QED Golden Anniversary XT Speaker Cable (Per Metre)

QED Golden Anniversary XT speaker cable was released to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of QED. This high-performance cable is a great upgrade for lesser speakers, designed to get even better sound from your speakers at a competitive price. 

Supplied unterminated (bare wire) per metre. We also offer QED speaker cable termination (add both to your basket)

This speaker cable is based on QED’s X-Tube technology that uses a centre hollow insulating rod to keep the conductors apart. This is designed for more consistent performance across the whole frequency range. This cable also uses a welded connection to attach to the Forte banana plugs for a 360 degree, reliable connection. The oxygen-free copper also resists oxidization.

Oxygen free copper

Golden Anniversary XT speaker cable uses a blend of oxygen-free copper and Ultra-Pure Ohno Continuous cast copper. This provides a low-resistance signal path with excellent signal retention. In other words, there is no signal loss due to impurities in the copper. The dielectric material that insulates the wires, is made of low density polyethylene. This works with the X-Tube Plus arrangement, to deliver greater efficiency and a low dissipation factor.

High-grade connectors

This speaker cable also features Airloc cold-welded connections. This is more reliable than soldered connections, for the QED Forte banana plugs. This effectively makes the cable and plug one unit. The plugs resist oxidation, providing a long term good connection between the amplifier and speaker. The cables come in various lengths and with different termination options.

Forte banana plugs

One of the termination options is the forte banana plug. This is a solder-free airtight fusion, provides the best possible contact area. There are several special features that make the Forte’s, the best speaker plug available. Firstly, the plug is crimped under high pressure, using a special QED tool. This ensures that the conductors are in contact over the full 360 degrees. This provides the maximum possible contact area. Secondly, the plug itself is gold plated and in contact with the socket over 360 degrees.

Why oxygen-free cables?

Oxygen-free cables have a much higher purity than ordinary copper. Impurities such as iron and silver are removed. The impurities can be thought of as blocks in the road, and introduce distortion and phase shift. OFC also has less resistance. Moreover, less oxygen means that corrosion is less likely to occur, resulting in more reliable connections. Less resistance allows for longer cable runs without signal loss.

Who are QED?

QED are a British company that specialises in high-end audiophile cables. They have been designing cable for nearly fifty years. The most famous cable is the QED 79 strand speaker cable. This was the first specialist speaker cable, released in 1976. The QED 79 strand cable demonstrated that cables can have a significant effect on sound quality. Since then extensive research and development have gone into developing a wide range of audio cables. Today QED makes everything from simple RCA leads to complex digital cables, they are also in the professional market. Additionally, the X-Tube technology is used for mains cables.