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Chord Epic XL Speaker Cable Custom Length - Factory Terminated

£200.00 £166.67
SKU
Epic XL
Free UK Delivery
10 Years
New
48 Hours
what's this?

We can burn-in your cable for up to 96 hours FREE of charge using our Nordost VIDAR cable burner. This is a £3000 machine that will optimise the performance of your cables from day one. This means the cables will be in optimum performance mode when you receive them, so you'll be able to make a performance assessment quickly rather than waiting 70 hours+ of usage. The result of conditioning cables with the Nordost VIDAR is, improved sound staging, increased detail, and an overall more musical presentation. Please Note: we are unable to burn-in cables with stripped bare ends, BFA-only plugs, or no plugs selected. (This does not apply to BFA/Banana plugs). Cables are burnt-in for the selected period AFTER your order has been processed. This service is offered at Future Shop's discretion and we cannot guarantee all burn-in requests are fully completed during busy periods.

what's this?

If you want Future Shop to terminate your speaker cable with our special range of plugs, select Banana/BFA/Z-Plug or Spade plugs from the drop-down menu. We offer a wide range of options on how our highly trained and experienced engineers can fit the plugs to your selected cable. If an option is not available for your requirements, please call us on 0800 772 3688 or 0208 905 1555. All cables are tested for signal integrity before shipping.

what's this?

If you want Future Shop to terminate your speaker cable with our special range of plugs, select Banana/BFA/Z-Plug or Spade plugs from the drop-down menu. We offer a wide range of options on how our highly trained and experienced engineers can fit the plugs to your selected cable. If an option is not available for your requirements, please call us on 0800 772 3688 or 0208 905 1555. All cables are tested for signal integrity before shipping

what's this?

Select the desired length for your cable from the drop-down menu.

what's this?
SPEAKER CABLES:

A quantity of 2 means you will receive a pair of speaker cables e.g. for your front left and front right speakers. By entering a quantity of 1, you will get a cable for a single speaker e.g. centre speaker and this option also enables you to vary the length (and termination) of your cable for each speaker.

OTHER CABLES:

A quantity of 1 means you will receive a single cable in the case of aerial, satellite, subwoofer, digital coaxial & optical cables and a pair of cables in the case of 2 rca to 2 rca analogue audio cables.

NON-CABLE PRODUCTS:

A quantity of 1 means you will receive 1 of the specified products.

Available

Need help? Call us on 0800 772 3688 or 0208 905 1555

Prefer email? Contact us via sales@futureshop.co.uk

Epic XL combines elements of Chord's Epic and Signature Reference/XL speaker cables. A specially chosen soft PVC internal jacket is added to correctly space the shielding and minimise mechanical noise. A high density braid and foil shield is applied to each set of conductors and this is in turn protected by a translucent outer jacket, again chosen to reduce unwanted mechanical noise.
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Chord Epic XL Speaker Cable Custom Length - Factory Terminated

 

Epic XL combines elements of Chord's Epic and Signature Reference/XL speaker cables. A specially chosen soft PVC internal jacket is added to correctly space the shielding and minimise mechanical noise. A high density braid and foil shield is applied to each set of conductors and this is in turn protected by a translucent outer jacket, again chosen to reduce unwanted mechanical noise. Each set of Epic XL is built to order at The Chord Company. The conductors are twisted together and clamped in place before being terminated with either banana or spade connectors. By separately shielding the positive and negative conductors of each speaker cable run, Chord can produce a version of Epic that sounds markedly more refined and musically coherent. The Epic XL is particularly good at carrying micro-dynamics and detail and brings great separation and definition to instruments and voices.

Source components and loudspeakers are evolving. The level of resolution that used to be the preserve of high-end audio has trickled down to some surprisingly affordable designs. The downside is that they may well show you things you don’t want to hear – like your cables! Epic XL takes a crucial step forwards in performance by using separate shields for each conductor. That means neutrality, less noise, a bigger and more immersive soundstage and most of all, it means getting new joy from your existing music collection.

