Topic: Tascam DR680 or Sony D50, best long-term investment

[Fried Chicken Boy]

Buy the gold ones [Neutrik connectors], they are worth it.

Yes and no.  There's actually a thread about this HERE.  While the anti-oxidizing properties of gold are well established and, in theory, should make a cleaner/better contact with whatever you're connecting, what most people don't realize is that, generally (yes, this includes Neutrik), the gold plating on a connector is thinner than on the same connector with silver plating.  Due to the expense, I suppose.  Using the gold plated connector for a static application in a corrosion-friendly environment would probably be where it shines but if it's a connector that is constantly being plugged and unplugged, that plating will wear faster through repeated use.  Granted, it will take a lot of usage to get the connector down to the bare metal but it's something to be aware of.  As far as the actual sonic properties of gold vs. silver, I'd be willing to bet there are very few, if any, people that could tell the difference in a listening test.

If you like the way the gold plating looks and you rest easier knowing that it stands up better to corrosion, by all means buy 'em.  Otherwise, you're just fine using silver plated connectors and can just spray them with a shot of DeOxit from time to time if you're concerned about a "dirty" connection.  Ultimately, it comes down to what you like the look of.

[kleiner Rainer]

Hi Fried Chicken Boy,

trust me. I know what I´m doing and saying. I have been working as a design engineer for electronic systems for the last quarter of a century. Whenever you want to transfer low-level signals between contacts (and microphone and consumer line levels fall into that category), you either use thick gold plating or you have to "wet" the contact with a dc current in the mA range to break through a tiny oxide film that forms on the two contact areas if the contact material is something else. Signal relays for low level signals mostly use AgPd contacts with gold plating because massive gold contacts would be too expensive. Silver alone tarnishes, not to talk about the effects of sulphur on silver (this gives a nice, black  insulating layer - anyone who has some Texas Instruments TTL chips from the seventies in his junk box knows that). Cost drives the replacement of gold in contact applications - for most applications there is a suitable substitute, but a well made gold plating (and I bet Neutrik knows how to do it) still beats all substitutes when it comes to reliability in low-level signal switching.

My Neutrik 3.5mm plug is used in outdoor applications, where it gets wet or dirty. I clean it regularly with denaturated alcohol and wipe it clean with a paper handkerchief before plugging it in. From time to time I treat it with a special cleaner for gold plated contacts (Kontakt Chemie "Gold 2000"). After a year of intensive use, it still looks like new.

My experience in the last decades concerning connectors has been this: buy well-made connectors from reputable manufacturers. Saving on connectors (and cables) increase the probability that you lose a valuable recording, maybe one that cannot be repeated. Been there, done that.

Greetings,

Rainer

[Fried Chicken Boy]

Perhaps we're talking about different things, but you'll get no argument from me about the superior corrosion resistance and contact integrity of gold plating as compared to silver plating; I said as much in my post.  What I was pointing out is that gold is a softer metal than silver and will wear faster.  Additionally, the plating is generally considerably thinner when they use gold.  Don't just take my word for it, the specs are posted right on Neutrik's website and includes contact plating thickness under the "Technical Information".  A few links for what are probably some of the more common Neutrik XLR connectors, the X series:

NC3FX-B (female XLR, gold contacts)
NC3FX-BAG (female XLR, silver contacts)
NC3MX-B (male XLR, gold contacts)
NC3MX-BAG (male XLR, silver contacts)

I'll stand by what I said about most people not being able to hear a difference between the sonic properties of gold vs. silver, especially when doing what most of us on this forum do, ie: recording amplified music, rock concerts, etc.  Which goes back to my original suggestion of "use what you like" when it comes to Neutrik connectors.  They're all made well.

As far as personal experience, I'm not a design engineer but I can tell you that I have microphone cables with silver-plated XLR connectors that I've had and been using for the past 20+ years, haven't had a bit of trouble with them and they're still going strong.  YMMV.

[kleiner Rainer]

Hi Fried Chicken Boy,

yes, I read the data sheet: it says "gal 0.2 μm Au hard alloy over 2 μm Ni". You know what "hard alloy" means? If not, look here:

http://event08.ise-online.org/site/files/ise080133.pdf

BTW I suspect that silver is also alloyed to increase its corrosion resistance and hardness.

I suppose the phantom power to the microphones serves the purpose of "contact wetting current" well enough, 48V at 1-2mA should suffice. Since we were talking about 3.5mm stereo plugs for consumer and semi pro devices (PCM-D50), there is no phantom power of that magnitude, so I prefer to err on the safe side.

So lets sum it up: our aim is to transfer low level signals from A to B without distortion or intermittent contact. Whatever material achieves that is okay and its up to personal preference. OK?

Greetings,

Rainer