The construction of the wire is important. Beyond the number of braids, the tightness of the twist, the turns per inch, the coating of the wire insulation, the purity of the contacts, the tolerance of the plugs, comes the actual materials used in the wire itself. Any of these issues can have an effect on quality, but only if you start with a strong core, can you achieve high fidelity.

OCC and OFC are abbreviations used to describe different types of wire constructions used in ear speaker cables, particularly when it comes to purity. Here's what each term stands for and what it signifies:

1. OCC (Ohno Continuous Cast) Wire Construction:
   OCC refers to a wire construction method developed by Professor Ohno of the Chiba Institute of Technology in Japan. It involves a specialized process of casting high-purity copper or silver using a single crystal mold. The resulting wire has a single crystal structure, which is believed to offer superior conductivity and reduce signal distortion.

When it comes to OCC in ear speaker wire, the 5N purity specification (our Touring Pro Audio Cable) indicates that the copper used in the wire is 99.999% pure. The "5N" notation is a shorthand way to express the purity level, where each "9" represents a decimal point. Therefore, 99.999% purity corresponds to five nines purity.

2. OFC (Oxygen-Free Copper) Wire Construction:
OFC refers to a type of copper wire that has undergone a process to remove oxygen from the copper material. Oxygen is known to impede conductivity, so removing it from the copper results in improved electrical properties. OFC wire is widely used in various audio applications due to its good conductivity and relatively lower cost compared to other high-purity wire options.

While the 5N purity specification is not commonly associated with OFC wire, it is worth noting that OFC wire can have varying levels of purity. The most common purity level for OFC wire is 99.99%, which is commonly referred to as "4N" purity.

In summary, OCC and OFC are different wire constructions used in speaker cables. OCC wire is known for its single crystal structure and is often associated with high-purity copper or silver, such as 5N purity. OFC wire, on the other hand, is oxygen-free copper with varying levels of purity, typically 99.99% (4N purity).