ChordOhmic Silver-Plated Banana & Spade Plugs

Chords ChordOhmic silver-plated loudspeaker plugs are designed to bring both the electrical and sonic benefits of silver to speaker cables.
Silver-plating not only makes sense from an electrical point of view, it can give an audibly superior result during listening tests, when compared with gold plated connectors. Plugs will also benefit from a major clean, using a good contact cleaner or enhancer. 

Contact Enhancer Option

To ensure the best possible connection between your system, Future Shop recommends the DeoxIT Gold G-Series contact enhancer.

DeoxIT Gold is carefully applied to the plug contacts of your cable and is a unique conditioning solution designed to improve conductivity and provide long-lasting protection on gold, base metals and other precious metal contacts and connections. DeoxIT Gold penetrates plated surfaces, molecularly bonding to the base metals to seal and protect both surfaces.

The benefits of applying DeoxIT gold are:

  • Improved Conductivity
  • Maintained optimum signal quality
  • Reduced wear & abrasion
  • Prevents fretting/dendrite corrosion
  • Forms a protective anti-tarnishing coating
  • Stabilises connections between similar and dissimilar metals
  • Reduces arcing, RFI and intermittent connections

Please select this option from the above ‘Contact Enhancer’ drop-down menu and our engineers will apply the contact solution to your cable connectors prior to shipping.

 

"The first thing I noticed when plugging in the Chords was the quality of the bass. No, it’s not overpowering nor overly potent but simply potent and tuneful. It provides a solid foundation for all the
instruments that float above. Which means the guitars and vocals on ‘Debaser’ by The Pixies took on a greater presence - indeed Black Francis’ lyrics were more intelligible with a less shouty character."
(Read More)

Hi-Fi World - 5 World Review - 2020

 

 

Specification:

  • Chord Epic XL Speaker Cable - Factory Terminated
  • Please note, you need to enter a quantity of 2 for a pair
  • Length: Custom Length
  • Conductors: Silver plated high purity OFC
  • Conductor 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: 12 (3.31mm2)
  • Diameter: 2 x 7.5mm
  • Colour: Translucent brown
  • 10 Year Warranty

 

Termination

This cable is custom-made according to customers specific requirements as selected by the various drop-down options above. Chord’s highly experienced engineers professionally terminate using their superb silver-plated ChordOhmic plugs.

ChordOhmic is Chord’s new silver-plated termination option designed to bring both the electrical and sonic benefits of silver to your speaker cable. Chord terminates their speaker cables using a specially designed HEXGUN. An airtight crimp is applied to the plug creating a secure and protected termination. This is a solder-free, airtight fusion between the cable and plug offering optimum signal transfer, excellent signal quality and perfect long-term performance. Furthermore, the banana plug itself is in contact with the binding post again at 360 degrees. The net effect of this is it maximises the signal transfer from the plug into your equipment and hence a superior performance. When a bare wire is used not all the conductors are in contact with the binding post and as a result, some loss occurs.

How to Order

From the dropdown menus' above, simply select the length of cable, the type of plugs required at the ‘Amplifier end’ and ‘Speaker end’ and click on the 'Add to Basket' button to add the item to your basket. Your cable will be dispatched as soon as it has been made by Future Shop's or the manufacturer’s engineers and has completed the specified burn-in process (if any), subject to Future Shop’s Terms & Conditions and stock availability.

About The Chord Company Made in United Kingdom

The Chord Company is dedicated to offering excellence in audio and audio visual cable design. Chord products have earned numerous accolades in the audio and recording industries over the past two decades. Based in Salisbury UK, The Chord Company continues to drive cable design and technology to its limits with the majority of its spectacular array of performance products designed and made in the UK.

