact with the plug or the conductor).
e.g.2 : In a cable design which philosophy has another direction, with active shielding, or passive components inside blocks, PTFE, PVC, foam, epoxy, heavy duty triple wafer spades wrapped on acrylic, .....
the solder is an essential part, no doubt, no concern, or second thoughts.
You know the importance of the plug at the end and how can change the perceived outcome if it is silver or copper or rhodium or gold plated.
The solder reinforces but hurts the signal flow with impurities.
It matters a lot!
AC is very sensitive to soldering.
If you solder with "multicore" (very strong and hard to cut & melt) the sound differs from the very soft WBT solder.
Durability is just one thing, as contact area is another, but adding a soldering compound to the signal chain, is a thing of big interest.
Unfortunately, in most of cases, you must to choose priorities.
A pure silver plug that is soldered, sounds better than a crimped of lower quality metal.
But then, even this, is dependable upon the rest of materials and the whole philosophy by which the conductors and the insulation is made of.
e.g.1 : Even the highest quality soldering may easily rejected by a cable design of cotton, silk, beeswax, paper, wood, leather, oil, .....
and degrade the cable's signature as seriously as the poorest quality plug, or a shrinking tube at the end (if makes direct contact with the plug or the conductor).
e.g.2 : In a cable design which philosophy has another direction, with active shielding, or passive components inside blocks, PTFE, PVC, foam, epoxy, heavy duty triple wafer spades wrapped on acrylic, .....
the solder is an essential part, no doubt, no concern, or second thoughts.
You know the importance of the plug at the end and how can change the perceived outcome if it is silver or copper or rhodium or gold plated.
The solder reinforces but hurts the signal flow with impurities.