“The audio cable that enjoys a little teasing” is how this new British cable manufacturer opens their press release. The company in question is Wire On Wire and they hand build their cables in the UK.

With its REDpurl™ variable geometry (UK patent pending), the company’s Experience 680 interconnect permits the user to alter its wire spacing, allowing the sound character of the interconnect to be tuned to the user’s preference.

“The REDpurl™ geometry allows the user to vary the relationship between conductors”, says Wire on Wire’s founder and designer Chris Bell, “so altering the cable’s physics and helping it adapt to their system and musical taste. I was looking for something that could adapt to the individual and the result many years later is a cable full of potential tweaks.”

The Experience680 uses carefully chosen silver-plated copper conductors of different diameter, insulated with PTFE. Capacitance is kept low thanks to the REDpurl™ variable geometry.

Wire on Wire will be exhibiting at the North West Audio Show later this month.

“Furutech’s recently-developed ‘Alpha Nano-Au-Ag’ OCC conductor is among the best that the brand’s engineers have ever conceived for sound reproduction. Not surprising, then, that it underpins the brand’s new top-of-line power and speaker cables. “ says the Japanese company’s recent press release.

The specialized manufacturing process begins with Furutech’s Alpha-OCC conductor which, after undergoing a patented two-step cryogenic freeze and demagnetization process, is treated with Furutech’s “finely-tuned transmission enhancer, Nano Liquid”.

Nano Liquid features a precise ratio of tiny gold and silver particles (approximately 8 nano-meters or 8/1,000,000th of a millimetre in diameter) that finely coat the conductor, filling up and smoothing out any microscopic concave-convex areas left on the conductor’s surface during the production process, and thus providing a greater contact surface.

Furutech’s engineers found that the precise ratio of gold and silver particles and of the dispersing Squalene oil used in the Nano Liquid had a notable effect on sound reproduction, and undertook extensive tests before settling on their final, very specific ratio.

NanoFlux NCF power cable

The NanoFlux NCF is Furutech’s new top-of-line power cable, featuring Alpha Nano-Au-Ag OCC conductor. 

A double-layer insulation combined with a complex outer shield, damping layer and EMI-absorbing modules reject external vibration and electromagnetic radiation.

The NanoFlux NCF power cable also includes Furutech’s new and unique NCF piezo ceramic series connectors. Furutech’s Alpha pure-copper rhodium-plated conductors are housed within a body that contains an active damping material, Nano Crystal² Formula (NCF). The latter incorporates a “special crystalline material with two active properties: first, it generates negative ions that eliminate static; second, it converts thermal energy into far-infrared. This remarkable material is combined with nano-sized ceramic particles and carbon powder for their additional ‘piezo effect’ damping properties”.

This is then enclosed within a multi-layered non-magnetic stainless steel and silver-plated carbon fibre outer shell, incorporating a special damping and insulating acetal copolymer, the EMI-absorbing GC-303.

New NanoFlux speaker cable

The new NanoFlux speaker cable, again built around the Alpha Nano-Au-Ag OCC conductor, sports Furutech’s CF-201(R) rhodium-plated nonmagnetic pure copper spades along with CF-202(R) non-magnetic rhodium-plated banana connectors. 

Pricing & availability

Furutech NanoFlux power & speaker cables are available now, priced as follows (incl. VAT).

Note: Custom lengths are available to order.

“The new IsoTek EVO3 Initium marries high quality materials with intelligent construction to deliver a power cable of outstanding performance and mechanical integrity, which will neither degrade over time nor break your bank balance” says the company’s latest press release.

EVO3 Initium is IsoTek’s new entry level power cable, designed to offer high quality performance at a keen price..

EVO3 Initium key features/

CONSTRUCTION

Three x 2 mm2 conductors are arranged in a parallel construction with a slight rotational twist. This established technique remains the first line of defence against RFI and EMI.

CONDUCTORS

99.9999% oxygen-free copper (OFC) conductors offer an exceptional level of purity with enhanced conductivity, and are less likely to fracture or degrade over time.

DIELECTRIC (INSULATION)

Polyethylene (PE) dielectric is chemically inert and has a very low dielectric constant over a wide frequency range. It possesses a high degree of stress crack resistance and a low coefficient of friction, making it an exceptional dielectric. PE is also a top choice for safety in both temperature and electrical insulation.

FILLER

Cotton filler gives the cable internal strength and reduces microphony, while also possessing the best dielectric properties of a solid material.