Specification:

  • Chord Epic XL Speaker Cable - Factory Terminated
  • Please note, you need to enter a quantity of 2 for a pair
  • Length: Custom Length
  • Conductors: Silver plated high purity OFC
  • Conductor 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: 12 (3.31mm2)
  • Diameter: 2 x 7.5mm
  • Colour: Translucent brown
  • 10 Year Warranty

UK Delivery

 

1. We use Royal Mail 1st Class Services as a Standard Postage Option

Orders received before 4.30pm Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays) are usually dispatched the same day by FIRST CLASS post (unless premium postal or timed courier services are selected), subject to stock availability. Over 98% of our orders are usually delivered the next working day including Saturdays.

Standard delivery is usually within 2-3 working days, although 98% of all orders are delivered the next working day including Saturdays . In extreme cases, such as delivery to the Highlands and Islands, this may take 3 days.

All items are fully insured and come with an invoice from Futureshop.co.uk. We use the Royal Mail for delivery of small packages and DPD or Interlink Express for items that weigh over 2KG. Items over 2KG are fully insured and will usually be delivered within 48 hours of placing your order Monday to Friday subject to stock availability. For International orders, we use FedEx Services where customers have selected this option.

Please note, special orders for non-standard cable lengths or custom-made cables may be subject to longer delivery time-scales. This may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.

We offer 'Free UK delivery on orders over £99' subject to the following terms & conditions:

  • Applies only to orders with £99 or more of items (including VAT at the UK rate), at FutureShop.co.uk
  • Free Delivery on orders over £99 utilises Royal Mail First Class postal service for items weighing under 2KG. For items weighing over 2KG, we use DPD next working day services which deliver from 9.00am to 6pm within mainland UK (excludes Royal Mail Special Delivery Services and timed next day delivery services by UK Mail).
  • Applies only to deliveries to addresses within mainland UK and Northern Ireland addresses. Applies only to orders that are to be delivered to a single Mainland UK delivery address.
  • You will not be eligible for free delivery on your order if any items are cancelled or returned for a refund, bringing the total order amount below £99. Where items are returned, the refund due will be the cost of the item less any postage costs.
  • We reserve the right to change or discontinue 'Free delivery on orders over £99 promotion at any time.
  • FREE DELIVERY FOR ORDERS OVER £99 OFFER DOES NOT APPLY TO TRADE CUSTOMERS.

Free Delivery on orders over £99 utilises Royal Mail First Class postal service for items weighing under 2KG. For items weighing over 2KG, we use DPD or Interlink Express next working day services which deliver from 9.00am to 6pm within mainland UK.

Free Delivery for orders over £99 excludes Royal Mail Special Delivery Services and timed next day delivery services by DPD or Interlink Express.

 

Royal Mail 1st Class Shipping DPD Next Day Delivery

 

2. Special Delivery UK - Guaranteed Next Working Day

We have 99.9% of the UK covered With Royal Mail Next Day Special Delivery. We guarantee delivery to most UK addresses by 1pm the next working day. This includes Northern Ireland, Jersey and Guernsey. Some places take longer to deliver to but we still guarantee delivery within three working days by 5.30 PM.

For the Next Day Special Delivery service, orders must be received by futureshop.co.uk by 4.30pm weekdays. Orders after the 4.30pm deadline cannot be guaranteed for same day dispatch.

Please note, Royal Mail Special Delivery for next working day may not be possible where non-standard cable lengths are ordered. If this is the case, the item will be shipped via The Royal Mail Special Delivery service as soon as the cable is custom made.

For orders weighing over 2KG, we reserve the right to ship items using Next Day Pre-Noon Courier Services where Royal Mail Special Delivery option has been selected.

 

Royal Mail Special Next Working Day Delivery

 

3. Channel Islands & Northern Ireland

We accept orders from all Channel Islands including Alderney, Jersey, Guernsey and Sark. Unless you select a premium service, Items weighing under 2KG are delivered using our standard UK delivery option above. For items weighing over 2KG, a surcharge may be applied for all deliveries to the Channel Islands as well as Northern Ireland.

