Merlin Tarantula RCA Analogue Interconnect Cable
Usage Guide
Amplifier
DVD
Blu-Ray
CDPlayers
Computers
DAC
Digibox
AppleTV
Speakers
TVs
Streamers
Connection Guide
RCA Pair
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Item code: Tarantula-RCA
Inc. VAT (20%) · Ex. VAT: £75.00 Ex. VAT · Inc. VAT (20%):
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If you've seen a better offer for this product, we will endeavour to match it. The competing offer must be on brand-new boxed items, and in stock from another UK Online Authorised Retailer (excluding marketplaces). Price match quotations are valid for 7 days.
SPEAKER CABLES:
A quantity of 2 means you will receive a pair of speaker cables e.g. for your front left and front right speakers. By entering a quantity of 1, you will get a cable for a single speaker e.g. centre speaker and this option also enables you to vary the length (and termination) of your cable for each speaker.
OTHER CABLES:
A quantity of 1 means you will receive a single cable in the case of aerial, satellite, subwoofer, digital coaxial & optical cables and a pair of cables in the case of 2 rca to 2 rca analogue audio cables.
NON-CABLE PRODUCTS:
A quantity of 1 means you will receive 1 of the specified products.
Order before 4pm (Mon–Fri) for same-day dispatch
Merlin Tarantula RCA Analogue Interconnect Cable
Most interconnects at this price use a simple two-conductor, coaxial-style build. The Merlin Tarantula RCA does something different: it borrows a four-core, opposing-pair geometry more commonly found in balanced cable designs and adapts it for single-ended use. Each of the four 4N oxygen-free copper conductors is individually wrapped in XLPE, a dielectric with lower losses than standard PVC, which helps keep timing and tonal balance intact rather than smeared by the insulation around the wire.
That geometry, combined with an aluminium/Mylar foil layer and a tinned-copper braid, is aimed at noise control. The shield is connected at the source end only, so the cable is directional: fit it with the printed arrows running from source to amplifier and it drains interference away from the signal path rather than looping it back through the system. Natural fillers inside the jacket damp vibration, which matters more than it sounds on a cable carrying a delicate line-level signal.
The result leans towards weight and body rather than outright transparency: full-bodied, tonally substantial, with a natural sense of scale that suits systems where thinner interconnects have sounded lean or clinical. Each cable is hand-terminated in the UK with Merlin's own RCA plugs, silver-plated contacts, PTFE insulation, and a connector barrel that is electrically isolated from the signal path to avoid unwanted contact between adjacent plugs. Every cable is tested before dispatch and, like the rest of the Merlin range, is covered by Future Shop's 60-day money-back guarantee on cables.
Features
- Designed by a team with decades of specialist experience
- Directional construction and source-end shield termination for a quieter signal path
- Built with high-spec materials found in many premium cables
- Hand-terminated and tested in the UK for consistent quality
- Exclusive to Future Shop and the Merlin Cables range
Conductor Material
4 x 24AWG conductors of 4N oxygen-free copper, arranged in opposing pairs to ensure low resistance and a clean, accurate signal path.
Dielectric
XLPE Dielectric Insulation. Cross-Linked Polyethylene (XLPE) offers strong electrical insulation and lower dielectric losses compared to standard PVC, a material favoured in many performance-focused designs.
Internal Damping
Natural fillers help stabilise the internal structure, reducing vibration and preserving the integrity of the signal path.
Shielding
A dual-layer shield combines an aluminium/Mylar foil (125% overlap) with a tinned-copper braid (85% minimum coverage), connected at the source end only to minimise noise and interference without introducing ground loops.
Premium Jacket
Finished in a pearl white PVC outer jacket, the cable is flexible, durable, and visually elegant — designed to integrate easily into domestic and studio environments.
Connectors
Silver-plated RCA pins with PTFE insulation and an electrically isolated metal barrel, hand-terminated in the UK for a secure, low-loss connection. Red and white connector identification ensures correct channel matching, and directional arrows guide correct signal-flow orientation from source to destination.
Specification
- Conductor Material: 4N OFC (99.99% Oxygen-Free Copper)
- Conductor Size: 4 x 24AWG
- Dielectric: XLPE
- Insulation: Natural fillers
- Shielding: Aluminium/Mylar Foil (125% overlap) + Tinned-Copper Braid (85% min.)
