Pure Silver vs: Copper Speaker Jumpers

[PHC1]

Dan, did you strip the insulation? From the picture it almost looks like they are still encapsulated.

[f1 fan]

Originally Posted by jdandy

This morning 24 inches of 99.99% pure silver #10 gauge solid wire arrived. Time to see if the PMC EB1i speakers can be persuaded to deliver an additional degree or two of performance.

As you know, the PMC EB1i's come from the factory with #10 gauge solid brass jumpers. The four factory jumpers per speaker are inserted between the woofer and midrange terminals, and between the midrange and tweeter terminals. Since the electrical conductivity of brass is about 22% of copper, I replaced the brass jumpers with #9 gauge copper jumpers made from Kimber 8TC speaker cable. What resulted was a pleasant improvement in the midrange and high frequency details, plus a new quickness to the dynamics. It was a rewarding step up in the EB1i's sound. I expected cleaner sound from the pure copper jumpers since copper has the second highest electrical conductivity of all metals, exceeded only by silver, which has the highest electrical conductivity of all metals.

Today I removed the Kimber 8TC copper jumpers, and installed one continuous unbroken solid silver #10 gauge wire through all three terminals of the positive and negative inputs for the woofer, midrange, and tweeter on each speaker. I tightened the threaded clamps down on the silver wire, then reinserted the WBT gold locking banana connectors into the woofer terminals, and tightened their expanding locks. Ready to go.

The audition began with an SACD, Spyro Gyra - Wrapped In A Dream, "Spyro Time". When the drum beats and bass riff began, and Jay Beckenstein's alto saxophone grabbed the beat, my attention was cemented on the new found level of mid range detail and dynamics. This enhancement was equal to the step made when changing the solid brass factory jumpers to the Kimber copper jumpers. It was as though someone had removed a thin layer of gauze from in front of the mid and high frequency domes. I was astounded by the speed of the dynamics, and the clarity that was added to ringing cymbals, horns, and upper fret guitar notes, including their sustain and demishment into the blackness of silence. As with light, the combination of all colors creates pure white. With the silver jumpers, were it a color, it would be brilliant white. The new found clarity contributed to the proper balance of all frequencies in time and space arriving at my ears in perfect sync. On the Spyro Gyra track "Impressions Of Madrid", the tune begins with snapping fingers and rhythmic hand claps. The sound was so crisp and clean it could have been coming from my very own hands, were I as well coordinated and talented as the performers. Simply amazing.

Playing the SACD Claire Martin - Too Darn Hot!, "Too Darn Hot" begins with a conga beat and a triangle ring that literally hangs in the air at least four seconds during the decay, while an acoustic double bass completely envelopes the sound stage just before Claire's sultry voice enters and consumes your attention. The increased high frequency details were well demonstrated with the triangle strikes throughout the song, hanging so delicately, yet completely separate from the other sounds. The leading edge string sounds, lingering low notes and vibrating wood tones emenating from Geoff Gascoyne's wonderful acoustic double bass were mesmerizing. My favorite track on this SACD is "Black Coffee". The very first sounds on the track are a quick double strike on the drum skins. You instantly feel as though you are there. The piano, the cymbals, Claire's voice, the slinky guitar that pans right, then left, creates such an engaging sound stage that it puts you right in a smoky jazz club, maybe three tables back from the stage. The lights are low, the air is warm, damp, and thick with aromas, small beads of sweat can be felt on your forehead, the music is perfect, the drinks stout, tasty and cold. Oh, yeah, you are feeling good. Phew!

Wow! OK, I'm back. In a nut shell, the pure copper jumpers were an improvement over the brass jumpers, but they are now history. The pure silver jumpers are here to stay. For the PMC EB1i's, the pure silver jumpers make a significant contribution to superior detail, dynamics, and sound stage. PMC owners, I would respectfully suggest you dump the factory brass jumpers, pass on the copper jumpers, and go straight for pure silver jumpers. They really do bring home the gold.

Great review Dan.....the Kimber 8TC is a fine speaker cable and when paired with the silver jumpers takes your system to another level. I use Kimber Select silver in my system and it sounds wonderful. The folks at Kimber Kable know their stuff.

[Pyro]

Great write up Dan. Tweaking is in my future.

[BuffaloBill]

Dan, how do you plan to address the isssue of silver oxidation?

[jdandy]

Serge.......Yes, the insulation was remove. Once I cut the proper lengths it was just a matter of pushing the conductor at one end, and pulling it from the other. The insulation came right off.

[jdandy]

BuffaloBill.......Silver oxidation will be removed from time to time with silver polishing compound, or a jewelers cloth. It should not be a problem.

One of the nice benefites with a tweak like this is it's 100% reversible without a problem. I plan to keep my Kimber copper jumpers, and the factory brass jumpers. Should I ever want to tweak the speakers in another direction I will be able to do so.

[PHC1]

One thing to watch for is the that highs don't get irritating long term. Many speaker manufacturers voice their speakers with the brass or whatever else jumpers they use. Changing them tilts the balance sometimes.

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by lyle1

Great write up Dan, it looks like you found a nice improvement....way to go...

Lyle.......I never would have started down the jumper tweak path without your comments to me about your new cables, and how Cardas had supplied you with jumpers to replace the factory jumper pins on your EB1i's. That piqued my interest. If this had gone wrong, I could have pinned it all on you.

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by PHC1

One thing to watch for is the that highs don't get irritating long term. Many speaker manufacturers voice their speakers with the brass or whatever else jumpers they use. Changing them tilts the balance sometimes.

Serge.......I agree with you. Speakers are voiced, and responses measured, so your comment may prove correct. Ian from PMC made the same comment to me in another thread on the copper jumpers. None the less, this is great fun, relatively inexpensive, and reversable. Revoicing a speaker doesn't necessarily have to take place at the jumpers (where available), but can take place with the speaker cables, and/or interconnects, any of which can, and do tilt the end results. Sometimes those results are positive, and bear it out over long term listening, and sometimes the results can be aggressive in a manner that is unbecoming. In all circumstances it is easily addressed with cable, interconnect, or jumper changes, creating a new tilt in another direction. That's the joy of tweaking.

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by jdandy

Serge.......I agree with you. Speakers are voiced, and responses measured, so your comment may prove correct. Ian from PMC made the same comment to me in another thread on the copper jumpers. None the less, this is great fun, relatively inexpensive, and reversable. Revoicing a speaker doesn't necessarily have to take place at the jumpers (where available), but can take place with the speaker cables, and/or interconnects, any of which can, and do tilt the end results. Sometimes those results are positive, and bear it out over long term listening, and sometimes the results can be aggressive in a manner that is unbecoming. In all circumstances it is easily addressed with cable, interconnect, or jumper changes, creating a new tilt in another direction. That's the joy of tweaking.

All true. By the way, speakers that have those factory jumpers and bi/tri wire terminals, you can actually try to hook up the speaker cables on different terminals and may hear a difference. For example, hooking them up to the tweeter inputs provides a more direct connection, thus a slight difference may be audible in the highs while the bass will be less prominent and visa versa. Of course the higher quality/better conductor factory jumper, the less the effect. I remember Totem suggested that in the manual for their speakers. I tried and there was a very marginal difference.