TCI Baby Constrictor review

The TCI Baby Constrictor mains cable may be priced at the budget end of things, but it looks very much the high-end part, thanks to that appropriately snake-like braid cover.

Its construction uses multiple conductors woven together in an 'RFI-filtering' assembly, with a healthy cross-sectional area more than capable of handling the requirements of any component fit to be plugged in to a normal socket.

The connectors at both ends are regular commercial types. Insulation of the internal cores is PTFE, a high-performance material which, last time we checked, was not recommended for mains use due to its limited resistance to repeated flexing, but the 11mm diameter and stiff nature of this lead should discourage any attempt to bend it more than absolutely necessary!

Appealing price

After years of testing various mains cables, we are starting to see some patterns emerging, one of which is that woven cables like this give an improvement in treble clarity and apparent extension.

In fact this is far more likely to be due to a reduction in high-frequency noise and 'hash' than any change in the frequency response of connected kit, but the subjective result is as if a restriction has been removed from the higher frequencies, allowing them to breathe more easily.

This is particularly noticeable with delicate percussive sounds, which seem to decay more naturally and with well-recorded vocals, which benefit from better-integrated consonants.

Midrange is perhaps a touch improved in clarity, bass as far as we could tell essentially unchanged, but the treble improvements make the TCI Baby Constrictor a cable well worth its modest price.