Gold-Plated Connectors

[Sal1950]

Does gold plating of connectors provide an audible benefit, or is it just a hyped feature that has become commonplace?

It might if non-gold plated connectors become corroded.

but 'indoor" connectors rarely corrode

Ah I've seen a lot of the connectors on my older gear that started out a silverish color turn dark gray or blackish over time.
Back in the day it was recommended, even today, it can't hurt to unplug and replug in your connectors to clean the contact area from the wiping.
There used to be some dedicated cleaner products on the HiFi market but don't remember seeing any in a long time.

"Gold does not make a better connection, merely a longer lasting one!"

That's a fair enough statement.

 

[boswell]

Addendum
At the boundary mating between two different metals a potential difference arises. This has no impact on audio.
It is this potential difference that is used in the principle of thermo-couple operation.

 

[tineared]

Dissimilar metals

 

[solderdude]

Would the thermo-couple still work if both metals would have gotten a gold or silver coating ?
And ... what if one metal would have a silver (or nickel) plating and the other one a gold plating ?

 

[boswell]

Correction Thermocouples use the property that different metals have different potentials over the same temperature difference in the same length of conductors. This creates a measurable voltage that can be calibrated. to achieve a thermometer. The potential difference at the junction of two metals has a small voltage with a capacitance effect local to the boundary and is not the thermo-couple principle in action. Sorry for the generalization of two sort of related ideas. It was mainly the unique property of gold alone not being oxidized that I should have stuck with.