Cables & Accessories

Combining elements of Chord’s Signature Reference/XL cable with its Epic speaker cable, Epic XL loudspeaker wire boasts internal conductors that are separately screened with a high-density braid and foil shield. They are insulated with a special soft PVC internal jacket to correctly space the shielding and minimise mechanical noise. The cable is finished in a translucent outer jacket to further reduce unwanted mechanical noise. The conductors are twisted at each end and clamped in place before being terminated with either banana or spade connectors. 

Sound quality
Connecting the Epic XL cable between my valve monoblocks and transmission line speakers, I play a jazz recording on my Studer A810 reel-to-reel tape deck with a Yarlung Records 15IPS copy master tape of The Yuko Mabuchi Trio. The piano playing during the track Seriously bristles with energy and excitement and has fantastic detail with the speaker cable in place. I can clearly hear the fingering of the double bass while the drums are perfectly positioned towards the right-hand side of the soundstage.

A live performance of Vivaldi concertos by Interpreti Veneziani is equally captivating. The soundstage has enormous depth and I feel part of the audience with the performers playing on the stage in front of me. Instrument placement is precise, and I am able to individually locate all eight players as the cable positively allows the sense of realism in the presentation to flow.

This is certainly an epic offering that delivers an enhanced level of clarity and detail to performances. NR

DETAILS
Product: Chord Company Epic XL
Price: £600 for a 1.5m terminated pair
Type: Loudspeaker cable
Read the full review in June issue 450