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David Price auditions the latest in a long line of high-quality, mid-market loudspeaker leads from this respected British brand… Daily Weekly Timer
£400 RRP (2x 3M, factory terminated)
There's no such thing as an absolutely 'perfect' audio cable, although it's clear to anyone with ears that some are better than others. Instead, consumers tend to make choices informed by how individual interconnects, speaker cables and power leads sound in their particular systems. They are effective ways of subtly tuning or tweaking the end result to the listener's taste. Yet there's still a clear evolutionary ladder, and the rule of thumb is that the higher the quality of the geometry, conductors, dielectrics and insulation, the better the sound will be.
Arguments continue about which materials are best, especially with conductors. Copper has its fans, as it generally delivers an engaging and punchy sound but can be a bit opaque and fuzzy. Silver is loved by high-end audiophiles for its sheer clarity, but it's expensive and can sound too stark in some systems. And in between is silver-plated copper, which delivers many of the fine attributes of both types at a price that's way more affordable than pure silver. That's why cables like Chord Company's Rumour have sold so well over the decades – this mid-priced, silver-plated copper design really hit the spot in terms of value and performance.
The latest ShawlineX loudspeaker cable you see here is based on Rumour but has been subtly developed and upgraded. It retains the former's silver-plated oxygen-free copper conductors arranged in a twisted pair configuration. But a new PVC internal jacket is specified, plus a high-density, dual-layer foil and braid shield taken from the Chord Epic. Cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) insulation is now used instead of Teflon, which the company says delivers much of the performance of its high-end staple, Taylon, at a lower price.
The cable is available off the reel or terminated at the company's factory in Salisbury, England. There's a choice of ChordOhmic 4mm banana plugs or ChordOhmic spade connectors; my review samples had the former. Various lengths are available, or you can buy bespoke runs. Prices start at £120 per metre for a factory-terminated run, plus £40 per additional metre. So for two runs of 3 metres – a typical length – we're talking £400. For me, ShawlineX is a pleasingly manageable cable – it's not so thick that it's cumbersome to install, and its translucent jacket makes it less visually imposing.
The ShawlineX has all the hallmarks of a high-achieving, mid-priced loudspeaker cable. It's not about what it does, but rather about what it doesn't do – which is get in the way of the music, either by adding or subtracting tonal colour or by slowing the music down and making it sound leaden and laboured. Instead, this speaker cable gives a jaunty, engaging sound that has a very light touch. The music comes across as expressive and dynamic, with a lot of subtle detail that doesn't make the music sound processed. The original recording is presented in a natural, organic and unalloyed way.
A testament to this is the way it plays Cafe Regio's by Isaac Hayes. This is a classic early seventies analogue Stax recording of superlative quality. My original LP, played on my Sony PS-8750 turntable with Lyra Delos cartridge, going into a Musical Fidelity M8xi integrated and driving Yamaha NS-1000M speakers, comes over spectacularly. There's a mile-wide soundstage, as with so many Stax recordings of this period, with oodles of depth, too. The ShawlineX lets me hear a great deal of what's going on. The soaring string arrangements are exquisite, with a delicious timbre and dripping harmonics. The sheer ease of the music, tonally and rhythmically, is joyous.
Feed the system some classic retro techno via Chord Electronics DAVE DAC, and this transparent speaker cable takes one to a very different place sonically. Jinny's I Need Your Love is a classic electronic dance floor stomper, and the system instantly snaps into a very different state of mind. The synth bass line pumps infectiously, modulating up and down in a wonderfully supple, carefree way. Above this, the sampled vocal chorus line is tuneful and perfectly timed, bouncing off the backing high-tempo percussion. The ShawlineX helps me pick through the crowded mix of low-fi early nineties electronics with ease. Hi-hat cymbals sound sweet and delicate, and the midband is crisp and beautifully resolved.
From my point of view, ShawlineX is where things really start to get interesting in Chord Company's speaker cable range. It has many attributes of a high-end product without the crazy price. Most striking is its 'hands-off' approach to music making. You get an awful lot of what's on the recording, with none of the congealed, nasal muddle of cheap speaker leads – it just gets out of the way. Of course, you'll need a good mid-priced system to really appreciate this cable – it's wasted on budget kit – but, at the same time, you'll be surprised by how great it makes a decent system sound.
David started his career in 1993 writing for Hi-Fi World and went on to edit the magazine for nearly a decade. He was then made Editor of Hi-Fi Choice and continued to freelance for it and Hi-Fi News until becoming StereoNET’s Editor-in-Chief.
Posted in:Hi-Fi Accessories Cables Applause Awards 2024 Tags: chord company
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