British cable manufacturer Chord Company has launched a trio of advanced HDMI cables, with the flagship Epic offering up to 8K playback, 48Gbps transfer rates and advanced chipsets (up to HDMI 2.1), following a lengthy factory R&D project.

Chord Company’s new lifetime-warranty HDMI cables bring performance benefits to a wide range of A/V applications and include the company’s trademark advanced shielding and handmade quality.

The new Chord Company HDMI cable family

Clearway, Shawline And Epic

The new HDMI cables, which include copper, optical and hybrid designs, distil 35 years of British cable design and manufacturing into three performance-categorised options which neatly sit within the familiar Chord Company range groupings. These include Clearway HDMI (£60), Shawline HDMI (£250) and Epic HDMI at £500 respectively. The three newcomers join the existing entry-level c-View HDMI, priced from £35.

Every Chord Company HDMI cable is handmade and is offered in a wide range of standard lengths. The cables’ advanced specification also makes longer lengths a possibility, including custom orders of up to 150m (Shawline HDMI).

Clearway HDMI

Clearway HDMI has shielded plugs, increased bandwidth and thicker high-quality copper conductors coated with a skin/foamed polyethylene insulation. Five pairs of conductors are individually shielded, then further protected by a twin aluminium foil outer screen.

Clearway’s advanced construction allows Chord Company to offer longer runs (0.75m-10m) offering support for: 4K2K; 6Hz 18GBps HDR; HDCP2.2; Deep Colour; Ethernet/audio return; 1080p; 3D and all HDMI audio formats.

The new Chord Company Clearway HDMI cable

Shawline HDMI AOC (Active Optical Cables)

Shawline HDMI AOC uses a True HDMI 2.0 chipset at both ends, plus the highest OM3 grade (over 10 Gb bandwidth) glass fibres, rather than the typical OM2 (up to 1GB bandwidth). In addition to full 4K HDR picture quality, the premium high-speed Shawline HDMI AOC benefits from the improved audio performance of optical fibre and is immune to HF noise. Shawline HDMI is available in 1-20m standard lengths, with custom lengths of up to 150m available by special order.

The new Chord Company Shawline HDMI cable

Epic HDMI AOC

The flagship Epic HDMI AOC is an 8K-compatible optical/copper hybrid with extensive HF noise protection. Epic HDMI’s copper elements have been uprated for improved mechanical isolation and the advanced HDMI 2.1 chipset offers the maximum performance, making it ideal for installations.

Alongside the upgraded mechanics, picture quality and high frame-rate, the optical configuration provides better audio performance and (like the Shawline HDMI), is also immune to HF noise. HDMI 2.1 can process image quality up to 10K at 100Hz making it ideal for the demands of high-level gaming.

The new Chord Company Epic HDMI cable

About Chord Company HDMI AOC (Active Optical Cables)

For several years, Chord Company has been exploring optical technology to deliver the full performance capabilities of today’s (and tomorrow’s!) players, processors, consoles and screens.

Unlike TOSLINK cables, where the entire signal is carried down optical fibres, HDMI AOC cable is an advanced hybrid of seven copper cables and four optical fibres. The advantage of optical fibre is that it doesn’t pick up HF noise, unlike copper. This potential weakness, coupled with the longer cable lengths involved, means that HF noise on the signal earth is inevitable.

Even though this is a digital ‘optical’ cable, Chord Company’s engineers have to ensure that the copper elements are fully protected from external HF noise pollution. Therefore, beneath the external PVC jacket, the company has incorporated a double aluminium foil shielding system for even greater performance.

Doug Maxwell, Chord Company’s Sales Director said, “The entire team at Chord Company is delighted to launch this range of high-performance HDMI cables to A/V lovers following an exhaustive R&D period spanning years rather than months. Our engineers have been able to apply the lessons learned in 35 years of British cable manufacturing to this trio of new HDMIs and so we’re thrilled to be able to offer the benefits or Chord Company quality to discerning movie, TV and gaming fans all over the world.”

Price And Availability

Chord Company’s HDMI cables are available now.

Clearway HDMI £60

Shawline HDMI £250

Epic HDMI £500

Clearway 0.75-10m; Shawline and Epic: 1m, 2m, 3m, 5m, 8m, 10m, 15m and 20m standard lengths. Custom lengths of up to 100m (Epic) and 150m (Shawline) by special order.

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