- Outer Jacket: PVC (Pearl White)
- Outer Diameter: 7.15 ± 0.15mm
- Conductor Resistance: 88.8Ω/km max at 20°C, per conductor
- Geometry: Opposing-pair, stereo twin
- Design & Testing: UK
- Termination: Hand-terminated silver-plated RCA, PTFE insulated
About Merlin Cables
British-built custom cables, designed around one idea: take the noise out of the system.
Established in the early 2000s, Merlin Cables emerged with a singular mission: to deliver consistent, outstanding performance at an exceptional value. Guided by a distinct design philosophy, Merlin endeavours to minimise system noise, preserving the integrity of the original signal and allowing any audio system to shine at its optimum capacity.
Read more about Merlin Show less
One conductor material, across the range
Every product under the Merlin Cables banner embodies this philosophy. They universally employ high-purity copper as the conductor material, ensuring that as one navigates up the range, the performance characteristics remain consistent, only elevating in quality at each tier.
Materials chosen to fight noise
In an age where ambient noise is omnipresent and often compromises system performance, Merlin Cables stand out. Their designs deftly integrate superior materials, from high-purity copper to cross-linked polymer dielectrics and even custom noise-reducing compounds intrinsic to the materials. This harmonious blend minimises the detrimental impact of external noise on any system.
Changes only when they earn their place
At Merlin, the pursuit of perfection is ceaseless. Despite receiving accolades and being hailed as best in class by independent reviewers, the drive to push the performance envelope remains unabated. However, change is never arbitrary. Modifications are only introduced when they offer tangible performance enhancements.
Why we stock Merlin
Merlin came onto our radar in 2010 when their power cable took a What Hi-Fi? award, and the results kept up with the price. Our engineers were trained by Merlin's founder to build the Tarantula and Black Widow power cables here in our workshop. They were also the only British brand we carried offering IEC, Figure 8, US, Euro and Australian terminations.
New cables (even high-quality ones) benefit from a period of signal conditioning before reaching their optimum performance. The dielectric (insulation) around the conductors needs time to stabilise under the electromagnetic field created by signal flow. Rather than leaving this to you, we run cables on our Nordost Vidar burn-in machine before dispatch, up to the equivalent of 200 hours of use, in a fraction of the time. Your cable arrives performance-ready from the first listen.
Specification
- Conductor Material: 4N OFC (99.99% Oxygen-Free Copper)
- Conductor Size: 4 x 24AWG
- Dielectric: XLPE
- Insulation: Natural filler
- Shielding: Aluminium/Mylar Foil (125% overlap) + Tinned-Copper Braid (85% min.)
- Outer Jacket: PVC (Pearl White)
- Outer Diameter: 7.15 ± 0.15mm
- Conductor Resistance: 88.8Ω/km max at 20°C, per conductor
- Geometry: Opposing-pair, stereo twin
- Design & Testing: UK
- Termination: Hand-terminated silver-plated RCA, PTFE insulated
We use Royal Mail 1st Class services for our Standard Delivery.
Orders received before 4.30 pm Monday to Friday are usually dispatched the same day by FIRST CLASS post (unless premium postal or timed courier services are selected), subject to stock availability. This does not apply to custom-length cables and speaker cables as these require a longer timescale to terminate. This also excludes all cables selected for the burn-in service. Please note, we do not process orders on national holidays in the UK. Over 98% of our orders are delivered the next working day including Saturdays.
Standard delivery is usually within 2 working days, although 98% of all orders are delivered the next working day including Saturdays. In extreme cases, such as delivery to the Highlands and Islands, this may take 3 days.
All items are fully insured and come with an invoice from Future Shop. We use the Royal Mail for delivery of small packages and DPD Local or DHL for items that weigh over 2KG. Items over 2KG are fully insured and will usually be delivered within 48 hours of placing your order subject to stock availability. For international orders, we use FedEx or DHL services where customers have selected this option.








Please note, special orders for non-standard cable lengths may be subject to longer deliver time-scales. This may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.
We offer 'Free delivery on orders over £99' subject to the following terms & conditions:
- Applies only to orders with £99 or more of items (including VAT at the UK rate), at Future Shop
- Free Delivery on orders over £99 utilises Royal Mail First Class postal service for items weighing under 2KG. For items weighing over 2KG, we use DPD or DHL next working day services which deliver from 9.00am to 6pm within mainland UK (excludes Royal Mail Special Delivery Services and timed next day delivery services by DPD or DHL).
- Applies only to deliveries to addresses within mainland UK and Northern Ireland addresses. Applies only to orders that are to be delivered to a single Mainland UK delivery address.
