Leyline speaker cable (LS0H)
Leyline has been designed to bring out the best performance from today’s increasingly sophisticated yet affordably priced electronics and loudspeakers and provide consistent and reliable service in environments where cables may be non-removable.
Our latest XLPE dielectric brings a huge improvement over the previous (and more commonly used) PVC. This move follows the successful introduction of Taylon® as a phase-stable insulation material in the flagship SarumT and ChordMusic speaker cables and the subsequent roll-out of XLPE across our speaker cable ranges.
The original Leyline was always our high-performance, low-cost offering. Using a 16/2 conductor construction, Leyline was ahead of other 16/2 narrow gauge cables from launch, thanks to tin-plated copper conductors which performed two roles: preventing oxidisation (crucial for non-removeable cables where long-term performance is expected), plus improved high-frequency performance over longer runs; Leyline could deliver surprising results even over 100 m lengths.
For installers, the cable is metre-marked and is supplied in an easy-access 152m pull-box; it comes with a EN50575 DCA-S2, D2, A1 CPR rating. It also features a rip-cord to aid stripping of the outer jacket.
Product history
The original Chord Leyline speaker cable came into being during the first wave of home A/V set-ups. Amplifiers for all rooms were often fitted in one place. This meant long (and sometimes very long) runs of speaker cable throughout the structure. It also meant that the cable had to be discrete and affordable. There were already a lot of cheap cables available, so we needed to develop something better. Size restrictions meant using 16AWG conductors. Long runs meant using a twisted pair design – which suited us as we already using twisted pair geometry to produce speaker cables anyway.
The problem came with longer runs and a loss of high frequency detail along with space and coherence. We solved this by tin-plating the conductors. It wasn’t an overly bright cable and would now carry high frequency detail over longer runs.
Leyline is a great choice for rear speakers in multi-channel systems. It can be used with pretty much whatever level of speaker cable you choose for the front speakers, with no loss of overall balance.