Do you need gold-plated HDMI cables?

Summary

Gold-plated audio and video cables don’t enhance output quality, especially in the digital era.
Gold is actually less durable than materials like nickel.
Manufacturers continue to sell gold products because they can, sometimes at an unwarranted premium.

Even though I’m a Film grad — one who’s ready to sit through a three-hour, Soviet-era sci-fi movie if my friends or favorite critics like it — there’s a level of devotion among some home theater enthusiasts that I’ll never understand. These are people who insist on the best possible presentation money can buy, obsessing over the smallest details. Sometimes they seem to focus on that more than the actual substance of what they’re watching or listening to.

One of those details is the metal used in audio and video cables. Purists may still insist on something gold-plated, arguing that it delivers the best possible signal quality. But does gold make a real-world difference?

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Do you need gold-plated HDMI or audio cables?

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The short answer is no. To explain, though, the only practical reason to use gold plating on AV cables is to prevent tarnishing. Cables often have copper inside, and if that oxidizes over time, it can legitimately interfere with performance.

Contrary to what you may have heard, gold doesn’t do anything to enhance a cable’s signal quality. In fact, that’s a moot point in the digital era — you’re either receiving a usable digital signal or you’re not. A state-of-the-art home theater system should work just as well with cheap cables as expensive ones, assuming they support the audio and video standards you need. You’ll get better video options, for example, from a basic HDMI 2.1 cable than a deluxe HDMI 2.0 one with gold.

Contrary to what you may have heard, gold doesn’t do anything to enhance a cable’s signal quality.

Gold may be the inferior material choice, ironically. It’s a soft metal, which is part of the reason it’s valuable — that makes it easier to work with. Malleability is a problem when it comes to protection, however, and cable manufacturers are liable to use as little gold as possible given the cost to them. Nickel plating is not only harder, but less expensive, which means it can be laid on thick as anyone wants.

You don’t have to actively avoid gold. It’s tough enough, and some cables use a gold-nickel alloy. But it’s not the selling point you may have been led to believe.

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Why do manufacturers keep making gold-plated cables?

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Because people keep buying them, simply put. They work well enough, and some shoppers are still subscribed to the fidelity myth, whether they’re consciously thinking about it or not. Manufacturers don’t have any reason to dissuade you. Indeed they’re sometimes responsible for perpetuating false ideas, given that they can slap a premium on gold to turn more profit. We tend to think of gold as inherently more prestigious on jewelry, after all.

Manufacturers don’t have any reason to dissuade you.

If you’re into the aesthetics of gold-plated cables, by all means — go ahead and buy them. Just don’t buy into any claims of superior audio and video, and consider spending your cash elsewhere if you’re on a limited budget. Even the richest home theater enthusiasts can probably think of better uses for their money.