Chord Cobra 3 Audio Interconnect Cable - 1 Meter (Pair)
Cobra has been part of the Chord range for almost as long as the Chrysalis and is another good example of how a cable design evolves. The original Cobra was a co-axial design; Cobra 3 uses a pseudo-balanced conductor configuration along with vibration controlling conductor spacers. The conductors are twisted along the length of the cable and insulated with low density polyethylene. The braided shield surrounds both conductors and spacers and is mechanically and electrically isolated from the signal path.
Whilst the design of the Cobra 3 is on the face of it similar to the Crimson, the Cobra has larger diameter conductors and these, along with the vibration damping conductor spacers, produce a cable better able to accurately transmit micro-dynamic information. The high-density oxygen free copper braided shield is effective over a wide frequency range. Combined with the conductors, this produces a cable that will carry excellent levels of detail, has a surprisingly low noise floor and will help to convey the sense of space around individual instruments and voices and produce a stable stereo image.
Matching Audio Interconnects & Speaker Cable
In the twenty years that The Chord Company has been producing interconnects and speaker cables, it has built up close and friendly relationships with many manufacturers and distributors of hi-fi components and speakers. This means that during the development process of any new Chord product we have the chance to assess its performance with a wide variety of various manufacturers' components and speakers. This helps to ensure a remarkably consistent performance regardless of the system the cables are connected to.
The principle design objectives that guide the development of all Chord products are very straightforward. They should transfer as much of the signal as possible with minimal loss or interference. All our cables share the same fundamental design principles. The result of this is that any combination of Chord interconnects and speaker cables will perform extremely well together. However, throughout the range there are certain combinations of interconnects and speaker cables where the sum of the performance is greater than the parts, and when the two cables are combined in a system, they will produce outstanding results.
Recommendations from Chord
Cobra 3: Like Crimson, Cobra 3 uses oxygen free copper conductors in combination with low density polyethylene insulation, but changes to the conductor gauge and improvements to the shielding mean that the Cobra 3 will transmit an audio signal across a wider bandwidth, with less loss of dynamic information and lower levels of interference. Cobra 3's performance characteristics can be heard to their best advantage by using it in combination with Chord Carnival Silver Screen. Carnival SilverScreen borrows its conductor layout from Carnival Classic and uses a variation of the speaker cable shielding system first used on the Chord Signature speaker cable. The shielding system brings significant improvements to the cable's signal transmission abilities and used in combination with the Cobra 3, will not only improve detail levels but improve both the dynamic and the timing characteristics of the system they are fitted to.
Upgrade paths: A good upgrade path would be with using Chameleon Silver Plus audio interconnect cables mated with the Rumour speaker cable. The combination of Chord Chameleon Silver Plus and Rumour speaker cable really does produce an extremely even and well-balanced performance. So much so that whilst it is of course possible to improve on levels of detail, signal bandwidth and dynamic coherence the performance balance of the cable is such that no one area shouts out for improvement.
Performance Specifications
- Multi-strand oxygen free copper conductors
- Low density polyethylene dielectric
- Low density polyethylene dielectric
- Matched signal and return paths
- Floating high density braided shielding
- High quality gold-plated RCA/phono plugs
- Vibration minimising conductor spacers
- Vibration damping PVC outer jacket
Need a longer cable?
Special order custom lengths are available, contact us toll-free 1-800-785-0399 for complete details and ordering.
The Chord Company has been designing, manufacturing and selling interconnects and speaker cable for almost 25 years. The company and all those who work there have a commitment to:
Producing high quality products
Every cable that The Chord Company supplies is designed within the company and apart from a couple of exceptions, every product is assembled and tested at the company's facility, set deep in the heart of Wiltshire. The Company was started in 1986 to produce and sell the Chord Chrysalis interconnect range. Never was a product so aptly named. The Chrysalis cable had a remarkably well-balanced set of performance characteristics and from this, The Chord Company's outstanding range of interconnect cables has emerged and grown. The product line-up has evolved naturally but always with reference to existing Chord cables. This makes the Chord interconnect and speaker cable range remarkably consistent. The essential balance of performance characteristics is maintained throughout the range.
Ensuring that those products are built to an extremely high standard
Right from the start, The Chord Company understood the need to ensure that the manufacture and termination process of its products needed to be extremely consistent. This near-obsession with manufacture is a critical factor in maintaining the remarkably coherent performance and quality that Chord products are known for.
Every Chord Co employee, regardless of their role, spends time in the production department in order to understand just how much work and effort goes into the manufacture of Chord products. We are justifiably proud of the remarkable consistency the company's production methods bring to their products, likewise the thorough quality assurance and testing procedure that every product must go through before leaving the factory. Failures during testing are extremely rare, testament to the rigorous training that every production operative must go through before becoming part of the production team.
Maintaining the reputation the company has for building good value for money high performance products
The Chord Co believe that anyone who listens to their cables should be able to clearly and easily hear the benefits that their cables can bring to the enjoyment of music and film, and that these benefits should justify the cost of the product. The concept that speaker cables and interconnects can change and improve the performance of a hi-fi or home cinema system can be difficult to understand. Our answer to this is to ignore the words, ignore the hype and simply listen to the product. Almost all our retailers carry demonstration stock and invite customers to try the cables for themselves, secure in the knowledge that the simplest way to sell a Chord cable is by allowing the customer to listen to it in their own system.
Maintaining an extremely high level of customer service
High quality products should be backed up by high quality customer service. It's as simple as that. Whether by e-mail, telephone or via one of our many retailers or distributors, we aim to offer the best possible advice with regard to the matching of our products to the many levels of hi-fi and home cinema systems available. In-house production means that we can respond quickly and efficiently to customer demand, be it unusual terminations or non-standard cable lengths.
Our rigorous quality assurance and testing process allows us to offer a 10-year warranty on all our products. Our extensive knowledge of specialist terminations means that mistakes are rare but when they do occur, they will be dealt with quickly and efficiently.
Responding rapidly to technological advances
Chord's close association with many leading manufacturers of hi-fi and home cinema equipment allows us to respond quickly to the performance demands that new innovations may make on the cables required to connect them together.
