In the past, Din sockets were found on almost all audio equipment. These days, Din sockets have been largely superseded by RCA/phono connectors, with the notable exception of Naim Audio equipment. Naim Audio produce some truly wonderful hi-fi components and persist in using Din sockets both as inputs and outputs. All Naim components are supplied with Din terminated cables and many Naim retailers and Naim owners feel that these produce the best sound quality. In the case of a complete Naim system there can be a good argument for this. However, connect another manufacturer's CD player to a Naim amplifier and the equation changes. Chord are able to offer selected cables from their range with Din terminations and in many cases these are more than worth listening to.

The other brand of components for which there is still a steady demand for Din connected cables is Quad. The extraordinary reliability of their equipment means there is still a healthy demand for both 4 and 5 pin connected Din cables. Older Quad equipment is fitted with 5 pin Din sockets as inputs on their pre-amps and 4 pin Din sockets as the outputs on the pre-amps and the inputs on the power amps.

CRIMSON DIN CABLES

The design of the Chord Crimson cable makes it ideal for use with both 4 and 5 pin Dins. However, unlike the Crimson RCA, the Crimson Din cables are wired in a more conventional coax (go to Glossary) configuration, rather than the pseudo-balanced (go to Glossary) configuration of the RCA to RCA version. Crimson RCA/Din cables are ideal for connecting ancillary equipment such as Freeview boxes or DVD players to stereo systems where longer runs of cable may be needed. A 5 pin Din to 4 RCA/phono version is available to allow the connection of a tape recorder to the tape sockets on both Naim and Quad equipment.

The tonal characteristics of the Crimson cable make it a particularly good (and very cost effective) choice for use with older Din socket equipped Quad equipment.

Both Naim and Quad use 4 pin Dins. However, the wiring configuration is different for each company. If you are ordering a cable with a 4 pin Din, please be sure to specify the equipment you are connecting with it.

Quad used Din sockets on several models. In the case of the 33/303 series the Din sockets were particularly deeply recessed. In order to ensure a reliable connection to this series, we fit a long shouldered plastic bodied Din. The internal pins are of an extremely high standard and the plastic bodied Din in no way affects sound quality. If you are ordering cables for 33/303, please be sure to let your dealer know it is for this series.

COBRA 3 DIN CABLES

Chord Cobra cables have always been a popular choice with people wishing to connect other manufacturer's components to Naim systems. The Cobra 3 (go to Cobra 3 page) is no exception. However, unlike the Crimson where the twin conductors and shields are used to carry a stereo signal in a single run of cable, the Cobra 3 RCA to Din cables use two runs of cable and carry the signal via a pseudo-balanced (go to Glossary) configuration. This reduces interference, increases detail levels and carries dynamic and tonal information more accurately across a wider bandwidth (go to Glossary). This makes the Cobra 3 a good choice for connecting DVD players and tuners to Naim amplifiers. We would also recommend the Cobra 3 for use with CD players that need to be connected to older Quad systems.

ANTHEM 2 DIN CABLES

This is the cable to consider when connecting a high performance CD player to a Naim system. Anthem 2 (go to Anthem 2 page) is an extremely transparent and revealing cable and its construction enables us to produce a high performance RCA to Din and Din to Din cable.

Naim CD players are supplied with the company's own Din to Din terminated cable and there are good arguments for its use. However, many Naim users find the extra detail and dynamic information that the Anthem 2 is capable of carrying makes it a very worthwhile investment. Many of our dealers have an Anthem 2 Din to Din available for audition and even in the context of a full Naim system, it is worth listening to.

INDIGO DIN CABLES

Connecting the Indigo (go to Indigo RCA) cable to a Din plug is both time consuming and technically challenging but the end result more than justifies the difficulty. In either RCA to Din or Din to Din configurations the Indigo will bring truly impressive improvements to the system it is fitted to. This is an unashamedly high-end, high performance cable for use with unashamedly high-end systems. For anyone wishing to improve the performance of what will already be an astonishingly good system, the Indigo Din cables should be listened to extremely seriously. Like the Anthem 2, most dealers will be in a position to let you listen to an Indigo Din to Din or Indigo RCA to Din. Do so at your peril!