Are affordable audio cables becoming a trend? We really hope so because any movement in the other direction is genuinely detrimental to the growth of the category; especially in an environment where many consumers are considering wireless speakers which don’t require loudspeaker cables at all — with the exception of those that need to be tethered to one another.
Chord Company and QED seem to have received the memo and we hope that Kimber, AudioQuest, Analysis Plus, and others are reading the tea leaves properly.
Very much like the QED Golden Anniversary XT Speaker Cables, the Chord Company Leyline2XL are designed to offer a high level of performance for a lot less money and come terminated with banana connectors.
Conceived at Chord Company’s Wiltshire factory and engineered with cutting-edge materials, including the company’s recently launched XLPE dielectric, the new Leyline2XL speaker cable ensures minimal signal loss thanks to the twisting of the wires which helps to cancel out electromagnetic interference from external sources and reduces crosstalk between the cables.
The cable is based on robust 14 AWG tin-plated copper conductors which prevent oxidation and improve high-frequency performance. The Leyline2XL offers reliable service over long runs, bringing Chord Company quality to even the biggest home installations.
For complete installation confidence, the Leyline2XL is fire safety CPR rated (Dca -s1, d1, a1) and for installers, can be supplied in a handy 152m easy-pull box with metre marking.
We are awaiting confirmation that it has also received CL/UL-certification for use in in-ceiling/in-wall installations.
The Bottom Line
If we learned something during the pandemic, it is that a growing number of consumers have become interested in in-ceiling/in-wall and outdoor multi-room audio solutions. Those types of installations require long runs of cables and that can add up very quickly.
Cheap speaker cables were certainly the “norm” in the first decade of high-end multi-room systems and very few complained because (and I’m being kind here) the quality of in-ceiling/in-wall speakers was not very good.
Fast forward to 2025 and we find ourselves in a very different scenario as it pertains to the quality of CI products that are available to consumers; a quick look through our archives will reveal just how large the market has grown and with options from some of the best loudspeaker manufacturers on the planet.
DALI, Focal, Sonus faber, Dynaudio, Theory Audio Design, KEF, and others offer CI loudspeakers that can cost more than traditional high-end bookshelf/floor standing loudspeakers and that requires a better cable solution that remains affordable.
Should the Chord Company Leyline2XL cables offer the level of performance that their other models deliver — these could be one helluva good deal in high-end CI installations.
Price & Availability
Chord Company Leyline2XL is available now priced at £10 per/meter.
For more information: chord.co.uk
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