Articles by Futureshop

This section of our guide will deal with what many people consider to be the central cable in a HiFi system: the speaker cable. This is the cable that runs from an amplifier to your speakers and is the cable that generates the most ‘hype’ and some controversy. But before we get into the materials and variables, it’s important to note something that we will repeat throughout this section- there is no ‘best’ or ‘perfect’ cable for every system. (Continue reading...)

It’s now time to look at power distribution blocks and power conditioners. Distribution blocks are designed to extend one mains outlet into multiple, and higher-end version will have features like filtering or isolated sections. Power conditioners are purpose-built mains filters, designed to eradicate ‘noise’ from the electrical supply, and will also usually have multiple outputs. (Continue reading...)

At Future Shop we believe the first step to upgrading your system, and potentially one of the most important, is to address the power being fed into it. There are a lot of different metaphors and analogies out there to describe the relationship between power and the sonic performance of your system, but the one we think describes it best is thus: power is the foundation upon which your HiFi house is built. (Continue reading...)

Future Shop is a retailer that has catered to audiophiles for the last 16 years, and in that time we have enjoyed serving a discerning and knowledgeable customer base. Recently, though, we have been wondering whether that has made us a little complacent; are we relying too heavily on our customers to have a strong understanding of the different ways in which cables and accessories- what we call “the hidden costs of HiFi”- can improve their experience of their systems?  (Continue reading...)

As a computer-connected interface the Zen DAC makes a well-suited visual complement to the likes of an Apple MacBook and hooking it up is a joy, the process being completely driverless. Just select ‘iFi (by AMR) HD USB Audio Output’ in the ‘Sound’ pane of System Preferences. The Mac has no problems powering the DAC by itself, even using its own battery. Here’s a little secret - using a lightning adapter even an iPhone 11 Pro has the juice to power this DAC! (Continue reading...)

The new iFi ZEN line currently consists of two alternatives with very different use cases. The ZEN DAC reviewed elsewhere does exactly what it says on the tin, the more enigmatic ZEN Blue is… a Bluetooth receiver. Not so enigmatic after all maybe, but like the ZEN DAC it aims to be the best at what it does at a ridiculously competitive price point. It shares the attractive retro stylings of its partner with an even more uncluttered front panel, just bearing a connection button, a Bluetooth connection status indicator and a sample rate indicator. (Continue reading...)

Navigating the quagmire of different audio & video cable brands is not easy. There are a huge number of manufacturers developing cutting edge technologies. Each company manufactures hundreds of different cables all in many different lengths so how should you decide which company and which cable suits you and your AV set up? Each AV cable manufacturer aspires to a variety of brand values and a distinctive sound that they wish to offer (Continue reading...)

Phono Audio Cables are arguably the most used cables for any type of Audio set-ups. With different materials, construction processes and shielding, each cable can offer a unique build that differs from others and each brand aims for their own signature sound. Being one of the most used cables means there are many different varieties available so we’ve made our own list of which audio cables are a must-have: (Continue reading...)

Accessories are often forgotten and unknown aspects of improving your audiovisual experience. Sometimes the biggest improvements can come from the smallest of objects, for example, isolation products for your amplifiers which can effectively prevent excess static and vibration from being detrimental to the performance of your equipment. With many upgrades available, here is our list of must-haves to show you the possibilities: (Continue reading...)

Whether you have a £100 speaker or £1000, where you position them in a room is so important to make sure you are getting the maximum impact from the speaker. So here are some tips on How To Position Speakers Correctly: (Continue reading...)

A great place to start your cable upgrades is with power cables. By introducing a good quality power cable from the wall socket to a power block, there can be a noticed increase in performance of all equipment powered by that block. With even more power cables added to each and every socket, there can be a more complete cleaner set-up which can be noticed almost immediately. Here are our top picks when it comes to power cables: (Continue reading...)

Mains Power Blocks are a great addition to any electrical equipment connected up within your house. The power you receive and travel around your houses nowadays are not of the same quality as in the past and with higher energy requirements now, this power is spread thinly affecting the performance of certain products, e.g. Hifi and TVs. There are however products that can clean, condition and isolate the power that you do use. (Continue reading...)

Nowadays where there are clusters of power cables and connections all around, digital signals can be susceptible to interference which will degrade the signal being received at point B. There are however many USB cables made to carry signals less susceptible for various lengths and actually improve what will be seen or heard. Here is what we think you need to consider for that important upgrade: (Continue reading...)

Did you know that by cleaning the connectors for your cables, you can improve the quality of the signal passing through astronomically? Over time connectors oxidise and reduce their performance but by cleaning them once every few months, you can keep them in pristine condition and ensure that you always have the best connection possible. Future Shop has two products that can be used by you to clean your plugs: (Continue reading...)

New cables often have very high levels of electrical charge caused by the production process. In addition, gases are often trapped between the insulation and the conductor during manufacture. This can often result in new cables sounding brittle, bright and lacking detail. These charges must be neutralised if the cable is to ever achieve maximum performance. (Continue reading...)

Speaker cables run from the amplifier to the speakers. There has been much talk amongst the industry in that does the higher the quality speaker actually means better the sound? Traditionally, speaker cables had standard copper wiring, but today there are other options available. (Continue reading...)

Speaker Cables have and always will be the staple for all Hi-FI systems. A good speaker cable can truly reveal the potential of your speakers and enter you into another world. Over the years, technology for speaker cables has been researched thoroughly and now there are many top-of-the-range cables brimming with innovation to bring you the best sound possible. Here we have a list of our top picked must-haves when it comes to speaker cables:  (Continue reading...)

Digital Optical Cables are becoming more and more popular with rises in sales of external amplifiers and speakers connected to TVs. By connecting your TV to external equipment with a Digital Optical cable you can hear greatly improved sound over the basic TV speakers. Digital Optical cables contain strands of glass fibres to travel high bandwidth multi-channel digital audio signals through to soundbars, soundbases or external amplifiers. There are many Digital Optical cables available so we produced a list of top must-haves in the range of optical cables: (Continue reading...)

Newer HDMI cables run a specification called HDMI 2.0 that improves the limit of the bandwidth they can carry and allows higher resolution signals to be sent from your sources to your TV. On top of improving the conductors in HDMI cables, there is also an improvement on shielding and protection to prevent the signal being interfered with by nearby power cables and power supplies. We have compiled a list of HDMI cables that we recommend for being must-haves: (Continue reading...)

Ethernet Cables are becoming increasingly more popular with the increase of streamers and streaming services for audiovisual distribution. By using higher performance level ethernet cables within networked situations, there can be a noticed increase in the quality of audio and visual being streamed due to better shielding preventing interference and more conductive materials being used within. Here are our top picks that will help you to delve into improving your streaming experiences: (Continue reading...)