CONNECTORS

As impressive as they may look, gold-plated connectors are not a reliable indicator of quality in cables. Most gold-plated plugs are made of brass, which is plated with bright nickel and a thin layer of gold. Brass and nickel are rather poor conductors that introduce significant loss at the points of contact. Most WireWorld connectors have contacts made of oxygen-free copper and silver for substantial improvements in sound and video quality.


Type	Description	Contacts
Silver Tube™	Featuring tubular silver-clad OFC contacts and a silicone rubber tension band, which produce the lowest contact resistance available, these state-of-the-art connectors make dramatic improvements in sound and image quality. (U.S. Patent 5,413,503). WireWorld XLR connectors also use nickel-free, silver-clad contacts for superior performance. Larger image	Silver-clad oxygen-free copper
Gold Tube™	Based on the superior design of the Silver Tube™ plugs, these elegant connectors plugs utilize gold over silver plating to provide double the conductivity of conventional gold-plated brass plugs, resulting in distinct improvements in clarity, smoothness and dynamic range. Larger image	Gold/Silver oxygen-free copper
XLR	WireWorld XLR connectors also use nickel-free, silver-clad contacts for superior performance. Larger image	Silver-clad oxygen-free copper
HDMI plug	The plugs on WireWorld’s award-winning flat HDMI cables are simply the best available. Their tight-fitting contacts have a thick layer of silver, rather than the standard nickel, under their gold plating, to reduce contact losses by more than half. Larger image	Gold/Silver
Banana plugs	The WireWorld Banana plugs are made from copper alloy plated with either gold over silver or a very thick layer of silver, which we call ‘silver-clad’, to provide lower loss and cleaner sound than the common gold over nickel, ‘costume jewellery' plating used by most competitors. Larger image	Silver-clad or gold/silver
Spade lugs	The WireWorld Spade lugs are made from oxygen-free copper and plated with either gold over silver or a very thick layer of silver, which we call ‘silver-clad’, to provide lower loss and cleaner sound than the common gold over nickel, ‘costume jewelry’ plating used by most competitors. Larger image	Silver-clad or gold/silver

Conductivity Scale
Material	Conductivity %
Silver	106%
Oxygen-free copper (OFC)	101%
Copper	100%
Gold	65%
Brass	28%
Nickel	15%