Description
QED Golden Anniversary XT Speaker Cable Airloc ABS
QED Golden Anniversary XT Reference Speaker Cable was released by QED in celebration of 50 years of extensive research, engineering and audio expertise. Golden Anniversary XT speaker cable is the ideal upgrade for any hi-fi enthusiast who wants to experience the sonic benefits of a high-end speaker cable, but at a reasonable price.
Golden Anniversary XT delivers a wonderfully immersive listening experience with an open and very detailed soundstage. As such, upgrading to QED’s new 50th anniversary speaker cable will undoubtedly reveal the finest detail whether you’re listening to a movie or your favourite music.
Key Features
- NEW X-Tube™ Plus technology combines X-Tube™ with Aircore™ to deliver an even, consistent performance across the entire audible frequency range.
- Ultra-pure Ohno Continuous Cast Copper and 99.99% oxygen-free copper conductor blend helps improve the signal path and signal retention.
- Low Loss Ultra-Uniform Dielectric insulation boosts efficiency and reduces signal loss.
- Airloc™ Forte banana plugs use a cold weld system for permanent attachment to the cable for improved contact area and reduced resistance.
X-Tube™ Plus technology
QED’s innovative and proven X-Tube™ technology places a cable’s conductive material around a central hollow insulating rod and the result is the elimination of the ‘skin effect’ that would otherwise force high-frequency analogue music signals to the outside of the conductor. In addition, by combining X-Tube™ technology with its equally effective Aircore™ technology, QED also reduces the ‘proximity effect’ that can disrupt current distribution in a speaker cable.
The result is X-Tube™ Plus: a ground-breaking cable geometry that ensures Golden Anniversary XT is a speaker cable with even, consistent performance across the entire audible frequency range.
Ultra-Pure Ohno Continuous Cast Copper conductors
Golden Anniversary XT uses a unique hybrid blend of 99.99% oxygen-free copper (‘OFC’) and Ultra-Pure Ohno Continuous Cast Copper (‘UP-OCC’) for improved signal path and outstanding signal retention of ultra-pure copper conductors, but at a fraction of the price. Thanks to class-leading research and engineering, QED Golden Anniversary XT is the most affordable and attainable speaker cable to exploit the advantages of the continuous-casting process, with this hybrid theoretically improving the path for transients and high frequency detail not available using just OFC alone.
Low-Loss Ultra-Uniform Dielectric insulation
If a speaker cable is to perform to its maximum potential, it’s important that the dielectric material which insulates and protects the central conductors of the cable does so efficiently. Golden Anniversary XT uses a specially developed and formulated low-density polyethylene (‘LDPE’), which works in unison with the cable’s X-Tube Plus configuration to deliver a speaker cable that has high-efficiency and a dissipation factor that is barely measurable.
Airloc™ ABS banana plugs
Airloc™ is a specially developed cold-weld system for permanently attaching QED Forté banana plugs to the company’s entire range of speaker cables, Golden Anniversary XT included. The most vulnerable area of the speaker cable chain is the physical interface between the cable and the speaker or amplifier to which it’s connected and without effective termination, oxidation can occur, degrading the cable’s performance. By using a cold weld crimp-type termination, Forté banana plugs offer maximum resistance to oxidation – for the lifetime of the cable – by effectively turning the cable and the plug into a single, unified object.
Specifications
- Cross-sectional area 2.5 mm2
- Wire gauge 14 AWG
- Jacket outside diameter 11.5 mm
- Loop inductance 0.58 μH/m
- Loop resistance 14.8 mΩ/m
- Capacitance 42.0 pF/m
- Dissipation factor @ 10 kHz 0.009
- Conductors 9 x 19/0.13 mm OFC + 1 x 19/0.13 UP-OPCC
- Insulation LDPE jacket with 100% coverage of golden/mylar tape wrap
- Connectors – QED Airloc™ Forte ABS banana plugs and/or spades
QED Lifetime Guarantee
Reviews, June 2023
“The QED Golden Anniversary XT Loudspeaker Cables are a fantastic bargain for their asking price; the build quality, termination, and overall sound quality are very hard to fault.”
ecoustics
“They will grab as much detail from the music as the price point of these cables will allow. They will lower the noise and allow your hi-fi to shine. They also try their best to get out of the way, while giving the music itself a sense freedom but also a firm framework to work within…Again, it’s a trust thing. You can rely on the QED Golden Anniversary XT cables. “
The Audiophile Man, Deeply Groovy Award
“…compared to high-end cables costing 10x more, QED’s Golden Anniversary XT represents stunning value. It’s equally refreshing to discover a cable whose technical specification precisely matches that found in our independent testing.
All of which contributes to the reassurance of a brand, and cable, offering no-nonsense sound and build quality at a great price. In the sparsely populated world of hi-fi bargains, this one is Golden!”
Editors Choice – hi-fi news
QED Golden Anniversary XT is also available terminated with QED Airloc all-metal banana plugs and/or Airloc spades. Please see QED Golden Anniversary XT Reference Speaker Cable.
