Signature XL Terminated Speaker Cable with ChordOhmic Connectors (Pair)

£1,600£4,000

SignatureXL speaker cable, the latest, 2019, iteration of Chord’s Signature range speaker cable – the first since 2014 – is an absolute favourite here. When it was launched, it took off so fast by word of mouth that for a while there was almost a permanent waiting list; it is that good.

SignatureXL retains the combination of low capacitance and resistance that ensures it behaves consistently with a range of different amplifiers. This is not something that can be said of all speaker cables in this price band… Moreover the switch from PTFE to a compliant XLPE dielectric seems to have brought a welcome extra bite, without grain or coarseness, to the upper registers.

Highly, highly recommended by Loud & Clear.

SignatureXL speaker cable
SignatureXL is the latest version of one of Chord’s longest running (and universally loved) products. The original Signature was Chord’s first high-frequency shielded speaker cable (2004) and marked a massive leap in speaker cable performance.

It was also the biggest, stiffest, brightest cable Chord had ever made. The conductors were oxygen free copper, the insulation was gas foamed Polyethylene, Shielding was a three layer braid and foil combination, effective to high frequencies and the outer jacket a flexible polyethylene. It was just flexible enough to fit into a system. It didn’t need a press release or a review, it took off so fast by word of mouth, that for a while there was almost a permanent waiting list.

It remained unchanged for about ten years, until Chord could apply improved building techniques and materials such as more efficient shielding, silver-plated conductors and PTFE insulation that would produce a more neutral tonal characteristic and a cable better able to carry detail, dynamics and timbre.  This became Signature Reference.

Signature Reference, like most Chord cables, used PTFE insulation (often referred to as Teflon™) and until the arrival of Taylon®, was Chord’s “go to” material. Although expensive, it offered the best performance.

Material technology is constantly developing and improving and alternatives to PTFE are now available. While the high cost of Taylon® prevents us from using this in our Signature range, Chrd found a suitable family of insulation materials known as XLPE (Cross-linked Polyethylene). One version of this material looked particularly interesting and following listening tests, proved to be clearly better than the PTFE in Signature Reference.

Every set of SignatureXL speaker cable is built to order and terminated at the UK factory with ChordOhmic 4mm banana plugs or ChordOhmic spade connectors.  Available in red/black or all black colour combos.

All of these changes combine to produce a major step forward in musical reproduction at this price point.

Chord Company SignatureXL speaker cable

Technical Specifications

Conductor Silver-plated, high purity OFC
Insulation XLPE
Configuration Twisted pair
Shielding Individually shielded positive and minus conductors. High density foil and 95% coverage metal braid. Translucent PVC outer jacket
AWG 10
mm2 5.26
Diameter 2 x 8.5mm