Up until now, our experimentation with shielding
systems on speaker cables has produced products in the mid to high end of our
range. The Carnival SilverScreen dramatically changes that. During the
development of the Signature and the Epic speaker cables we connected both
cables to some surprisingly inexpensive systems, the results were extremely
impressive. Shielded speaker cable produces a remarkably consistent series of
improvements regardless of the system they are connected to. It is however
extremely difficult to recommend a speaker cable that in some cases costs more
than the rest of the system put together.
Chord Carnival SilverScreen offers a set of
performance characteristics that make it unique at its price point. The oxygen
free copper multi stranded conductors used in Carnival SilverScreen have been
borrowed from the Chord Carnival Classic. Likewise the low-density
polyethylene insulation and twisted pair configuration. The conductors are
surrounded by a soft PVC casing that provides excellent mechanical damping
characteristics. This is surrounded by a heavily overlapped dual foil
shielding system and this in turn is surrounded and protected by a translucent
PVC outer jacket, again with excellent mechanical damping characteristics.
As with the Signature and Epic speaker cables the
shield fitted to the Carnival SilverScreen reduces interference, lowers the
noise floor and brings big improvements to the entire frequency range of the
system it is fitted to. Timing is improved, as is the dynamic performance.
Levels of detail are increased but what really matters is the coherency with
which this information is presented.
Carnival SilverScreen can dramatically improve the
musical abilities of almost any system it is fitted to. However, given the
price, Carnival SilverScreen should also be serious considered for use in home
cinema and multi-channel music systems. The sheer number of components and the
amount of cabling involved in a typical multi-channel home cinema and music
system makes a compelling case for the use of a shielded speaker cable. For a
typical home cinema system using Carnival SilverScreen for the front three
speakers and Carnival Classic for the rear speakers will produce outstanding
results. The fact that both cables share identical conductors will help to
bring a real coherence to the sound of the system.
Chord Carnival SilverScreen is available in a dual
conductor twisted pair configuration. In order to bi-wire, two runs will need
to be used. Chord can supply speaker cable clips to enable you to join the two
runs neatly together and ensure consistent spacing along the length of the
run.
