Rick,
There is another variable in the equation. The actual current through the cell. Given a fixed placement/geometry for the anode and cathode and how much electrolyte you've chosen to add (which changes the overall conductivity of the bulk fluid), thats going to create a resistance between the electrodes. The more current, the higher the voltage will be, holding all else constant simply due to Ohms law.
This is why its an issue for processing cold with lower currents. With 14 gauge silver wire anode submerged 3.5" into the bulk fluid at 2-3ma, the cathode needs to barely glance the surface of the fluid, not being submerged more than 1-2mm unless you want the cell voltage to really start dropping below 10V. I even moved away from my 14 gauge copper wire cathode and now use a piece of bare 24 gauge wire to get the surface area to be less and thats worked out MUCH better for me as now I can submerge it a good 1/4" and I have some "wiggle room" too.
The only three ways I know to mitigate this given a fixed size/geometry silver anode is to 1) increase cell current which then potentially causes issues with particle size if you set it too high based on your electrode geometry and surface area or 2) use less electrolyte which now raises the possibility of more silver plate-out on the cathode or 3) use a finer gauge cathode to reduce overall surface area as I've done.
As Kephra has said many times, its all a big balancing act - you have to find the sweet spot and then keep doing it for each run.
Just like real life - no black or white but a million shades of gray in between where many of them are perfectly acceptable solutions, though here, the deviation between all of the acceptable solutions is small compared to that which is possible within the arena you're operating. Basically "good enough" is a small, "fuzzy" circle of solutions and not one single black "dot". So too is life!