NAMED TO HONOUR a late associate of The Chord Company – David Shaw – these interconnects make use of the Tuned ARAY cable conductor geometry that was originally developed for the company’s premium Sarum range. The Shawline is £200 in the standard 1m length and fitted with silver-plated Chord VEE 3 RCA terminations, but it can be made to other lengths at £80 per additional metre. It is also available with The Chord Co.’s new lightweight DIN connections for an extra £25 or with Neutrik XLR plugs for an extra £50. The conductors are silver-plated and the construction of the Tuned ARAY means that they are hand assembled. The cables are directional and this is clearly indicated by an arrow that’s been printed on the heatshrink at one end of each interconnect. DETAILS PRICE £200 for a 1m pair TELEPHONE 01980 625700 WEBSITE chord.co.uk OUR VERDICT I connect the Shawlines between my preamp and monoblocks. I decide to start off listening with some rock music and turn to the unmistakable voice of the late David Bowie singing Love Is Lost. Vocals are splendidly clear and expressive and the Shawlines never allow the voice to become submerged in the drums or guitar accompaniment.

Chariots of fire Next up is a fantastic Decca recording on vinyl of Khachaturian’s Spartacus with the famed composer conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. The performance is superbly full and powerful. I am given a real sense of chariots charging around with the authoritative drums beating away and commanding the orchestra in the frenzied activity. The trumpets sound robust and imperious and the percussion section is crystal clear. The Shawlines are really top-class interconnects whose performance makes them stand out from the crowd. Give them an audition and hear for yourself. NR