Copper tarnishes quickly. If all oxides (etc?) are removed in acid, it is a sort-of pinkish colour: that soon changes. I don't know if it continues into the copper or performs a protective self-limiting skin. I doubt that this has any effect on the conductivity.
I agree with arj that one should use a proper termination. I'm planning to terminate my bare speaker wires. Have even bought the bananas but been lazy.
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A whole other conversation. And happening, of course, in other threads --- but I feel that this is a lot more practical and less fairy-dust than the cables themselves. Changes in sound have been plausibly attributed to simply connecting/reconnecting. Oxides may not make a difference to the cable inside, but they obviously do form a layer between adjoining metals at a connection. Any plug, spade, etc, is also going to oxidise, and adds an extra metal/metal join.
If I were a purist, which I'm not, I think my answer would be DeOxit every few months. It really i wonderful stuff. In fact... a bottle of IPA, a can of WD40 and another of DeOxit --- what more does a man need in life! :lol:
In fact, there are two kinds of DeOxit: one cleans, and one gives longer-term protection. I'll get some of the latter when I can.
DeOxit is not cheap, although a little goes a very long way, but for anyone who feels that it not expensive enough for an audiophile, there is another contact improver called
Stabilant. I'm willing to bet that the electrons would
really love
that stuff! No... seriously... in our humid, polluted atmosphere I sometimes wonder about treating circuit boards, let alone cable ends and switch contacts, with something like that
hyeah:
