Chord Company Active review

One of the best cables we've seen for a while, this Chord Company HDMI has amazing sonic impact and capability Tested at £115.00

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

One of the best cables we've heard for a while, this Chord Company HDMI has amazing sonic impact and capability

Pros

  • +

    Muscular, exciting sound

  • +

    incredible sonic impact

Cons

  • -

    It's not cheap

Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.

Let us introduce you to Chord Company's chunky Active HDMI cable.

Now we'll confess we had mistakenly imagined this involved some sort of battery power pack in its design (don't laugh, it's not unheard of), but no: the HDMI 1.3c-certified Active's mid-cable bulge conceals a new high frequency filter, which, claims the company, has particular benefits for sound quality.

That's true – this is palpably the most muscular-sounding and exciting cable we've heard for a while, its sonic impact being out of all proportion to its cost – but we think the benefits to picture quality are almost as dramatic.

This is an excellent cable in every regard.

See all our HDMI cable reviews

What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.


Read more about how we test