Cables & Accessories

Once you have paid careful attention to your mains supply, interconnect cables and equipment support, it is all too easy to overlook one of the biggest influences in the audio chain – the listening room itself. There are a variety of different issues to consider, ranging from reverberations, rattles and other unwanted sounds that can influence the performance of your room. Spurious noises are relatively easy to identify and deal with, but when it comes to room parameters, it’s helpful to have some specialised equipment to identify problems so they can be addressed effectively. Room parameters include the natural peaks and troughs in sound caused by the room’s Eigentones or standing waves or how it responds to resonances and impulses.

Reluctant to share details about the materials used in its cables, one thing Tellurium Q can share with us about the Black Waveform is that it is developed from the previous Waveform range of cables, with improved shielding and what it calls “other interesting developments” designed to aid its digital signal carrying capabilities. It can be supplied with BNC or RCA connectors at either one or both ends. Sound quality Using my PrimaLuna ProLogue Eight Mk. 2 CD player as a source and my Cambridge Audio Stream Magic 6 V2 (HFC 393) acting as an external DAC, I position the interconnect between the corresponding coaxial digital connections.

As the latest addition to a range of stereo interconnects from Atlas, the Equator Integra makes use of the same OCC copper conductors that are used with its higher-end cables. The central conductor is insulated with a PEF (foamed polyethylene) dielectric and is double screened to minimise RFI. The white pearlescent sheath makes the cable quite chunky, but reasonably flexible.

Produced from two inner conductors of tinned oxygen-free copper with a quoted maximum level of 0. 001 percent oxygen, each conductor here consists of 19 single strands of wire and is insulated with polyethylene insulation. Two twisted PVC insulators are also included and used as fillers in the construction. The cable is screened by four shields that Viablue calls ‘Quattro Silver’.

If you are looking to introduce mains conditioning to your hi-fi system, something that can prove immediately off putting is that many devices simply can’t accommodate all the different components in a well-specified setup. If you have a turntable, external phono stage and then music streaming networking hardware plus amplification needs to manage, four or even six-way socket distribution systems just aren’t going to be sufficient. IsoTek has taken this on board and its Evo3 Corvus has nine sockets and the power handling capacity to accommodate some fairly substantial setups. As part of its entry-level range, the Evo3 Corvus is designed to counter Common Mode and Differential Mode mains noise as well as RFI.

Beneath the tailor-made fabric exterior lies a sophisticated portable speaker designed and built by Danish manufacturer Vifa. If the brand name sounds familiar that’s because it’s been around since 1933 and is perhaps better-known in hi-fi circles for its well-regarded drive units, which have been found in plenty of big-name hi-fi loudspeaker designs over the years. In more recent times the company has embarked on its own line of speakers, and the Oslo is the fourth model to be added to its Nordic range of portable wireless models. It’s an elegant one-piece design with the logo neatly embedded into the top of the solid aluminium handle, while embroidered up and down volume keys on the custom-made fabric cover produced by Danish textile designers Kvadrat give it a style that makes it stand out from the crowd.

Concert for one Jimmy Hughes looks at the latest solution for audiophile-quality sound from headphones – Musical Fidelity’s new M1 HPA amplifier. . . There was a time – admittedly forty or so years back – when every self-respecting amplifier came with a socket for headphones.