Serious Question About Silver vs Copper Conductivity for Power

On a properly engineered power amp the capacitors are big enough to supply power to the main boards for quite a while.  So once they have filled on switch-on, the rate of current flow to them is of little consequence, they will be kept fully topped up at all times.  All you need is a wire capable of carrying enough current to refill what is taken out.  Standard power cables supplied with amplifiers can do that many times over.

And, in case anyone was in doubt, it makes no difference if the power traverses the cable 7% faster.

One should never use a power cord under 16 gauge in a stereo system. 20 gauge runs have no place in a stereo system. 20 gauge is fine for some low wattage lamps and LED lights, but not a stereo component. Yes, it is a potential fire risk. It will also blunt dynamics and bass performance. It will sound lean lacking body and proper weight.

Now you can use 20 gauge on 5,9 and 12 volt DC power cables. The ones used to power modems, ethernet switches and such off of a linear power supply  

Solid core conductors should also not be used. They stress and break over time with handling and use. This is especially true of thin 28 gauge conductors.

Lastly, it is not safe to rely on the thin Teflon coating of these conductors as the sole material between the L, N and G runs. Any small nicks, breaks, cracks in the wire can cause shorts and possible electrocution.

And, in case anyone was in doubt, it makes no difference if the power traverses the cable 7% faster.

@clearthinker to be fair to the OP, it is spruicked in the literature of many of this sort of gear, using words of speed and fastness… and all sorts of things that help them, sell the gear as “being needed.”

I certainly have spent more than I ever thought I would on a power supply, and I could spend more on a battery for it, as the front end preamp and phono amp uses 12V… So the last thing I would do is put on a fancy 240v cable to it with a darn good (and proven) reason.

@holmz   As to manufacturer's hype, we all need to keep our bullsh** detectors turned up full, otherwise we and our wallets are just cannon fodder..  Most people know that electricity travels at something approaching the speed of light, so a 7% reduction in the time to traverse a 6 foot length of wire will not be very long at all in audio terms.  In this discussion, we are only keeping a capacitor topped up of course.  You just can't beat good old common sense that regrettably appears in very short supply these days and not just in audio.

For those nervous types who are obsessed by the risk of noise, I concur about DC battery supplies.  These are particularly useful with preamps as you say, where the oomph required is much less than for power amps.  But unless you are an electrical engineer, you need to buy an amp with built in provision for a battery supply, and this restricts choice unacceptably for most.  I wonder if there s a place for a well-engineered all-in unit to do the job of inputting to an amp designed to take only 240v AC.  Battery supply kills off all noise issues except for the very severely obsessed.

@holmz As to manufacturer’s hype, we all need to keep our bullsh** detectors turned up full, otherwise we and our wallets are just cannon fodder.. Most people know that electricity travels at something approaching the speed of light, so a 7% reduction in the time to traverse a 6 foot length of wire will not be very long at all in audio terms. In this discussion, we are only keeping a capacitor topped up of course. You just can’t beat good old common sense that regrettably appears in very short supply these days and not just in audio

@clearthinker

Yeah but it is not 7% faster, it is 7% more conductive.

• And even if we were to say it was 7% faster, throwing in some PVC or Teflon slows the field down by 1/SQRT(k), so using an insulator with a lower dielectric constant (k) defines the speed. But alas the conductor material does NOT define the speed of electricity, nor the speed of light, or any other EM field.
• And if we were to imagine some massive high amperage burst during a uS, then the inductance probably comes into play much quicker than the silver versus copper conductivity.

As others have pointed out going from a 14ga copper to a 14ga silver is 7% better for lowering resistance, but going to 12ga or 10ga is a lot more benefit than 7%.

Than as ​​​@mitch2 sort of implied, the current flow through a 20ga cable seems like it going in the opposite direction of the OP’s hypothesis of dumping massive short current bursts into the amp.

I use an effective 20ga for ICs, and they seem OK… however I would be using a “store bought” power cord over a 20ga power cord.

The mention of the 20ga power cord solution has me thinking that we have been expertly trolled… in masterclass fashion.

For those nervous types who are obsessed by the risk of noise, I concur about DC battery supplies. These are particularly useful with preamps as you say, where the oomph required is much less than for power amps. But unless you are an electrical engineer, you need to buy an amp with built in provision for a battery supply, and this restricts choice unacceptably for most. I wonder if there s a place for a well-engineered all-in unit to do the job of inputting to an amp designed to take only 240v AC. Battery supply kills off all noise issues except for the very severely obsessed.

The old preamp was fine and has no noise issues.
The new power supply one was a package deal with a phono stage.

It sounds good, but I did not get it being obsessed with noise… It just looked good to have all the pieces in a stack, and adds some Feng Shui to make domestic bliss.

I am NOT getting a battery pack for it, but if I was to put it into, say, a camper or motorhome, then I easily could.