Signature XL is the latest version of one of our longest running [and universally loved] products. The original Signature was our first high-frequency shielded speaker cable [2004] and marked a massive leap in speaker cable performance.
It was also the biggest, stiffest, brightest cable we’d 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 we 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 of our cables, used PTFE insulation [often referred to as Teflon™] and until the arrival of Taylon®, was our “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, we were able to find 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 Signature XL speaker cable is built to order and terminated at our UK factory with ChordOhmic 4mm banana plugs or ChordOhmic spade connectors.
All of these changes combine to produce a major step forward in musical reproduction at this price point – but don’t take our word for it. Request a demonstration from your nearest Chord Company retailer and hear for yourself what this cable can bring to your system and favourite recordings.
Chord Company has launched SignatureXL, the latest generation of the Chord speaker cable line that’s now in its fifteenth year.
The SignatureXL speaker cable is the first Chord product to feature dielectric XLPE [cross-linked Polyethylene], which follows Chord’s implementation of its Taylon dielectric in the flagship ChordMusic and more recent Sarum T speaker cables the SignatureXL sits below.
Chord Company design engineers found it to be superior to the dielectric used in the previous Signature cable variant.
Naturally, Chord claims the SignatureXL brings notable performance upgrade over the previous generation - not only down to the dielectric XLPE but also the new ChordOhmic speaker plugs it is fitted with.
Chord says the new plugs, which make their debut in the SignatureXL and replace the more common gold-plated connectors, offer the conductivity and signal-preservation benefits of silver.
The Wiltshire-based company has been using silver plating in its high-end cables for many years, believing the higher conductivity results in lower resistance, less signal loss and a better audio performance from source to speakers.
Designed to complement Chord’s Signature Tuned ARAY and Super ARAY analogue and digital interconnects, the SignatureXL is available in red/black or all-black finishes and is priced £900 [for a 1.5m factory-terminated pair], with each extra metre an additional £300.
It will make its world premiere at London’s Festival of Sound in October.
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Becky is the managing editor of What Hi-Fi? and, since her recent move to Melbourne, also the editor of Australian Hi-Fi magazine. During her eight years in the hi-fi industry, she has been fortunate enough to travel the world to report on the biggest and most exciting brands in hi-fi and consumer tech [and has had the jetlag and hangovers to remember them by]. In her spare time, Becky can often be found running, watching Liverpool FC and horror movies, and hunting for gluten-free cake.
The Chord Signature XL Speaker Cable is still pretty new to the scene, officially arriving in September of 2018. But, in the few short months that it has been on the market, Chord's Signature XL cable has garnered lots of attention from audiophiles. In case you haven't seen the glowing reviews of the Signature XL, we've grabbed some of our favorites and made them available to read here!
The Chord Signature XL Speaker Cable is a revamped version of Chord's former Signature Speaker cable, their first shielded introduced back in 2004. After years of research and development, Chord was able to improve upon the Signature speaker cable through advanced building technologies and new materials. One of these advancements was the use of XLPE [cross linked polyethylene] as a shielding material, increasing performance over the previous PTFE material. With the addition of ChordOhmic silver-plated terminations, the Signature XL Speaker cable sets a new bar for speaker performance.
But don't just take our word for it, check out the following reviews for industry reviewers and consumers who have had first hand experience with the Signature XL speaker cable.
Why are high end speaker cables so expensive?
Why are some audio cables so expensive than others, and do they make a huge difference in sound quality? 1. the raw materials cost more from the Teflon insulation to the high quality connectors to the winding technique. Just look at something like a Nordost cable and see the remarkable intricacies.
Is chord speaker cable directional?
Please refer to the product packaging for your particular Chord Company product for specific instructions. Cable direction is often indicated by arrow/s printed on the connector, cable or heatshrink and should point away from the signal source.