Merlin Tarantula Speaker Cable – Refinement and Scale at £16 per Metre

FutureShop has been a reference dealer for Merlin cables since 2009. This review was conducted on our in-house reference system: Ayre V-5 power amplifier, Ayre K-5 pre-amplifier, Ayre C-5 CD player, and B&W 803 speakers. Cable burn-in was performed on our Nordost Vidar burn-in machine.

Merlin cables has held its own with affordable power cables for many years, punching well above its weight with its successful Tarantula MK6 QSA Edition, reviewed here. After scrupulous development, Merlin has dropped a speaker cable into the range.

The arachnoid theme has stuck like a web to a wall. And why not? Who doesn't want cables named after large, fuzzy-looking creatures that can bite you to death? The success of the Tarantula power cables sets a high bar for the speaker cable launch. We would expect the new release to sit comfortably next to its companion and expand on its signature clean, smooth sound profile.

Merlin aimed to create a cable to feel at home in modest setups yet hold its own in more advanced systems. So, we took time out to evaluate it against a range of our most popular speaker cables to hear where it fits in the lineup. How did it measure up?

Design & Build

Merlin's development team has years of knowledge on cable alchemy, so speaker cables are not exactly new territory.

The Tarantula is built around two generous 3.5mm² OFC (oxygen-free copper) conductors, wrapped in an XLPE dielectric, for a low-loss, low-resistance, and smooth signal path; a decent gauge at this price point.

We're an inquisitive group of nerds, so we went a little further and dissected the cable. Under the pearlescent PVC jacket, we found the cotton strands and natural fibre damping material. We've seen this before – it dampens micro-vibration in both the conductors, a physical noise reduction technique.

The 'Elite Reference AirTite' plugs are gold-plated beryllium, cold-welded straight onto the copper. This method is considered the optimum way of terminating speaker cables. It places plugs in direct contact with conductors and creates an important air-tight seal. The plugs are built for longevity - beryllium is tough and less likely to break, and the gold stops oxidation. The 'BFA-style' design is favourable – it gives better contact and fit with more versatile use cases. Have you ever been forced to extend cables by fitting one plug into another?

Spade plugs are available double-plated with gold on silver. This pairing is said to give excellent conductivity but has the longevity of the gold finish. A rare inclusion is the metal barrels included with the spade option.

Individually, its attributes are nothing new, but the sum of its parts is a rarity in this segment. On paper, it reads like a high-end design, yet Merlin has kept the price firmly within reach.

Cable	Price	Character	vs. Tarantula
Merlin Tarantula	£16/m	Smooth, forward, three-dimensional	Reference
QED XT40i	£11/m	Assertive, rich, full-bodied	Merlin edges it on space and refinement
AudioQuest Rocket 11	£20/m	Controlled, well-defined	Tarantula had more scale and excitement
Atlas Hyper 3.5	£50/m	Authoritative, strong separation	Clear upgrade at triple the price
QED Golden Anniversary	£27/m	Vibrant, dynamic, lean	Tarantula has more midrange separation
Tellurium Q Black II	£63/m	Superior definition and clarity	Tarantula offers more body and scale per pound
Chord Rumour X	£20/m	Lean, detailed top end	Tarantula is fuller and more immersive

Listening Experience

The team had its usual scuffle over what music to use, so we auditioned the Merlin Tarantula with something chosen by each of us: Jon Bellion's Guillotine (punchy, contemporary pop), Bloodhound Gang's Why's Everybody Always Pickin' on Me? (instrumental sample-fest), Beat Kitty's Song of the Sirens (electronic brutality), and Megan Moroney's "No Caller ID" (the opposite of all the above).

So, with plenty of music to sit through, with plenty of critical ears to listen to it, we began an in-depth session to decide which weight class this new kid should fight in. We threw six other challengers into the ring and compared them (see below).

Straight away, the Tarantula impressed with its delicacy and dynamics. We enjoyed the music's three-dimensional sound staging, with clearer outlines around instruments and vocals. Compared to QED's immensely popular XT40i, the Merlin had pleasant dynamics and a more forward, engaging character, drawing one deeper into the performance.

The Merlin competes in a crowded segment with long-established mainstays. We were reassured. Overall, the Merlin Speaker cable is a smooth one, likely owing to the decent gauge of OFC copper and the attention given to construction techniques.

Comparisons

As a new kid on the block, hearing it perform against some of our favourite cables was an indispensable exercise. It wasn't as if it was replacing any of them, but rather that it found itself an unoccupied corner at its price point. All the cables had their merits, but here is our summary:

• QED XT40i (£11/m) – Assertive, rich, and full-bodied. A staple choice, but Merlin edges it on space and refinement.
• AudioQuest Rocket 11 (£20/m) – Controlled and well-defined, but the Tarantula had scale and excitement.
• Atlas Hyper 3.5 (£50/m) – Improves on Merlin's strengths but with added authority and separation. A clear upgrade, as expected at triple the price.
• QED Golden Anniversary (£27/m) – Another firm favourite; vibrant and dynamic but leaner, with less midrange separation.
• Tellurium Q Black II (£63/m) – Superior in definition, clarity, and soundstage. However, Merlin offered more rounded body and scale for a fraction of the cost.
• Chord Rumour X (£20/m) – Leaner and more detailed at the top end, but less immersive than Merlin's fuller presentation.

Verdict

Merlin has chosen to make a little of everything attainable as a value proposition. The Merlin Tarantula Speaker Cable is more than just a solid mid-tier option. It combines refinement, scale, and control in a way that belies its £16/m price, standing up against more expensive rivals. Its thoughtful construction, from high-purity copper to XLPE insulation and vibration damping, means it won't be the weak link even in ambitious systems.

If you're looking for a speaker cable that delivers honest, dynamic performance with natural musical engagement, consider giving the Tarantula a spot on your shortlist. For many listeners, it may well be the endgame at this level. It suits anyone upgrading from a basic cable into a first serious hi-fi system, and those who want a refined, full-bodied presentation without reaching into the higher price brackets.

If you are weighing up the options more broadly, our AudioQuest Rocket 11 vs QED XT40i comparison covers two of the cables featured here in greater depth. Our QED Golden Anniversary XT review is also worth reading if you are considering that cable as an alternative at the next price step.

The Tarantula is backed by FutureShop's 60-day money-back guarantee on cables, so you can try it at home with no risk.

The Merlin Tarantula Speaker Cable is available now at FutureShop, backed by our 60-day money-back guarantee on cables. Not sure which cable is right for your system? Get in touch with our team. As a Merlin reference dealer since 2009, we are happy to help.