Silver plated copper

I have built many cables which have employed copper, solid silver and silver plated copper.

For my ears...

• Stranded Copper was the least dynamic of the three
  
• Solid Silver provided the best  dynamic performance and provided more details than the plain copper
  
• Stranded Silver plated copper seemed to be as good as the solid silver but also provided a fuller/warmer, more complete sound.
  

All wires were 24 guage with teflon insulation and cryo treated

I did also try Tinned copper cryo treated  (NOT Duelund wire) as the neutral for speaker cables and compared to similar gauge Silver plated and copper wire it sounded less dynamic and detailed.

It's very much a personal preference when it comes to building cables, so I would recommend trying some different wires to see which materials suits you ears best

Regards - Steve

What is the difference between oxidizing and corroding?

I am no chemical engineer but I think oxidation is primarily a result of being in contact with the atmosphere over an extended time period. Corrosion, to my way of thinking, is the actual destruction of the material due to any number of factors. Consider a penny before 1984 (mostly copper instead of copper plated zinc now). A penny will eventually actually disintegrate if left fo lie outside in the dirt.....it may take years but it will happen. With a silver coin (90% silver, 10% copper) the coin will turn black in color but won't decay as much as purer copper. I believe also that copper loses its conductivity over time whereas I read somewhere that silver will not.

I am no chemical engineer but I think oxidation is primarily a result of being in contact with the atmosphere over an extended time period. Corrosion, to my way of thinking, is the actual destruction of the material due to any number of factors. Consider a penny before 1984 (mostly copper instead of copper plated zinc now). A penny will eventually actually disintegrate if left fo lie outside in the dirt.....it may take years but it will happen. With a silver coin (90% silver, 10% copper) the coin will turn black in color but won't decay as much as purer copper. I believe also that copper loses its conductivity over time whereas I read somewhere that silver will not.

So why do you think that a copper cable will corrode in a stereo system which is kept in a climate controlled atmosphere?  At most, it will just oxidize. 

I did not say that a copper cable, or any other, will corrode. My analogy was about a penny left out in the elements, especially if exposed to anything having salt content. An insulated cable in a home environment is not likely to experience oxidation or corrosion unless damaged somehow. The connectors on the end of the cable is where this will happen. My comment about oxidation / corrosion in the post prior to the other one was just about the inherent characteristics of silver vs copper as elements. Sorry for the confusion.