Group test: Hi-fi interconnect cables

Chord Signature
Chord started out making cables for Naim equipment and is still one of the few companies producing leads with the DIN plugs that Naim is so fond of. The Signature is its flagship interconnect and uses two separate conductors per channel in order to minimise interaction between signal and earth. This makes it slightly stiff but presumably also accounts for its stunning sound. Images are huge and you hear more of the recording character than most of the competition, it also has a superb sense of timing thanks to great transient response. If you want to add precision and scale to your sound, it's a winner.

Plus points: Strong timing, full scale
Minus points: Price
Construction: Twin coaxial
Price: £525/1m pair
Contact: www.chord.co.uk

Kimber Copper Select KS-1011
Copper Select is supplied in the smallest flight case we've seen - it would make a great sandwich box once the cable is installed! This is the least expensive of three Select models and features a solid copper conductor terminated in WBT Nextgen plugs. This is an open and generous sounding cable that's rich in detail yet relaxed. Some will find it a bit too cuddly but there's no denying its beguiling character and the great sense of body it brings to instruments and voices. It would make a great antidote to hard or bright sounding systems.

Plus points: Relaxed and rich
Minus points: A bit laid back for some
Construction: Coaxial
Price: £384/1m pair
Contact: www.kimber.com

TCI Cobra
TCI stands for True Colours Industries, a cable specialist based in Northern Ireland. The Cobra is its top analogue interconnect and features high quality WBT phono plugs and uses 'aerospace' materials such as PTFE dielectric. This is another stiff cable and it produces a taught, solid sound possibly as a result. If you are after bone crunching bass and precision of detail this is a great cable, it makes most competitors sound woolly and relaxed but has an even-handed balance that can produce superb depth of image with the right disc.

Plus points: Powerful and solid sound
Minus points: Hard to criticise at the price
Construction: Coaxial
Price: £175/1m pair
Contact: www.true-colours.com

Van den Hul First Ultimate
Van den Hul makes a substantial range of cables and the odd high end cartridge too. This is the top model in its interconnect range and features 12,000 individually insulated conductors made of vdH's preferred material, Linear Structured carbon. In use First Ultimate has a smooth refined sound that's devoid of the edge that some call precision and others distortion, producing a rich, detailed soundstage with very good bass weight and control with clean, relaxed highs. Some will prefer the bite of metal cables but this gives an unusually natural and musical result that will suit top flight systems.

Plus points: Natural yet revealing, good bass
Minus points: A little smooth for some tastes
Construction: coaxial
Price: £175/1m pair
Contact: www.vandenhul.com

Chord Chameleon Silver
This attractively shaded Chord Co interconnect uses three silver-plated, oxygen-free copper conductors and a floating shield with Teflon (PTFE) insulation. It sits about half way through the company's range and comes with silver-plated phono plugs, silver being a superior, albeit more easily tarnished, conductor than gold. This proved to be an impressive cable for the price with articulate, weighty bass, good transparency and great timing. It suited our reference system well, bringing out the life and energy of our test discs and producing engaging results.

Plus points: Good bass and transparency
Minus points: Won't suit bright systems
Construction: coaxial
Price: £119/1m pair
Contact: www.chord.co.uk

Supra DAC-X
Sweden's foremost cable company is one of the very few in the industry that actually manufactures the product it sells, it therefore gets to control every aspect of cable construction. DAC-X is, as the name suggests, both a digital and analogue cable with two OFC conductors and a semi-conductive nylon screen. When used for analogue signals this cable needs to run against the direction of the writing on the jacket - the most common way of indicating directionality. The sound it produces is strong and forthright with decent detail levels and a good sense of timing, it's a little edgy for high res systems but should suit budget set-ups well.

Plus points: Strong and well timed
Minus points: A little forthright
Construction: coaxial
Price: £70/0.75m pair
Contact: www.supracables.co.uk

Krystal Ultima
Krystal is a small scale UK brand that started out building power cables from its base in Cornwall and has now added interconnects to its range. As Krystal sells directly to its customers it avoids the often high margins required by dealers but this makes it impossible to audition prior to purchase. This cable had no marking for either channel or direction of signal flow but the company says that it this is not usually the case. Its sound however is open and generous with plenty of scale and very good detail for the price. It's highs aren't super smooth but the midrange is pleasantly articulate and voices have plenty of depth.

Plus points: Open, large scale sound and low price
Minus points: At this price!?
Construction: coaxial
Price: £38/1m pair
Contact: www.krystal-kables.com

Contact: www.krystal-kables.com

Living Voice
Living Voice is primarily a loudspeaker manufacturer but as the company is part and parcel of Nottingham retailer Definitive Audio it branched out into cables because there was nothing on the market that it felt was up to the mark. LV uses copper conductors and Neutrik Profi plugs which have a sprung earth connection that makes contact before the centre pin and thus avoids nasty noises when hooking up to live equipment. This is an extremely well balanced cable with superb timbral resolve and a well rounded, vibrant sound that majors on dynamics. It can be bettered in the timing and imaging departments but we've not found a better all-round interconnect.

Plus points: Superb dynamics and timbre
Minus points: hard to criticise
Construction: coaxial
Price: £250/1m pair
Contact: www.livingvoice.co.uk