WRAP

A paper wrap secures the construction prior to the application of the PVC outer jacket. Together with the cotton filler, the paper wrap forms a buffer with the PVC so as to maintain exceptional dielectric properties.

JACKET

A PVC outer jacket gives a high degree of flexibility and mechanical strength.

TERMINATION

Bespoke audiophile-grade IsoTek moulded connectors featuring solid OFC conductors with robust nickel plating.

DIMENSIONS

Cable length 1.5 m

Outer diameter 10 mm

The IsoTek EVO3 Initium power cable is available now priced at £64.95 (including VAT) for a 1.5 metre terminated cable.

Suitable for CD players, preamps, tuners, power amps, Blu-ray players, music servers, TVs, soundbars and more.

Hifi Pig Promotion

THE CHORD COMPANY LAUNCHES CHORDMUSIC, ITS MOST ADVANCED CABLE RANGE IN 30 YEARS

The Chord Company has launched ChordMusic, the company’s most advanced cable range in its 30-year history. The celebratory, flagship series distils 30 years of cable design and manufacturing knowhow into a ground-breaking line-up. ChordMusic is a revelatory product, developed using an exciting and entirely new insulation material which has never been used with audio cables before: Taylon®.

Read the full Hifi Pig Promotion for Chord Company ChordMusic here

The Chord Company is celebrating 30 years of Hifi cable design and UK manufacturing with the launch of ChordMusic, the company’s new flagship range of cables and yesterday Hifi Pig popped along for a listen at the exclusive KJ West One Store in London (Read more here).

The Chord Company says that the ChordMusic is the most advanced cable range in its 30-year history and that  it is a is a “revelatory product, developed using an exciting and entirely new insulation material which has never been used with audio cables before: Taylon®.”

For a long time Chord have used a combination of PTFE – in various forms –  as the dielectric  and silver-plated conductors and recently introduced the Sarum Tuned ARAY and Super ARAY cables take this combination as far as they were able.  With Sarum Tuned ARAY and Super ARAY the conductors are micro-polished prior to silver-plating and gas-foamed PTFE is employed as a dielectric before fitting of a PTFE RCA plug surround.

ChordMusic uses all the same Super ARAY technology and the same PTFE plugs but what Nigel and Alan from Chord Company were keen to stress it is the sets it apart is the Taylon® dielectric that sets it apart from its predecessors.

So what is Taylon® ? Nigel from Chord said “it is a unique insulation material that has never been used to produce audio cables before and is exclusive to The Chord Company with its roots being in the US military”. “Although its dielectric constant is very slightly lower than PTFE, Taylon® is phase-stable at typical room temperatures” said Alan. Needless to say there were questions about the makeup of Taylon®  but none were forthcoming as both Nigel and Alan stressed they did not know and will not be told given the origins of this material.

ChordMusic cables have three external layers of noise reducing materials along their lengths.  The first of these is designed to reduce levels of mechanical noise; the second was chosen to constrain the noise reducing layer in a very precise way; finally, beneath the white braided finish, there is a metallic external braid.

At the moment there are Analogue interconnects available with RCA, XLR and DIN terminations.  The minimum length is 1m but custom lengths and custom terminations are readily available.

Digital interconnects are also available in coaxial digital and AES EBU configurations.  Coaxial digital cables can be terminated with either RCA or BNC.  Chord are also able to produce custom terminations, such as RCA to XLR (AES EBU).

ChordMusic streaming cables are fitted with RJ45 connectors and are available in custom lengths and a ChordMusic USB cable is currently in development say the company.

Finally Chord have announced the ChordMusic speaker cable which features the same mechanical noise reduction layers as fitted to the analogue and digital interconnects, as well as – for the first time – an ARAY technology developed specifically for speaker cable.  A new clamp design, unique to ChordMusic speaker cable, is currently at the prototype stage and in another first, ChordMusic speaker cables will be fitted with silver-plated spade connectors.

A Chord Music tonearm cable is currently in development and will be available later in the year and a ChordMusic power cable is currently at the design stage.

Read more about Hifi Pig’s visit to KJ West One to hear Chord Music.

The Chord Company has completely restructured its cable line-up, with new ranges, new additions and a simplified grouping system.

The Chord Company’s product portfolio now comprises seven distinct ranges, from the entry-level C-series, to the flagship, ChordMusic cables. The new ranges make it easy to discern between price points and performance levels and offers consumers a high-quality Chord cabling solution, regardless of budget.

