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For a long time, I thought alloy composition alone was what determined the sonic character of solder, and I did not necessarily think the highest-conductivity (Sn95Ag05) alloys sounded the best, even though they should have in theory. In fact, they often sounded the worst, making the music lifeless and brittle.

Recently, I was touting a copper ternary solder as being the best for audio- it was not "dead" like lead-based solders, yet it wasn't totally "threadbare" or "brittle" like some lead-free types. John Risch then recommended trying the Kester "44" flux core solders, and I preferred these lead-based solders even over the ternary type I used and liked. It was apparent that the Kester "44" activated rosin core was doing something with the solder bond that resulted in less sonic degradation than other activated rosin cores.

Later on, I was fortunate to get a hold of a Kester lead-free Sn95Ag05 solder wire on eBay, which had the "44" RA core. Just to see if the "44" core would make a difference even with the alloy which often sounded cold to me in the past. And what the "44" core did with this alloy was a revelation. Transparent and **listenable**, with **none** of the brittle, threadbare character I would normally associate with lead-free solder. It almost sounds as if some amp stages were removed from the system. Not only would this particular core/alloy solder be the ultimate for DIY tube projects, it has also raised some old solid state pieces from the dead.

The only requisite for using this solder is one must have an iron which can deal with solder that melts at 450 degrees F. And one must be **very** careful when soldering parts which have a tendency to melt or physically distort when such heat is applied. (For example, an RCA plug should be plugged into a socket when soldering, or the dielectric around the center pin could melt and result in the pin drifting off-center.) If you can take these precautions before doing your solder work (and the tinned tip, clean tip, cleaned surfaces, etc.), you will get superior results with your upgrades and DIY projects.

Product Weakness:	Due to hotter melting temperature, requires hotter tip and more-careful handling of electronics and parts. Not readily available. The Sn62Pb36Ag2 alloy with the "44" core is much easier to obtain, but is not as transparent. Other products with the same Sn95Ag05 composition, but with a different type of rosin core, sound *awful*- ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTES!!
Product Strengths:	The flux core is just as important as the alloy composition. The "44" core in combination with the high-conductivity alloy results in a solder that gets out of the way of the music. WARNING- This product may kill the "upgrade bug" in you!!

• I'm curious how you performed listening test? Kevin P 18:55:43 05/19/01 (5)
  In Reply to: Kester Sn05Ag05 Silver Solder 24-7070-0027 Other posted by Todd Krieger on May 19, 2001 at 15:40:02:

  I'm not trolling for garbage, I'm just interested how you came to your conclusions.
  
  

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  • Combination- Critical and Long-Term Casual Listening Todd Krieger 22:30:35 05/19/01 (4)
    In Reply to: I'm curious how you performed listening test? posted by Kevin P on May 19, 2001 at 18:55:43:

    When I deal with a non-component like solder or cables, I usually have to listen to multiple systems to come up with a conclusion. What made me post this review was that I did notice a *definite* improvement in regard to transparency and timbral correctness (especially with percussion, cymbals, etc.), and especially the reduced listener fatigue, on *both* my systems, and also with individual cables and components used by other people. And unlike most changes I've done to my audio systems over the years, this one also elicited quite a few comments of improvement from both audiophile and non-audiophile friends.

    In the past, with a change of solder, I'd often get a good first-impression, but in long-term listening, I feel like turning the system off. After several days, I come to the reality that the "improvement" was not much of an improvement, if at all. To varying degrees. With the Kester "44" lead-free silver solder, the negative long-term effects seem to have been reduced to the point where I could (if I wanted to) play music from 9 am to 1 am the following morning, with minimal urge to turn the system off.

    The other sonic effect with solder is that the bad ones can even make an SET sound hard and brittle, where the better ones preserve the harmonic structure of instruments- most-notably vocals. The Kester "44" lead-free easily has the least-adverse effect in this regard, of all the solder products I've tried.

    I rarely go out on a limb touting a product. I have to give credit to Jon Risch for leading me to the Kester "44" family of solders.

    Anyone who would like a sample of the Kester "44" Sn95Ag05 solder can send me an email with a mailing address. I'd be happy to send you a sample.
    
    

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    • Re: Combination- Critical and Long-Term Casual Listening Ric Schultz 23:20:26 05/19/01 (3)
      In Reply to: Combination- Critical and Long-Term Casual Listening posted by Todd Krieger on May 19, 2001 at 22:30:35:

      Todd,
      Have you tried any of the latest "audiophile" solders such as the very latest Wonder solder Ultraclear(I believe there have been at least 5 versions of Wonder solder that I can remember), Siltech MK II(which is I believe lead free), very latest Cardas, WBT, Sound Connections silver, etc?
      Ric
      
      

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      • Re: Combination- Critical and Long-Term Casual Listening rcrump 05:03:56 05/21/01 (0)
        In Reply to: Re: Combination- Critical and Long-Term Casual Listening posted by Ric Schultz on May 19, 2001 at 23:20:26:

        Ric, there appear to have been at least two iterations of Wonder Ultraclear and tempted to say three as the latest doesn't have as much flux as the last batch had, but more than the awful first run a few years back.......
        
        

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      • Re: Combination- Critical and Long-Term Casual Listening Todd Krieger 00:42:11 05/20/01 (1)
        In Reply to: Re: Combination- Critical and Long-Term Casual Listening posted by Ric Schultz on May 19, 2001 at 23:20:26:

        I have some Wonder Solder older than the hills. Not bad. Didn't realize the formulation was changed.

        I have a roll of WBT if you want it. It is one of those lead-free silvers that I don't like. (I do like WBT's RCA connectors.) I of course have numerous variants of Kester, Ersin (the Savbit would be excellent if the formulation was tweaked a little), and Johnson Mfg.. I never tried the Siltech or Cardas, mainly because either has elicited a consistent preference versus the WBT. (Kester could make its own version of the IA-423 ternary, with the "44" core, which would probably be **the** best formulation, but at over $100 per one pound roll and a 5-pound minimum order...)

        And oh yeah, I have some Audio Note stuff. Before the Kester, the AN and the Johnson IA-423 Ternary were my faves. (The AN sounds very similar to the Kester "44" Sn62Pb36Ag02 solder. But the Kester is a lot less expensive...) But neither motivated me to post a "solder" review...
        
        

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        • Solder temp csown 15:33:05 05/21/01 (0)
          In Reply to: Re: Combination- Critical and Long-Term Casual Listening posted by Todd Krieger on May 20, 2001 at 00:42:11:

          This prompts me to try some out. Will a standard cheap Weller Marksman (with properly cared for tip) be hot enough for the "44" job? How does its melting pt. compare to that of WBT, etc.?

          Thanks,

          Chris
          
          

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