I tend to see choosing hi-end loudspeaker cable as the final piece of a system’s jigsaw. You get the kit you’ve aspired to, ensure the room is as optimised as it can be and then add the final garnish of cables to finesse the sound to your liking.
And this can make all the difference if done right. Taking your system from ‘90% there’ in terms of performance, to getting it 100% on song, with everything snapping into focus for that all important final 10%. Cable upgrades can also give established systems a new lease of life, when you’re not looking for a major component change, and just want to enhance, rather than radically change your home’s sound.
Special delivery – I love the cymbal style protective bag that Chord Company’s hardware comes packaged in
Say it with signature
Chord Company’s Signature range is the sixth rung up in brand’s eight strong series ladder, with only Sarum T and ChordMusic lines above it. And within it is a full gamut of wires, with all manner of digital and analogue applications covered.
The dedicated speaker cable within the range is titled SignatureXL, with the XL monicker there to distinguish it from the original Signature speaker cable launched back in 2004 (the company’s first high-frequency shielded loudspeaker cable) and Signature Reference that followed.
And with each generation has come improvements, especially in insulation materials, progressing through gas foamed Polyethylene to PTFE (Teflon), before the arrival of the superior XLPE (Cross-linked Polyethylene) that’s on the current XL model. And while this is the same material that’s used in the EpicX cable range a tier below (with exotic Taylon reserved for the brand’s ultimate Sarum T and ChordMusic models), SignatureXL gets significant improvements in its shielding. We’re talking individually shielded plus and minus conductors with a high density foil and 95% coverage metal braid, all wrapped in a protective translucent PVC outer jacket.
Woven outer comes in either red and black finishes or all black
Banana man
For the conductors it’s no-nonsense silver-plated, high purity oxygen free copper (OFC) multi-strands in a twisted configuration of 5.26mm². And being built to order, you also get to specify a choice of Chord Company’s own connectors with ChordOhmic 4mm banana plugs or ChordOhmic spades to choose from.
Although these aren’t Chord Co’s standard Ohmic connectors that are usually fitted via a handheld hex crimping gun. Instead SignatureXL gets the same premium variants also fitted to the Epic XL, Sarum T, and ChordMusic ranges, which require a dedicated machine in the brand’s Amesbury HQ to exert the higher crimping pressure required for their larger size (to accommodate the shielding into the larger plug cap). Into the inner plug is a precision drilled tiny hole which allows any air to escape as the cable is inserted, which is then filled with a drop of solder before the non-magnetic aluminium cap is popped over it – fine detail indeed.
Having toyed with all types of speaker connectors over the years, I’m happy to report that I’m a banana guy. I just find them easier to use, especially when swapping multiple cables in and out for reviewing purposes, which is what I specified for our review samples, fitted to two 8m lengths. Price wise, a 1m terminated pair costs £840, which rises to £6,720 for the 8m pair I’m using.
Branded clamps dictate signal flow and where the woven outer ends, revealing the inner metal braid within a protective PVC sleeve
Performance
Installed between a Michi X5 integrated amp and MoFi SourcePoint V10 Master Edition loudspeakers with source components comprised of SME 20/2 turntable and AVID Nexus V2 arm, Primare R35 phono stage and Primare CD15 CD / network player, these cables are a good match in terms of series hierarchy and audio gear at similar price points.
When it comes to hifi cables, there’s perhaps a general (mis)conception that silver as a material brings an overall brighter sounding presentation to a system vs copper, but I can vouch for this not being the case in this instance. Regular readers will know that my 30m² listening room is perhaps on the hotter side of neutral, however these cables certainly don’t overly enhance this element.
Sade’s classic Love Deluxe album for example is typical of the early ’90s polished production standards of the era, with everything sounding crystal clear, sometimes dazzlingly so (despite this being a Red Book standard 44.1kHz/16-bit FLAC recording, via Qobuz), which can make for a harsh or grainy presentation if you’re system is brightly lit.
4mm banana plugs are the company’s own ChordOhmic variants, sporting ChorAlloy plating
But what the SignatureXL cable does with this album is allow all the detail to shine through with exceptional focus, while keeping any unwanted fizz at bay. The keyboards and intro percussion sound exemplary for this recording, alongside instrument and vocal separation that’s so easy on the ear, underlining how this cable majors on clarity, while making sure the sound stays balanced.
The sound of silence
Those familiar with this album will also know how the mix intentionally uses start/stop breakbeats, with short silent passages to inject lots of drama. The second track, Feel The Pain, takes full advantage of this with its funk infused rhythm. And what’s notable with the SignatureXL in tow is how silent those silences are, with a genuine sense of deep blackness, making the impact when the music comes back in all the more powerful. As to whether this is the cable’s high degrees of shielding at work I cannot say, but it’s certainly attention grabbing.
And then there’s the low frequency delivery and how this cable has a sense of not holding anything back. Anyone who read my review of MoFi’s V10 will know how impressed I am with their 27Hz extension, and the SignatureXL gives you the sense it’s giving the MoFis all the freedom they need to reach all the way down there.
The next track on this album I Couldn’t Love You More underlines this point beautifully, as all I’m hearing is the mighty pairing of Michi and MoFi giving their all, perhaps highlighting this cable’s combined low resistance and equally low power loss, especially over longer runs like mine.
SignatureXL looks, feels and sounds every bit a hi-end cable
On orchestral recordings it’s a similar story, as this cable’s benefits shine through perhaps even more in how it allows its partnering gear to dissect complex passages and present them in a soundstage that’s nicely articulated with plenty of breathing space.
Great Lake Swimmers’ Palmistry from their 2009 Lost Channels LP is a track that when replayed properly has layers of instrumentation just waiting to be uncovered. But you’d be surprised at how many systems I’ve heard this track on (from budget to hi-end) which have left it sounding flat. With the SignatureXL cables in the mix though and the experience is much more rewarding, as there’s an enveloping aura of live excitement to the music, which is exactly how the band intended it to sound, and you can’t really ask for more than that.
In summary
If you’ve a flagship system then cables of this standing and quality make perfect sense, because why compromise on the final piece of the puzzle when you could really be hearing everything your hifi has to offer? And that’s what this cable does in letting your system perform at its best without imparting any unwanted influence of its own.
Not only is it highly neutral, it also seems to have been designed for systems like mine, which demand plenty of power over longer than average cable runs. And while many rival cables at this price perform well over shorter sections, it’s those that can perform at an equally high standard in longer lengths that truly define quality in my experience.
If you’ve got the budget and system to justify it, and deem the Sarum T and ChordMusic ranges out of reach, then SignatureXL may be the answer you’ve been looking for as it’s everything a hi-end cable should be while being more attainable.
