questionshow important is it to have gold plated 3.5 mm…   If it
fits and it works, it's good enough. The gold plating is moreso
that it doesn't oxidize as readily. Either way, Monoprice has
them at great prices.   So what are they reported to do ? Ive
never had a audo jack rust ....   Buy one of each, try them
both. If one provides better quality, return the other. If the
quality is equal, return the cheaper one.   I agree with
@narfcake and @djbowman . If you can hear it, then it's fine.
Never had any corrosion issues here.   Almost absolutely not.
Most silver-colored cables are plated with nickel or chrome.
These are hard metals that are corrosion resistant and usually
hold up well. These metals also conduct electricity well. That
being said, the base metal is probably copper and it conducts
electricity very well.  The gold plated plugs are plated with
gold (well, duh!). It's still on top of the same base metal
(copper). While it is true that gold is more conductive than
nickel or chrome, the advantage is