An audio system can consist of many components and obviously it is really important to choose these ingredients wisely and carefully so that they are well matched and work well together both musically and aesthetically. In fact, you can read my previous article on ‘System Synergy’ Here. An important part of this aforementioned synergy also applies to your choice of loudspeaker cables and interconnects, something that often gets overlooked or skimped upon but can in fact make or break the quality of sound that your system is able to produce.

Tried and Tested

Here at Audio T Cheltenham, we have tried so many different brands of interconnects and loudspeaker cables (and indeed still do) but we just keep finding ourselves coming back to those made by The Chord Company and in particular we really really like the Epic range…

A Brief History…

The Chord Company was formed in 1984. It all started over dinner one night in Salisbury, when a group of Naim retailers, visiting from America asked the manufacturer for a good-quality DIN-to-RCA interconnect. At the table, was one Sally Gibb, then married to a Naim executive, who made the (historic) suggestion that she make the cables and start a business. With the blessing of Naim, the journey to make cables for the American market began.

Sally gibb - founder of the chord company

With the USA referring to cables as ‘cords’, the name The Chord Company, with its obvious musical connotations, seemed perfect and it quickly stuck. Sally drew a logo, designed the packaging and started testing prototypes. Completely British design and construction, although difficult to source at the time, was paramount and days of searching eventually led to suppliers of sufficient quality. Friends of Sally’s at Naim provided expertise and advice, with many of them helping to build the cables.

Sally gibb also featured in naim advertising including this calendar appearance

The first prototype was named “Chrysalis Cable” and the Americans swiftly returned with an initial order of 250! Cables were built, tested, packed and taken along to the Post Office. Invoices were typed on a typewriter! After two steady years, The Chord Company got its first press review (by Malcolm Steward) and then the phone started to ring…and the rest is history!

Epic Powers

Now The Chord Company range is absolutely huge. Starting from from the inexpensive C-Series all the way up to the Chord Music cables, which very much sit at the “How Much!” end of the pricing spectrum. Somewhere in the mid to upper echelons of the pricing scale comes the Chord Epic Range, which just seems to work really well with everything we try it with.

Just for a bit of fun, I have even used Epic X Loudspeaker cable to connect a Denon DM41 micro system and a pair of Quad S1 loudspeakers and it sounded gorgeous! Like I said earlier, most people would buy the Denon and Quad and probably use some cheapo bell wire type cable and then never realise the full potential of the system… Not that I’m saying you should use a cable of this magnitude. I’m simply highlighting the significant difference the cables make.

Epic x Speaker Cable with Ohmic Banana Plugs

Space and Timing

The secret power of the Chord Epic range is to add space around all the instruments and voices within the soundstage produced by the system. Cables like these will allow your system’s components to work at their highest level, making everything sound more open and more detailed. Small details will become more apparent in the mix. A guitar string’s transient attack will be quick with a dynamic edge. On a larger scale, orchestral climaxes will be powerful and have a real sense of physical impact. The loudspeakers will disappear and the musical performance will be hanging in the three dimensional space in front of you.

Starlight Scene

To be able to hear the differences that a cable can make to your system, you first need to be listening to a piece of music that you know really well. You should also ensure it is recorded nicely with plenty of air around everything that is going on in the recording and not overly compressed within an inch of its life. For these moments, my go to piece of music is the track Starlight Scene by Yello, from the album Toy.

I have been a fan of this band since discovering the album Stella in 1985. Their sound is often characterised by unusual music samples and a heavy reliance on rhythm. Yello albums are always superbly recorded and often use guest vocalists including Rush Winters, Billy Mackenzie (from The Associates), Stina Nordenstam, Jade Davies, and the one and only Shirley Bassey. The track Starlight Scene has a guest vocal from Malia, a gifted vocalist whose voice is both strong and sensual and suits this track beautifully. It is easy to tell when a system is on song and performing well with this track because you will be able to just fall into the soundstage, the bottom end of the bass will go down so low and you will be enchanted by that wonderful voice.

The Wonderful Album Convergence from 2014

If Starlight Scene does it for you then you must try Malia’s rather fab album, Convergence, which she recorded as a collaboration with Yello main man Boris Blank. As an album, Convergence is totally addictive. It simply oozes class. I can’t recommend this album highly enough. Boris Blank’s quirky musical style and heritage seems perfect for Malia’s sultry inflections. Lovers of the less erratic Yello songs and followers of blues/soul diva’s have been given a gift. You can’t afford not to buy this diamond.

Summing Up

To conclude, I have a little warning for you. BEWARE, because many expensive cables are ridiculously overpriced and under perform! Price alone is no indicator of quality performance. The Chord Epic range though is a real giant slayer. Try some and I bet you will not be disappointed. If it helps, a home loan/demonstration can be arranged for to you try it in your own system at your own leisure.

And if you still believe that cables do not make a difference then, come on in and hopefully we will show you otherwise. What have you got to lose?