The new Chord product line-up comprises of: the C-series; Clearway, Shawline; Epic; Signature Tuned ARAY; Sarum Super ARAY and ChordMusic. Chord is particularly excited to have developed its original Tuned ARAY technology enabling the new line-up to feature ARAY, Tuned ARAY and Super ARAY interconnects.

C-series (1m analogue RCA interconnect £45)

The C-series represents The Chord Company’s entry level range. It utilises techniques developed for the company’s high-performance cables, but applies them in a way that enables great affordability. The range features analogue and digital interconnects, including the C-view — a new super-slim HDMI cable, a C-series USB, plus the C-screen: Chord’s most discreet and cost-effective shielded speaker cable. The C-line analogue and the new C-digital interconnect both benefit from the implementation of the company’s ARAY conductor configuration.

Clearway (1m analogue RCA interconnect £100)

The Clearway speaker cable heads up the range of Clearway cables. Currently available is the Chord Clearway Digital — a digital interconnect that uses Tuned ARAY technology, originally developed on the Chord Sarum. Later in 2016, other cables will be added, including an ARAY-design analogue interconnect that will be available in RCA, DIN and XLR configurations.

Shawline (1m analogue RCA interconnect £200)

Unveiled at Sound and Vision 2016, the Shawline range features “ground-breaking performance and exceptional value for money” say the company. The new Shawline analogue interconnect – available in DIN, RCA and XLR versions – uses the same Tuned ARAY technology as their Sarum Tuned ARAY such a special cable.

Also available is a completely new Shawline ARAY digital cable to be joined by the Shawline shielded loudspeaker cable. More Shawline interconnects will become available over the next few months.

Epic (1m analogue RCA interconnect £400)

The Epic line-up takes its name from Chord’s long-standing Epic Twin and Epic Reference speaker cables. There is a new design Tuned ARAY Epic Analogue interconnect, as well as Tuned ARAY Epic Digital and streaming cables.

Signature (1m analogue RCA interconnect £800)

Signature cables were the first to use high-frequency-effective shielding which drove the development of Chord’s higher performance cables. The range includes speaker and power cables, plus analogue and a completely new design – Signature Digital interconnect. There are also streaming, USB and AES/EBU cables, all of which feature Tuned ARAY conductor technology developed for each specific cable design.

Sarum (1m analogue RCA interconnect £1,900)

The Sarum interconnect, power cable and speaker cable take all of Chord’s principle design values to a logical conclusion. Conductors are polished prior to being silver-plated, the insulation is gas-foamed PTFE and the shielding is the most effective Chord has used. Chord Sarum interconnects and power cables feature the Super ARAY conductor configuration. Super ARAY USB and streaming cables are also available.

ChordMusic (1m analogue RCA interconnect £3,800)

ChordMusic has been developed using an entirely new insulation material called Taylon®, which has never before implemented in audio cables. Taylon® is a phase-stable dielectric material and when combined with the Super ARAY conductor geometry, “takes cable performance to a completely new level” Chord say.

SOtM have announced the worldwide release of their dCBL-CAT7 and the iSO-CAT6 Special Edition which are designed to be used together.

The dCBL-CAT7 cable is said to provide “stable, ultra-high speed transmission with excellent sound characteristics”.

The Filter Block on the dCBL-CAT7 is a new addition and is designed to “eliminate the wide band digital noise inflowing from the router or NAS interfering with audio signals”.

The iSO-CAT6 Special Edition is configured with 3 kinds of network cables which the company say “offer respectively different sound characteristics with high quality, which allows the user organize own unique customized audio system selecting bright & pompous tone, neutral, mild & comfortable tone”.

The length starts from 1.5M as standard and longer than 5.5m of dCBL-CAT7 is also available.

dCBL-CAT7 1.5M(Standard) : US$500 dCBL-CAT7 2.5M : US$600

dCBL-CAT7 3.5M : US$700 dCBL-CAT7 4.5M : US$800

dCBL-CAT7 5.5M : US$900

The iSO-CAT6 Special Edition comes with 3 different network cables, they are distinguished by black, dark grey and grey colour, the standard length is 50cm and can’t be changed.

dCBL-CAT7 1.5M with iSO-CAT6 Special Edition : US$1,100

dCBL-CAT7 2.5M with iSO-CAT6 Special Edition : US$1,200

dCBL-CAT7 3.5M with iSO-CAT6 Special Edition : US$1,300

dCBL-CAT7 4.5M with iSO-CAT6 Special Edition : US$1,400

dCBL-CAT7 5.5M with iSO-CAT6 Special Edition : US$1,500