When RCA/S-Video cables are "gold plated," does that improve the picture quality?

Question

I work @ RadioShack and we sell S-Video and RCA cables that are "gold plated." What's the deal with the gold-plated stuff? Is it superior? Or just a sorry excuse to charge higher amounts of money?

Answer 1

Gold is a better conductor of signal then most other metals so the gold conductors in theory would make a better cable. The problem is that an electrical circuit is only as efficient as it's worst conductor. Much like a garden hose, any obstruction in the hose creates resistance.It does not matter how good the ends of the hose are! If the entire cable were made of gold the gold connectors would have a better value, As is, they are there because people buy them.

Answer 2

In addition to gold being an excellent conductor, it is also very slow to corrode. Since there is no solder connection between components and only pressure fit cables, other metals will oxidize and degrade performance. Gold-to-gold connections will not oxidize over time and performance will not falter.

So far as a performance test between steel and gold connectors when they are brand new, your eyes and ears won't be able to tell the difference but my oscilloscope probably would.