CREAM INSTRUMENT CABLE by The Chord Company

The Chord Company has been designing and producing award-winning high-quality interconnects and speaker cable (to allow hi-fi and audio video systems to deliver their best) for twenty years.

Hi-fi enthusiasts have always known that the cables used to connect a system together can have a profound effect on the quality of sound. Cream is our first instrument cable. After extensive tests, we are convinced it outperforms the competition.

One of the most important things a correctly designed cable will do is to reduce the amount of interference the cable can pick up. (Professional music equipment deals with the interference problem by using balanced XLR connections to equipment. This is especially useful for things like low level microphone signals.) The interference issue is fairly straightforward. In most cases the cable is a simple coaxial design (an aerial cable is a good example of a coax cable). The central conductor carries the signal; the outer braid both protects the signal and acts as a return path to complete the circuit. Most guitar cables are built from coax cables.

An Instrument Cable presents some interesting challenges. Not only does it have to transmit the
signal as accurately as possible but it also needs to be highly flexible, resistant to both mechanical and electrical interference and of course, reliable.

The Cream Instrument Cable uses a screened twisted pair design and cotton spacers in order to minimise both mechanical and electrical noise and is fitted with very durable and reliable Neutrik plugs.

For many years now The Chord Company has been designing balanced cables. A balanced cable uses identical sets of send and return conductors. These are surrounded by an outer braid acting as a shield, but this is only connected at one end of the cable and is not part of the circuit. Balanced cables transmit tonal and dynamic information far better than straightforward coax designs.

One of the other factors that will have an influence on sound quality is the quality of copper the cable is constructed from. Standard copper, found in household wiring and many budget audio cables, is known as tough pitch copper. This contains 500 to 750 parts per million of oxygen and this will cause the copper to oxidise. The end result can be a dull, flat and rather lifeless
sound. Hi-fi manufacturers tend to use oxygen free copper for their more expensive cables.

Oxygen free copper is made in a way that almost completely eliminates the oxygen content and brings it down to around 50 parts per million. Not only does this make for a better sounding cable but it also makes for a cable that sounds better for longer.

The type of insulation used will also have an effect; particularly on the way the cable is able to carry tonal and dynamic information. Every type of insulator has different electrical properties, the really important one being the dielectric constant; the lower this is the better.

The Cream Instrument Cable uses a low density polyethylene dielectric. We have carried out a great deal of research into the way the insulation materials react with the conductor material and low density polyethylene not only produces a highly flexible cable, but is one of the best choices for use with oxygen free copper conductors.




LATEST NEWS: Cream Cable reviewed in Guitar Buyer magazine July 2007. "...noticeably better than bog-standard leads and as good as if not better than other high-end cables we've tried. You really feel that your guitar signal is getting to your amp in the best possible condition"

to place an order or arrange a demo, please contact one of the new Cream cable dealers listed below:
Bristol - Jam Guitars, 58 Alma Vale Road, Clifton, BS8 2HS, Tel: 0117 330 7607
Worthing - Guitar Junction, 84 Brighton Road, BN11 2EN, Tel: 01903 209199
Halifax - GuitarZone Music, Unit DY1, Dean Clough, HX3 7AX, Tel: 01422 355668
Oxford - The Oxford Guitar Gallery, 9 South Parade, OX2 7JL, Tel: 01865 553777
Southampton - M & M, 116 St Mary's Street, SO14 1PF, Tel: 02380 339668
Llanelli - Celtic Music, 50 Stepney Place, SA5 1SE, Tel: 01554 771772
Cambridge - Arena Music, 222 Mill Road, CB1 3NF, Tel: 01223 247617
Colchester - Trevor Durrant Guitars, Unit 4, King Edward Quay, The Hythe, CO2 8JB, Tel: 01206 794470
Heald Green, Cheshire - Sounds Great Music, 182 Wilmslow Road, SK8 3BG, Tel: 0161 436 4799
Ripley, Surrey - UK Guitars, The Old Smithy, High Street, GU23 6AN, Tel: 0845 226 8175
Dursley, Glos - Intersound, 56 Parsonage Street, GL11 4AA, Tel: 01453 549783

USA - SphereSound New York, Tel: 585-342-9246

The Chord Company has been designing and producing award-winning high-quality interconnects and speaker cable (to allow hi-fi and audio video systems to deliver their best) for twenty years. Hi-fi enthusiasts have always known that the cables used to connect a system together can have a profound effect on the quality of sound. Cream is our first instrument cable. After extensive tests, we are convinced it outperforms the competition. One of the most important things a correctly designed cable will do is to reduce the amount of interference the cable can pick up. (Professional music equipment deals with the interference problem by using balanced XLR connections to equipment. This is especially useful for things like low level microphone signals.) The interference issue is fairly straightforward. In most cases the cable is a simple coaxial design (an aerial cable is a good example of a coax cable). The central conductor carries the signal; the outer braid both protects the signal and acts as a return path to complete the circuit. Most guitar cables are built from coax cables. An Instrument Cable presents some interesting challenges. Not only does it have to transmit the signal as accurately as possible but it also needs to be highly flexible, resistant to both mechanical and electrical interference and of course, reliable. The Cream Instrument Cable uses a screened twisted pair design and cotton spacers in order to minimise both mechanical and electrical noise and is fitted with very durable and reliable Neutrik plugs. For many years now The Chord Company has been designing balanced cables. A balanced cable uses identical sets of send and return conductors. These are surrounded by an outer braid acting as a shield, but this is only connected at one end of the cable and is not part of the circuit. Balanced cables transmit tonal and dynamic information far better than straightforward coax designs. One of the other factors that will have an influence on sound quality is the quality of copper the cable is constructed from. Standard copper, found in household wiring and many budget audio cables, is known as tough pitch copper. This contains 500 to 750 parts per million of oxygen and this will cause the copper to oxidise. The end result can be a dull, flat and rather lifeless sound. Hi-fi manufacturers tend to use oxygen free copper for their more expensive cables. Oxygen free copper is made in a way that almost completely eliminates the oxygen content and brings it down to around 50 parts per million. Not only does this make for a better sounding cable but it also makes for a cable that sounds better for longer. The type of insulation used will also have an effect; particularly on the way the cable is able to carry tonal and dynamic information. Every type of insulator has different electrical properties, the really important one being the dielectric constant; the lower this is the better. The Cream Instrument Cable uses a low density polyethylene dielectric. We have carried out a great deal of research into the way the insulation materials react with the conductor material and low density polyethylene not only produces a highly flexible cable, but is one of the best choices for use with oxygen free copper conductors. Cream Instrument Cables are fitted with high-quality Neutrik connectors.
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