Mains cables

Posted by: CharvilJon on 31 October 2015

Whilst demoing a Chord Hugo in my NDX / SN2 / 400s system, dealer suggested a set of replacement mains leads at £400 a piece as an alternative upgrade route to the Hugo together with upgrade to interconnect between the NDX & SN2. Cannot remember the name of the mains lead, but the price did stick and I wondered if there was experience out there with cheaper mains leads

Posted on: 31 October 2015 by Innocent Bystander

Straight answer to the question is no.

i found Hugo improved over ND5XS alone more than adding XP5XS, so rather dubious about cables...

Best if you can persuade a home demo of cables and Hugo, that would by far be best. Otherwise same comparison in shop would be better than nothing, though how evident subtleties will be in shop is uncertain, and inevitably not as definitive as in your own system.

Posted on: 31 October 2015 by Steve J

There's a greater dealer mark up on the cables than the Hugo so work it out for yourself. Just buy the DAC. You won't be disappointed.

Posted on: 31 October 2015 by Loki

CharvilJon, I have tried mains cables from Naim, Rega and Russ Andrews: they all make a perceivable difference to performance. However, the 'freebies' from Naim are darned good. The cheapest I've been impressed with, with Naim kit, are the RA Powerkord 100, currently retailing for about £150. I don't think the difference will be quite as tangible as the Hugo, but try them both and make up your own mind. Alternatively, buy the Hugo and a better cable!

Posted on: 02 November 2015 by CharvilJon

Thanks for feedback guys. I really liked the Hugo but wondered if it robbed the music of some of the rhythm compared to the alt mains leads and interconnects. As you say next step home demo