Chord Company’s ClearwayX has been upgraded with the A/V cable specialist’s recently launched XLPE insulation material. The new speaker cable cost £15 per metre and is a direct replacement for Clearway and introduces a number of sound quality benefits over the original design. ClearwayX builds upon the original Clearway construction, making improvements to the critical dielectric (insulation) by upgrading to XLPE. Cross-Linked Polyethylene (XLPE) introduces benefits in phase stability over previously used materials, bringing noticeable sound quality improvements during the company’s testing.
ClearwayX’s conductors are built from multi-strand oxygen-free copper and arranged in a twisted-pair configuration to reduce interference. The two conductors are further protected with a layer of soft PVC in order to correctly space the shielding in relation to the conductors and to minimise any mechanically induced noise. ClearwayX features two contra-wound high-density foil shields that, combined with the twisted-pair configuration, provide a level of shielding that is effective to high frequencies according to its maker.