The SR Precision Reference speaker cables I had used silver conductors and I never thought them to sound bright, only very open, delicate & extended on top. Same for Purist.
My latest discovery is Verastarr power cords and interconnects which use pure silver foils vs wire and are the most honest, open, and extended cables I have yet heard, with ultra-realistic, razor quick transient attack, yet impart no glare, brightness, sheen, or sibilance to the sound in my system. Bass is the most realistic of anything I have tried. I plan to try their speaker cables in the near future. Recommend you call Mike Powell at Verastarr. Great guy to work with and very creative/knowledgeable.
i obviously have not tried (not even nearly) every silver cable out there, but based on the experience I do have, I think silver cables get a bad rap on this excessive brightness issue. I suspect that many so-called “silver” cables are actually silver coated copper, which I have found to display an unpleasant upper treble region as well as other undesireable influences on the sound.
As you know, the 5i’s have the metal dome tweeters and are very sensitive to/unforgiving of any brightness upstream. I have definitely heard such from the wrong preamp, amp, and especially inferior digital gear over the years. And, yes, also with many cables, including pure copper in some instances. Stay with SR, Purist, Verastarr, and other manufacturers that extensively design and voice their cables using pure silver and I think you will be rewarded with a degree of air, open-ness and detail beyond copper without the bite that some lesser “silver” cables can have.
Dave
My latest discovery is Verastarr power cords and interconnects which use pure silver foils vs wire and are the most honest, open, and extended cables I have yet heard, with ultra-realistic, razor quick transient attack, yet impart no glare, brightness, sheen, or sibilance to the sound in my system. Bass is the most realistic of anything I have tried. I plan to try their speaker cables in the near future. Recommend you call Mike Powell at Verastarr. Great guy to work with and very creative/knowledgeable.
i obviously have not tried (not even nearly) every silver cable out there, but based on the experience I do have, I think silver cables get a bad rap on this excessive brightness issue. I suspect that many so-called “silver” cables are actually silver coated copper, which I have found to display an unpleasant upper treble region as well as other undesireable influences on the sound.
As you know, the 5i’s have the metal dome tweeters and are very sensitive to/unforgiving of any brightness upstream. I have definitely heard such from the wrong preamp, amp, and especially inferior digital gear over the years. And, yes, also with many cables, including pure copper in some instances. Stay with SR, Purist, Verastarr, and other manufacturers that extensively design and voice their cables using pure silver and I think you will be rewarded with a degree of air, open-ness and detail beyond copper without the bite that some lesser “silver” cables can have.
Dave