Page 90 - Hi-Fi World (January 2020)

FEATURE

Christmas

Wishes

NAME: Paul Rigby
STATUS: Hi-Fi World's own Mr Vinyl

Paul Rigby digs out some inexpensive and unusual tweaks for Christmas.

CARTRIDGE ENABLER: £19 (www.originlive.com)
The idea here is to isolate your cartridge with a gasket, in this case with the use of a slab
of specialist material and a few washers. It sits in-between the cartridge and the headshell
of your tonearm. Origin Live say the effect is like improving the suspension of your car.
The profile of the unit is a contributor to the enhanced sonics and the washers are too,
made from the same material as the Enabler itself. Worth trying out at Christmas.

HRS COUPLER DISCS: £77 PACK OF TWO (www.avisolation.com)
These separate discs are superb at isolating errant speaker cables. The latter are broadcast aerials. The
Coupler discs damp that effect, basically absorbing noise and enhancing clarity, transparency and honing
detail. To install the discs (although I hesitate to even use the word), you simply slip the discs under the
cable until all of the cable length is clear of the floor.

QED REFERENCE XT40I SPEAKER CABLES PRE-TERMINATED 3M: £129.95
(www.qed.co.uk)
These budget speaker cables include an Air Gap dielectric to cut capacitance while the proprietary
X-Tube technology remains in place. There’s also a 4.0mm cross sectional area and 99.999%
oxygen-free copper construction.
Offering a wide soundstage, the cables provide a low noise presentation with plenty of detail
on offer allied to an airy midrange. Instrumental separation is good which enhances transparency
and tonality. Frequency discipline is high which also helps to retain bass focus. All in all, these cables
offer a great entry point for budget fans and make a good Christmas present.

QED PERFORMANCE AUDIO 40I 1M: £49.95 (www.qed.co.uk)
This new cable includes a first for QED, the introduction of Solid Core Complementary
Conductors which they say reduce capacitance by a quarter compared to the originals.
There's one Oxygen Free Copper Conductor and one Silver-Plated Oxygen Free Copper
Conductor inside to carry the same audio signal. Ferrite insulation technology is in there
too. QED’s Anamate RCA plugs are on the ends of each cable. Another interesting yet
inexpensive Christmas present perhaps?

PURITAN GROUND MASTER: FROM £165 (www.puritanaudiolabs.com)
Connect one wire’s end to your hi-fi metalwork, the earth on a pre-amp being a good spot.
Noise then travels from your hi-fi into the Ground Master and out the other end, down
more wire into your garden, into the supplied copper rod buried in your garden. The result
will be improved sound quality in your hi-fi. An interesting idea worth trying at Christmas!
90 HI-FI WORLD JANUARY 2020 www.hi-fiworld.co.uk