The Chord Company has launched what they are saying is its most advanced mains product to date: Sarum Super ARAY power cable. The new Sarum Super ARAY is the Wiltshire company’s flagship power cable and forms part of a new reference-level range first unveiled at Sound and Vision 2015, in February.

“The new Super ARAY configuration reveals levels of detail, dynamics and naturalness of timbre that are quite extraordinary.” say the company. I’s retro-fittable too owners of the original Sarum Tuned ARAY power cables can upgrade to full Super ARAY specification!”

New mains and IEC plug 

The Sarum Super ARAY power cable conductor geometry was developed just as Chord started to work on a new UK mains plug and IEC plug. The mains plug is a bespoke version of an MS Power mains plug — the conductors have been heavily silver-plated and changes  have been made to the internal structure of the plug casing. The changes act to both stiffen the casing and to allow the fitting of two silicone tubes, which are designed to improve mechanical damping and vibration.

The new IEC plug is also a bespoke Chord Company design. The internal contacts are heavy- gauge and again, are heavily silver-plated.

Technical Director, Nigel Finn, said: “The Super ARAY conductor design for the power cable had been staring me in the face for quite a while; the design and configuration then fell into place quite naturally. What truly surprised everyone here, though, was the dramatic improvement. Even though the first Sarum Super ARAY cable was built in the summer of 2014, demonstrating the improvements remains startling.”

Conductor configuration 

The conductors remain the same as the original Sarum and then the Sarum Tuned ARAY power cable: micro-polished and silver-plated. The insulation is gas-foamed PTFE and the shielding is a high-density silver-plated braid, combined with a heavy-gauge shield. The key difference, though, apart from the new mains and IEC plug, is the way that the new Super ARAY conductors are utilised. This involves the fitting of an ARAY ‘chamber’ and extensive internal re-working. The strongest visual clues, though, are indeed the new plugs.

Cable configurations 

The Sarum Super ARAY power cable is available in 1m, 1.5m and 2m lengths from stock. Custom lengths can be made to order and The Chord Company can also terminate with Furutech 16 amp IEC connectors. Where space is restricted, Chord can also fit-to-order the high-quality Schurter IEC plug that has been used for many years on its Power Chord.

European Sarum Super ARAY power cables are also available: these are fitted with Furutech Schuko mains plugs..
Price is £1700 for 1m.