CORDIAL KNOWLEDGE BASE

Electrical Conductivity

When it comes to cables you will hear the wildest rumors with regard to which material is the best, which "sounds" better, ... aluminum, copper or silver, the agony of choice is yours!

It’s all about a simple physical factor: resistance. Aluminum has the highest resistance (0.028 µΩ*m), so its conductivity is the worst of the three. Silver conducts best, because it has the lowest resistance (0.016 µΩ*m) of the three, but copper doesn’t trail far behind with a resistance of 0.018 µΩ*m.
The cross-section of an aluminum cable must be 60% thicker than that of a copper cable to achieve the same resistance. The copper cable must only be 13% thicker than a silver cable - e.g. 2.25 mm² instead of 2 mm². For comparison:

  • Silver cable: 2 mm²
  • Copper cable: 2.25 mm²
  • Aluminum cable: 5.2 mm²

You will pay rather dearly, though, for the slightly smaller conductor area of a silver cable as one kilo of silver currently (May 2021) costs €728,29, one kilo of copper only €8.28 - silver enthusiasts will have to pay 86 times the price of copper. By the way, the under-performing aluminum is also quite expensive with €2.12/kilo. No wonder that Cordial produces cables with larger conductor areas made of copper at more affordable prices.

All those who think they can still hear a better sound deriving from a silver cable have paid dearly for this illusion.

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