QED has launched a comprehensive update to its Performance cable family, integrating analogue and digital options under a single, versatile platform geared towards the evolving needs of contemporary audio-visual systems.
QED has overhauled its Performance cable family with a broader, more unified range aimed at modern hi-fi and home cinema systems. The new line brings speaker cables, analogue interconnects, digital audio, optical, Ethernet and USB options together under one banner, with the company saying the aim is to make specification and selection simpler across sources ranging from turntables and CD players to televisions, streamers, DACs and networked audio components.
The refresh is presented as the latest stage in nearly five decades of cable development at the company. QED says the new range draws on findings from its Genesis Report research programme, which examined how cable construction affects signal transmission and perceived audio performance. The update also introduces a softer thermoplastic elastomer, or TPE, outer jacket, which the company says should improve flexibility and make routing easier in racks, cabinets and custom installations.
At the centre of the range is the Performance Speaker Cable, sold in factory-terminated 2m, 3m and 5m pairs, with matching bi-wire links. QED says the cable uses a 2.5mm² conductor cross-section and its X-Tube Plus geometry, which is intended to help keep signal transfer consistent across the frequency range. The speaker cable is terminated with Airloc gold-plated plugs and spades, while the wider range uses 99.999% oxygen-free copper conductors and 24k gold-plated contacts, with nickel-plated terminations reserved for USB models.
The rest of the family is designed to cover the sort of mixed analogue and digital systems now common in homes. The company has added phono-to-phono interconnects, digital coaxial and optical cables, subwoofer leads, 3.5mm jack options, Ethernet cables and a more complete USB audio line-up, including USB-A to USB-B, USB-A to USB-C, USB-C to USB-C and USB-C to USB-B configurations. According to HiFi Pig and StereoNET, the new series is intended to support everything from legacy hi-fi sources to high-resolution streaming devices, while HiddenWires notes that the refreshed visual design gives the range a more consistent identity.
Pricing starts at £29 for selected USB and Ethernet models and rises to £179 for the longest factory-terminated speaker cable pair. Performance Audio interconnects begin at £49, subwoofer cables run from £59 to £129, digital audio cables are priced between £39 and £59, and optical versions between £49 and £69. The broader message from QED is straightforward: as home systems become more varied, cable ranges are being designed less as isolated accessories and more as a structured connectivity platform for both stereo and AV installations.
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