 

European Countries

Deliveries to EU member states are subject to 20% VAT. We offer the following shipping services:

  • Royal Mail First Class International Untracked Airmail Services - Items are usually delivered within 10 working days.
  • Royal Mail First Class International Tracked Airmail Services - Items are usually delivered within 3 to 7 working days.
  • DHL Express International - Items are usually delivered within 24 to 48 hours. DHL orders must be received by 3:30pm for next day service to most destinations in Europe
  • Federal Express International Priority - Items are usually delivered within 24 to 48 hours. FedEx orders must be received by 3.00pm for next day service to most destinations in Europe
  • Federal Express International Economy - Item are usually delivered within 48 to 72 hours

 

Royal Mail International DeliveryRoyal Mail International Tracked DeliveryFedEX Express Economy International DeliveryFedEX Express Priority International DeliveryDHL Worldwide Express International DeliveryDHL Econmy Select International Delivery

 

Worldwide - Excluding UK & Europe

Deliveries outside of the EU are not subject to 20% VAT and so the 20% tax on items is automatically deducted when you login or register.
We offer the following shipping services:

  • Royal Mail First Class International Untracked Airmail Services - Items are usually delivered within 15 working days.
  • Royal Mail First Class International Tracked Airmail - Items are usually delivered within 10-15 working days.
  • DHL Express International - Items are usually delivered within 48 hours. DHL orders must be received by 3:30pm in order to ship items the same day, subject to stock availability.
  • Federal Express International Priority - Items are usually delivered within 48 hours. FedEx orders must be received by 3.00pm in order to ship items the same day, subject to stock availability.

Where the actual weight of the package significantly exceeds the shipping cost charged on orders, we may write to you for an additional shipping charge. For larger orders, items may be shipped in multiple packets.

 

Royal Mail International DeliveryRoyal Mail International Tracked DeliveryFedEX Express Economy International DeliveryFedEX Express Priority International DeliveryDHL Worldwide Express International DeliveryDHL Econmy Select International Delivery

 

Enhance Your Experience: Free Cable Burn-In Service with Nordost VIDAR Machine

 

Please take note of the following details regarding our cable burn-in service:

  • Cable Compatibility: We regret to inform you that we cannot burn-in cables with stripped bare ends or BFA plugs. In order for cables to undergo the burn-in process, they should be terminated or have connectors.
  • Timing: Cables will be burnt in for the selected period after processing your order. For custom-length cables, the burn-in process will occur after they have been terminated by the manufacturer or our engineers unless specified otherwise in the product description.
  • Availability: Future Shop provides our cable burn-in service free of charge, but its availability is at our discretion. While we strive to fulfil all burn-in requests for the specified time periods, please understand that during exceptionally busy periods, we may be unable to meet the demand due to limited connections on the Nordost Vidar cable conditioning machines.

The Nordost VIDAR cable burn-in machine integrates three key functions into one operation:

  1. Charge Neutralisation: It eliminates charges that accumulate around the cables and their insulation, ensuring a more balanced electrical environment.
  2. Deep Conditioning: The machine provides a wide band and deep conditioning process that affects the conductor core, resulting in changes to the signal transmission through the metal. This deep conditioning enhances the cable's performance.
  3. Ultrasonic Surface Conditioning: The VIDAR machine utilizes ultrasonic waves to condition the surface of the conductors, optimizing their contact and overall conductivity.

The VIDAR employs a proprietary combination of composite and complex signals to condition the cables. These signals comprise ultra-low and ultra-high frequencies, extending beyond the range of video frequencies. The signal moves back and forth along the cable, penetrating deep into the core with ultra-low frequencies and traversing the surface with ultra-high frequencies. This transmission method generates beat harmonics between the two complex waveforms, which permeate all layers of the cable. The circuitry of the VIDAR also drives electrons from the conductor into the insulation area, neutralizing electrical charges.

 

 

Nordost Vidar Burn-in Machine

 

 

So, what does this all mean for you?

The ultimate outcome of conditioning cables with the Nordost VIDAR is improved sound staging, increased detail, and an overall more musical presentation in your audio system.

