QED Golden Anniversary XT Jumper Cables (1 Pair)

QED Golden Anniversary XT Jumper Cables (1 Pairs)

Celebrating QED's 50th anniversary, the Golden Anniversary XT speaker cable is the culmination of five decades of dedicated research, engineering, and audio expertise. It is the ideal upgrade for any hi-fi enthusiast who wants to experience the sonic benefits of a high-end speaker cable at a real-world price.

Golden Anniversary XT speaker cable delivers a truly immersive listening experience with an open, spacious soundstage and a level of detail and clarity that will leave you breathless. Whether you’re listening to your favourite music or watching a movie, Golden Anniversary XT can bring your audio to life like never before.

Future Shop's Expert Review On The QED Golden Anniversary XT

Gold. What so many have done in pursuit of it - that precious metal that wields so much power in the world. But this cable is not gold nor the most precious length of metal (a rather accessible £27 per meter for QED’s new Golden Anniversary XT).

QED marks 50 years in the cable game by combining their most innovative technologies: X-Tube – building up from their popular XT25, XT40i and XT400, and Aircore – filtering down from their premium Genesis Silver Spiral. X-Tube arranges conductors around (you may guess) a tube, while Aircore arranges these tubes around (you may not guess) another tube. All these tubes aim to control the Skin Effect, while Aircore also solves the Proximity Effect. Essentially, these designs even out resistance across the frequency spectrum. It’s all for clear, dynamic sound, resulting in a tremendously successful range of speaker cables.

The technologies may no longer be new, but the execution in QED’s latest offering is. Golden Anniversary retains the gauge of XT25, then twists these cores around two insulators – copying the geometry of the Genesis Silver Spiral but leaving out the silver – a hybrid of two highly acclaimed cables. Being less of a handful than the Genesis, its lighter gauge makes for a slightly more workable cable, but still substantially built with that premium colour of pouring Champagne (owing to its gold-colour shielding). But its most attractive property is its sound.

The design combination lets through a beautifully rounded clarity from its forgiving, continuous cast copper conductors. Frequency presentation is well-balanced and tidily separated with an impressive depth. The obvious comparison is its cousin, XT400, which delivers more body and top-end detail without the spaciousness that Golden Anniversary XT borrows from its silver-plated elder sibling – Genesis Silver Spiral.
Would it be banal playing a track with ‘Gold’ in the title for testing? Yes, it would. But Sting’s Fields of Gold was a perfect piece for assessing a cable of Golden Anniversary’s qualities. The strings drifted smoothly over the snappy rimshots, and Sting’s textured voice was given a light polishing.

On to Saint-Saëns energetic Dance Macabre, and the delicate opening chimes of the harp shine until the string’s chords are allowed to build climatically into the orchestral sections owing much to the dynamics afforded by the cable.

So, with 50 years of experience and at £27 per metre, it could be that QED may really have struck gold.

Here is what QED say about the Golden Anniversary XT

British audio specialist QED celebrates its 50th anniversary in style, with the introduction of its Golden Anniversary XT speaker cable.

Representing the culmination of five decades of dedicated and 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 real-world price.

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. And 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’) to give the 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™ Forté 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 - 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.

Specification

• Cross-sectional area: 2.5 mm2
• Wire gauge: 14 AWG
• Jacket outer diameter: 11.5 mm
• Loop inductance: 0.5m μH/m
• Loop resistance: 14.8 mΩ/m
• Capacitance: 42.0 pF/m
• Dissipation factor @ 10 kHz: 0.0090
• 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
• Termination: QED Airloc™ Forte Banana or Spade plugs
• Warranty: Lifetime Guarantee

Termination

Experience the pinnacle of audio connectivity with Futureshop's custom Hi-Fi cable service, offering professionally terminated cables to meet your specific requirements. Our expert engineers employ QED's exceptional 24 Carat gold plated AIRLOC termination plugs, ensuring top-notch signal transfer, excellent quality, and long-term performance.

QED's AIRLOC termination method represents the ultimate solution for connecting loudspeakers with QED speaker cables. It eliminates the need for soldering and instead creates an airtight fusion between the cable and plug, guaranteeing optimal signal transfer, pristine audio quality, and consistent performance over time.

Our AIRLOC FORTE metal banana and spade plugs outperform many alternatives on the market, and here's why: Each plug is crimped around the conductors using QED's specially designed tool under high pressure. This unique technique ensures 360-degree contact between the conductors and the plug, maximising surface area contact. Additionally, the banana plug establishes full contact with the binding post, again at 360 degrees. This meticulous construction facilitates superior signal transfer from the plug to your equipment, resulting in exceptional performance. In contrast, not all conductors are in full contact with the binding post when using bare wire, leading to signal loss.

While the metal barrels for the AIRLOC spades were discontinued in 2012, we still utilise genuine QED AIRLOC spade plugs, which are meticulously covered with genuine QED heat shrinks. This meticulous approach ensures that every QED speaker cable we offer is fully terminated with the highest standards of QED's engineering.

Trust Futureshop's custom Hi-Fi cable service to deliver a seamless connection between your audio equipment and speakers. Our professionally terminated cables, featuring QED's outstanding AIRLOC termination plugs, will elevate your audio experience to new heights. Enjoy uncompromising signal transfer, impeccable performance, and peace of mind from knowing you have the best audio connectivity.

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