Cables & Accessories

TCI's entry-level silver interconnect gets put through its paces

Known for its specialist tonearms, Jelco – distributed in the UK by Divine Audio, but supplied here by ISOkinetik – has made its SG-1 digital stylus pressure gauge available as a separate item priced at £79. Previously supplied with its flagship TK-950 tonearm (HFC 438), the SG-1 is a well-made gauge with a non-magnetic stainless-steel bracket fitted to the sensor plate. Pressing the on button illuminates the green backlit LCD display and zeros the balance.

A mains filter that is fitted with a standard 10A IEC C14 input socket, the EVO3 Gemini has two output sockets also rated at 10A. The unit features star earthing internally and a delta filter topology to ensure filtration of both common mode and differential mode mains noise. Common mode noise is interference that appears on the live and neutral mains connections simultaneously and is often caused by external sources, such as RFI, which affects both mains conductors.

By applying the QSeries architectures developed for its analogue cables, KLEI aims to bring similar benefits to its digital cables. The cable’s architecture is designed to maintain a zero voltage and low-noise earth state, claimed to enhance the electron flow in the signal conductor.

There is 50 percent more silver used in the Silver Melody 2. 5 compared with the company’s original Melody 2 tonearm cable. The solid wire conductors are made from 99. 99 percent silver and insulated with the company’s dielectric material.

As we all know, looks aren’t everything, and it’s fair to say that some hi-fi brands don’t tend to agonise over the way their output is presented quite as much as others. Despite this, products that don’t stand out for their good looks can very often sound quite special and I would certainly put this Missing Link cable into this category. Designer Mark Sears is a straight-shooting sort of chap with an insatiable interest in engineering and materials science and a stickler for detail. His company’s entry-level interconnect is called Silver Surfer, which isn’t the most inspiring name but shows that money hasn’t been wasted on fancy branding.

Designed as a means of keeping your stylus clean, be it on a DS Audio cartridge or something a little more prosaic, the ST-50 comprises a thin sheet of Urethane protected by a smart metal tin. It may look like an unusual way of removing dirt from a stylus, but the principle is simple enough: place the ST-50 on your platter and lower your cartridge on and off the sheet of polymer a few times so that its sticky nature will pull away any unwanted debris from the tip of the stylus. If the polymer starts to look dirty, you can simply rinse it off under a tap, leave it to dry on a clean surface and it will be good to go again. As well as looking smart, the housing tin does a good job of keeping the polymer free from collecting debris when it’s not in use.