The Chord HDMI Silver Plus 1.3 is the latest version of Chord's original and award-winning HDMI Silver Plus. Like its predecessor, the 1.3 version has been awarded Best HDMI Cable in the What Hi-fi 2007 Awards. The HDMI Silver Plus 1.3 uses the same design principles applied to the original HDMI Silver Plus. The conductors are silver-plated oxygen free copper and whilst revising the cable to meet 1.3 specification, they also took the decision to increase the diameter of the conductors and at the same time improve the signal shielding. These revisions improve picture transfer and they can now offer the HDMI Silver Plus 1.3 in lengths of up to 40 metres! Contrast is improved and interference levels are reduced.

Lengths of 15 metres or more are fitted with an in-line signal amplifier. This guarantees that the longer runs of cable will meet 1.3 specifications and transfer a 1080p signal.

The improvements brought about by fitting an HDMI Silver Plus 1.3 to a screen or projector are easy to notice, even when using relatively short lengths. Over longer lengths however it becomes very apparent just how well the cable performs when compared to other HDMI cables. Any home cinema system requiring a long HDMI cable to connect a projector will really benefit from using the HDMI Silver Plus 1.3.

The HDMI Silver Plus 1.3 is available fitted with high quality gold-plated HDMI plugs. High performance DVI and MI adaptors are available.

Chord Crimson - RRP £28.95

The Chord Crimson replaces The Chord Company's first ever interconnect cable, the Chord Chrysalis. Although a completely new design the Crimson is a good example of the way a product evolves. The oxygen free, multi-stranded copper conductors are identical in strand diameter to the conductors used in the Chrysalis, but whilst the Chrysalis used a co-axial configuration the Crimson, like other interconnects in the Chord Range uses a pseudo-balanced circuit path. Using identical conductors for the signal and return paths improves a cable's ability to accurately carry dynamic information and also to transmit greater levels of detail.

The design also means that the cable will carry more information over a greater bandwidth and the decision to replace the Chrysalis was driven by the need to do this. The extended frequency range of the Crimson makes it a great choice for use with CD, DVD and SACD players. Modern versions of these machines output a surprising amount of information and the Crimson will transmit this remarkably accurately. The Crimson was designed to be versatile and will work really well in any entry-level hi-fi or home cinema system. Its ability to accurately carry high frequency signals makes it an ideal cable for connecting multi channel audio players. Crimson will maintain performance over long runs and the design of the cable means that it can be configured to perform extremely well as a subwoofer cable.

Optical Cable 1m - RRP £44.95

In theory, all optical cables should produce pretty similar results. In practice, this is not the case. In comparisons with other optical cables the Optichord produces a more accurate tonal characteristic and a vibrant and lively sound from the system it is connected to.

Chord Rumour was the first speaker cable that Chord produced. At the time we were already producing interconnects using silver-plated conductors in combination with Teflon insulation and were well aware of the potential performance benefits of this combination. We experimented with several cable geometries before settling on the twisted pair configuration that we have used ever since. Following repeated listening tests, we felt this configuration offered some genuine advantages over the more commonly used heavy gauge parallel pair designs that were commonly used at the time.

Each conductor is made up of 19 strands of silver-plated oxygen free copper. These are insulated by Teflon and surrounded with an outer jacket of silicone. Silicone was chosen as an outer jacket partly for its flexibility and partly for its excellent mechanical damping characteristics.

Rumour is a remarkably compatible speaker cable and can be used in a wide range of applications from mini systems right up to full blown active set ups. The size of the cable makes Rumour a very attractive proposition for anyone looking to get really good sound quality from what is a near invisible (in hi-fi terms) speaker cable. It is discreet enough in its installation version to tuck between a carpet and skirting board.

The combination of silver-plated conductors and Teflon insulation make Rumour a very clean and neutral sounding speaker cable. It is capable of transmitting a wide bandwidth signal and many users are surprised at the remarkably deep but well controlled bass that Rumour brings to their system.

Chord PowerChord - RRP £130

The electrical supply within our houses is becoming increasingly polluted. The typical household now has around 40 microprocessors and many of the electronic components we now use are fitted with switch mode power supplies. The Chord Co established some years ago that high frequency electrical interference was having a seriously detrimental effect on the performance of both hi-fi and home cinema systems and this discovery prompted the development of firstly the Signature interconnect and then the Signature speaker cable.

Prior to this we had experimented with several designs of mains cable, none of which produced consistent results from system to system. Having successfully developed the Signature cables and proved their effectiveness it was logical to apply the same shielding principles to a mains cable. The result is the Chord PowerChord. Unlike previous designs, the PowerChord's performance and the improvements it brings are remarkably consistent, regardless of the system it is fitted to. The PowerChord is also a simple and effective upgrade to both plasma and LCD televisions, improving clarity, contrast and colour.