Cables & Accessories

It might seem madness to have a mains cable that’s powered by another mains cable, but it works

Flexible speaker cable blows up a storm

We’ve seen several audio interconnects from cable newcomer True Signal Audio Cables, but this is the Hertfordshire-based company’s flagship design. It uses a three-core silver stranded coaxial cable that employs an ePTFE (expanded Polytetrafluoroethylene) dielectric designed to secure the phase stability of the signal over a wide temperature range. As with the company’s other cables, it has a directional signal flow, which is indicated by arrows that are printed on the heatshrink fitted over the RCA phonos. The two silver-plated shields consist of a helical foil and a woven braid and are terminated in high-quality RCA phono plugs, but XLR connectors are also available.

Isolation that doesn't cost the earth

Beneath the tailor-made fabric exterior lies a sophisticated portable speaker designed and built by Danish manufacturer Vifa. If the brand name sounds familiar that’s because it’s been around since 1933 and is perhaps better-known in hi-fi circles for its well-regarded drive units, which have been found in plenty of big-name hi-fi loudspeaker designs over the years. In more recent times the company has embarked on its own line of speakers, and the Oslo is the fourth model to be added to its Nordic range of portable wireless models. It’s an elegant one-piece design with the logo neatly embedded into the top of the solid aluminium handle, while embroidered up and down volume keys on the custom-made fabric cover produced by Danish textile designers Kvadrat give it a style that makes it stand out from the crowd.

Time to clean up your act