What is it? Speaker cable for a stereo hi-fi or home cinema.
Why buy? This discreet, good-value cable will bring even modest speakers to life, as, unusually for a mid-priced cable, the copper is silver-plated. Use speaker connectors, not bare wire.
AMP CHAMP
Van den Hul The Name (80cm) — typically £40, or £34.95 from www.hifistore.co.uk
What is it? Connects a CD player or tuner to an analogue amplifier.
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Why buy? Music will not sound soft or muddy: playback is tremendously clean, thanks principally to two coats of electromagnetic shielding inside the plastic jacket and a thick (1mm) core.
DIGITAL DETAILER
Ixos XHD-608-100 (1 metre) — £49.95 from www.superfi.co.uk
What is it? Audio-only connector from a digital source, such as a DVD player, to a surround amplifier.
Why buy? This great-value cable reveals fine sonic detail and subtle atmospherics in movie soundtracks. Silver-plated copper prevents interference caused by nearby cables or devices from degrading the sound.
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POWER CLEANER
Russ Andrews Classic PowerKord (1 metre) — typically £75, or £55 from www.russandrews.com
What is it? Power cable for a CD or DVD player.
Why buy? This greatly improves the output from most AV equipment, as the cable’s “hyper-pure” copper conductors, insulated with Teflon, allow a far more stable flow of electricity, and less interference, than the free power cable that came with your player. Even sceptics will find the Classic takes a duster to the sound. Try it.
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HDMI HERO Clearer Audio Copper-line HDMI Interconnect (1 metre) — £50 from www.cleareraudio.co.uk
What is it? Transfers audio and video, digitally, in one cable.
Why buy? An HDMI cable is ideal for reducing clutter. Digital signals are affected by timing errors, or “jitter”, that cause sound to waver or pictures to flicker. The low impedance of this cable minimises jitter, improving both detail and colour.
SMART SCART
Supra FS Scart (1 metre) — typically £38, or £34.50 from www.hificables.co.uk
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What is it? Older type of video and audio analogue connection.
Why buy? Unlike most freebie Scarts, this Supra has a well-made, gold-plated headshell. The result is a rich picture and fine sound.
AERIAL SAVIOUR
QED QUNEX TTV (1.5 metres) — typically £35, or £31.99 from www.hifibitz.co.uk
What is it? Connects TV to wall aerial socket.
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Why buy? With two layers of shielding, this classy QED reflects 40 times more “digital noise” than a freebie RF cable. You will enjoy sharper pictures and less ghosting.
GOLD STANDARD
Atlas element (1 metre) — £24.99 from www.hifileads.co.uk
What is it? Analogue, video-only cable, still used by some DVD players, games consoles and televisions.
Why buy? Thanks to its gold-plated plugs and a near-pure copper conductor, this cable delivers a lush, detailed image.