Now, you may wonder why cable burn-in is necessary. During cable manufacturing, gasses become trapped as insulation is applied over the conductors. Additionally, new cables often possess high electrical charges, resulting in a brittle and bright sound that lacks the desired detail and depth for music production.

When cables undergo burn-in, the trapped gasses are dissipated, and small impurities in the conductor metals begin to exhibit diode-like behaviour, favouring current flow in a specific direction.

Here are the physical effects of the burn-in process:

  • Charge Neutralisation: The burn-in process neutralizes charges in the conductors and insulation, promoting a more balanced electrical environment.
  • Wide Bandwidth Frequencies: The conditioning affects how signals pass through the metal, enabling a wider range of frequencies to penetrate all cable layers.
  • Signal Transmission: The burn-in process establishes the directionality of the cable, optimizing signal transmission from one end to the other.

When cables are properly burnt in, you can expect the following audible changes in your audio system:

  • Fuller and Natural Sound: Your system should be capable of producing a more immersive and realistic performance with a fuller and more natural sound.
  • Increased Detail: You may notice enhanced details and nuances in the music, allowing you to perceive subtle elements that were previously hidden.
  • Improved Soundstage: The dimensionality of your system's soundstage can be greatly improved, creating a more spacious and immersive listening experience.

At Future Shop, our goal is to maximise your satisfaction. That's why we offer a free burn-in service on all our cables before they arrive at your door, enabling you to sit back and enjoy the benefits of properly conditioned cables in your audio system.

 

 


Download Icon  READ MORE ABOUT THE NORDOST VIDAR CABLE TREATMENT

 

Customer Reviews
100%
5 /5.0 of 4 Reviews
5 stars 4 (100%)
4 stars 0 (0%)
3 stars 0 (0%)
2 stars 0 (0%)
1 star 0 (0%)
5
Speaker cable fantastic and staff very helpful.
7 Dec 2023
Verified Buyer
10 out of 10. I can’t fault the staff and the product recommendations or their helpfulness.

If you need a speaker cable, this is the place to go.
Was this review helpful? 0
5
Chord Epic XL speaker cables!
3 Jul 2023
Verified Buyer
I already had the twin epic speaker cables and was impressed with hire it made my system sound. After reading reviews on the epic xl cables, I knew I had to make the purchase, and I have to say that it was worth it!

It was evident that these were superior in sound and dynamics! The quality of sound is astonishing, and this with them not even burnt in. I also purchased the jumper links for my Quad s2 speakers. My system consists of the Willsenton R8 tube amp, fluance rt85 turntable, Music Hall CD player and Topping DAC.

All I can say is that my system never sounded this good, and the Epic xl speaker cables were the icing on the cake!!! They are beautifully made too!!! Highly recommend these cables!!!
Was this review helpful? 0
5
Chord Epic XL speaker cable
24 Jul 2021
Verified Buyer
I got the Epic XL to replace my Odyssey 2 cables and this is one of the better upgrades I’ve made to my system. The improvements are discernible - higher clarity, better separation and tighter low end.

Great value without breaking the bank. The purchase from Future Shop was painless and I got my cables in good order and well within the time promised.
Was this review helpful? 0
5
A Worthwhile Upgrade
20 Jan 2021
Verified Buyer
I have done a lot of research in order to get the right speaker cable. The Chord Epic XL cables are within my budget [just]. There are many sceptical reviews out there regarding what difference a high-end cable can make on a Hi-FI's performance. This is the first pair of cables I have purchased for over 20 years. I can say without doubt that, after the recommended run-in period, these cables sound brilliant. Speaker cables do make a difference - these Epic XLs especially. A veil has been lifted from what was already an acceptable performance from my old QED Silver Anniversary bi-wire.

Every element of the music is enhanced, the bass is full but tight and controlled, the treble is tangible but never too bright and mid-range is exactly where it should be in the overall mix. My musical tastes are very varied - progressive rock, modern jazz, classical, reggae, folk, blues. Films and tv also have a new lease of life.

Everything shines. A feeling of drama and excitement is now present which was not there before. Highly recommended.
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