- You will not be eligible for free delivery on your order if any items are cancelled or returned for a refund, bringing the total order amount below £99. Where items are returned, the refund due will be the cost of the item less any postage costs.
- We reserve the right to change or discontinue 'Free delivery on orders over £99 promotion at any time.
- FREE DELIVERY FOR ORDERS OVER £99 OFFER DOES NOT APPLY TO TRADE CUSTOMERS.
UK Postal & Delivery Charges - FIRST CLASS
Free UK delivery on all orders over £99*
| Weight | Price (FIRST CLASS UK POSTAGE) |
| 0g - 1000g | £3.95 |
| 1000g - 1400g | £4.95 |
| 1400g - 1800g | £5.95 |
| 1800g - 2000g | £6.95 |
| 2000g - 3000g | £8.95 |
* Free Delivery on orders over £99 utilises Royal Mail First Class postal service for items weighing under 2KG. For items weighing over 2KG, we use DPD or DHL next working day services which deliver from 9.00am to 6pm within mainland UK.
Free Delivery for orders over £99 excludes Royal Mail Special Delivery Services and timed next day delivery services by DPD or DHL.
Special Delivery UK - Guaranteed Next Working Day
We have 99.9% of the UK covered With Royal Mail Next Day Special Delivery. We guarantee delivery to most UK addresses by 1pm the next working day. This includes Northern Ireland, Jersey and Guernsey. Some places take longer to deliver to but we still guarantee delivery within three working days by 5.30 PM.
Please note, Royal Mail Special Delivery for next working day may not be possible where non-standard cable lengths are ordered. If this is the case, the item will be shipped via The Royal Mail Special Delivery service as soon as the cable is custom made.
For orders weighing over 2KG, we reserve the right to ship items using Next Day Pre-Noon Courier Services where Royal Mail Special Delivery option has been selected.
Channel Islands & Northern Ireland
We accept orders from all Channel Islands including Alderney, Jersey, Guernsey and Sark. Unless you select a premium service, Items weighing under 2KG are delivered using our standard UK delivery option above. For items weighing over 2KG, a surcharge may be applied for all deliveries to the Channel Islands as well as Northern Ireland.
European Countries
Deliveries to EU member states are not subject to 20% VAT after December 31st 2020 and therefore the 20% VAT on items is automatically deducted when you log-in, register or proceed to place an order.
The customer will be liable for the VAT at the local VAT rate, duty on the import and the brokerage service fee if applicable. This may need to be paid in advance to your local Customs & Excise office or the delivery company before your order can be delivered.
We offer the following shipping services:
- Royal Mail First Class International Airmail Services - Items are usually delivered within 3 to 5 working days
- Royal Mail Standard International Mail Services - Items are usually delivered within 7-10 working days
- DHL Express International - Items are usually delivered within 24 to 48 hours. DHL orders must be received by 3:30pm for next day service to most destinations in Europe
- Federal Express International Priority - Items are usually delivered within 24 to 48 hours. FedEx orders must be received by 3.00pm for next day service to most destinations in Europe
- Federal Express International Economy - Item are usually delivered within 48 to 72 hours
We reserve the right to change your shipping method without notification if you select a method that we cannot use for your shipment (for instance, we cannot ship via postal services for items over 2 Kg to International destinations). If we need to change your shipping method, we will choose the least expensive shipping method for your order.
Worldwide - Excluding UK & Europe
Deliveries outside of the UK are not subject to 20% VAT and so the 20% tax on items is automatically deducted when you log-in, register or proceed to place an order.
If applicable, the customer will be liable for the taxes at the local tax rate, duty on the import and the brokerage service fee. This may need to be paid in advance to your local Customs & Excise office or the delivery company before your order can be delivered.
We offer the following shipping services:
- Royal Mail First Class International Airmail Services - Items are usually delivered within 7 to 10 working days
- Royal Mail Standard International Mail Services - Items are usually delivered within 15 working days
- DHL Express International - Items are usually delivered within 24 to 48 hours. DHL orders must be received by 3:30pm for next day service to most destinations in Europe
- Federal Express International Priority - Items are usually delivered within 48 hours. FedEx orders must be received by 3.00pm in order to ship items the same day, subject to stock availability
- Where the actual weight of the package significantly exceeds the shipping cost charged on orders, we may write to you for an additional shipping charge. For larger orders, items may be shipped in multiple packets at our discretion
We reserve the right to change your shipping method without notification if you select a method that we cannot use for your shipment (for instance, we cannot ship via postal services for items over 2 Kg to International destinations). If we need to change your shipping method, we will choose the least expensive shipping method for your order.
