Ecosse Big Orange MK2+ review

It's not cheap, but this mains cable is a decent upgrade for your system Tested at £60.00

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

This provides worthwhile gains in performance – and plenty of them

Pros

  • +

    An effective upgrade for both audio and video equipment

Cons

  • -

    Won’t suit every product

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‘Big Orange' turns out not to be Dale Winton after all. It's an Ecosse mains cable so virulently orange that it looks like it might have been nicked from a Flymo.

In that respect it's not dissimilar to the original Big Orange mains lead we awarded four stars to more than half a decade ago.

In the intervening time, Ecosse has fiddled with many aspects of the content and construction of the cable – the number and arrangement of conductors, the insulation, the mains plug at one end and the three-pin connection at the other.

The result is this Mk2+. The benefits over a standard, free-in-the-box mains cable are abundant.

Used in a video discipline, the Ecosse offers greater certainty where movement and edges are concerned, deepens black shades and offers great punch to high-contrast scenes. Colours are bolder, details more numerous.

Benefits with video and audio
Gains are of a similar order when the Big Orange Mk2+ is introduced to audio equipment.

General clarity and midrange bite are improved, while low frequencies dig a little deeper and hit a little more solidly.

There's a hint of hardness to high-volume high frequencies – just a suggestion that the Ecosse won't suit more strident-sounding equipment – but this caveat doesn't spoil the overall performance.

So, while the Mk2+ isn't cheap, it's an upgrade more cost-effective than most.

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What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.

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