Reviews for QED Reference Optical Quartz Cable

I was very wary how much difference a quality fibre could make to the system given that it's only used to connect a tuner to a DAC. Amazing the harsh brittle sound of a cheap fibre is now a full rich sound. EXCELLENT. Just brilliant.

Excellent Product. Very clear sound.

A Quality Cable. Initially, I bought the Van den Hul Optocoupler Mk2, but was not entirely happy with the tonal balance. Congested is too strong a word, but it was a little 'thick' for my taste.

This could be a synergy thing, because the cable has received good reviews elsewhere. It was purchased to connect my Samsung tv to a new Dali Kubik One soundbar. It was meant to replace an old QED Performance cable, which was far less refined, but was possessed of a certain 'open-ness'. I was sceptical as to how much difference there could be between optical cables, but swapping to the QED Reference Quartz restored (and increased) this sense of open-ness and clarity, but with considerably more refinement. Having said this, If you are considering the Dutch cable, I wouldn't rule it out of hand - it's very much a case of 'horses for courses'. One common characteristic that most optical cables share is a good degree of neutrality, but this is not always as welcome as you might think.

Few audio systems are truly neutral in their tonality (often by design), and people use different cables (and other devices) to tailor the sound to their taste. I think this the reason that optical cables are sometimes accused of 'lacking life', and 'dulling' the sound. There may be better cables available at a higher price, but this is as far as I was prepared to go. For me, this new QED cable ticks all the right boxes at the right price.

IT IS SOMETHING ELSE. THE TIMBRE IS SPOT ON, REALLY IMPRESIVE IN STRING INSTRUMENTS, SOUNSTAGE OPEN, REAL, EXCELLENT DEFINITION, WITHOUT THE BLOWN UP USUAL TO OPTICAL CABLES, VOICES ARE INCREDIBLE TANGIBLE, REALLY IMPRESSIVE!!

FUTURESHOP SERVICE ALSO TO BE RECOMENDED!

Very good quality Toslink. I replaced my cheap 10$ plastic toslink with qed glass optical and the sound feels fuller , more detailed, more musical.

my system is Apple TV3 > qed toslink> rega dac> chord crimson vee3> rega brio r amp> dali lektor 2 spkrs( chord carnival speaker cables).

I play music from iphone using apple Tv as a streamer. Even Youtube music sounds good after the upgrade!

Quality Glass toslink. This Beats my cheap plastic toslink in terms is sound and build. I get a dynamic sound, clear vocals, balanced from treble to mid to bass notes. This is when I connect it from my Apple Tv3 to rega dac, which In turn is connected to rega brio r amp with Dali Lektor 2 speakers. I am pleased with the music I get streaming from my iPhone to ATV3 and compares well with my cd based system system.

Great looking , nice sounding, excellent build quality toslink. I bought this to replace my cheap plastic optical cable. I am impressed by SQ , it’s connecting my Apple tv3 to my rega dac, which is then connected to rega brio-r amp and Dali Lektor 2 Speakers. Playing Adele , U2 , I hear a wide dynamic range, deep soundstage , pace, and musicality in vocals and overall presentation. Yes it may be my system setup, but at least this toslink didn’t detract from it!

I have always used copper or carbon cabling and had been using the digital out with various cables from my CD transport - all be it not any currently recommended ones! I have toyed with buying an Optical link for years and this QED one seemed to promise much with its lack of jitter etc.

I was not disappointed as once this cable was connected the sound changed for the better all round.
The QED was connecting a Cyrus Signature CD Transport and Pre Amp.

Once connected the sound took on an ethereal feeling with fabulously focused voice etc - the bass became drier and the lower mid and upper bass clearer- sound generally changed to become cleaner and the stereo more precise.
The sound was more delicate when required and there was plenty of tension and power in the music when on the discs.
The music flowed a bit more

I went from a simple plastic cable to a 3m version of QED Reference. It sounds a little clearer/cleaner and overall better. Since I have a very revealing system it makes sense for me.
I do not know why this is the case, but it seems to work.

Comparison Toslink Cables: -

All those who believe that the quality of Toslink Optical digital cables makes no difference to the audio sound quality, please do not read any further.

I have an Auralic Aries Steamer, Classic Playstation3 80GB, Sonic Frontiers DAC3, Vovox Fortis XLR interconnect, Krell Class A 100W/channel Amp.

My aim is to achieve the best sound possible by using better cables, instead of spending £9,000 plus on a new DAC. (My Sonic frontiers DAC3 is better that a Chord Dave DAC)

In order of performance the results are: -
# My original no-brand Glass Toslink from America = better than any sub £100 toslink
# QED Toslink = a little better resolution.
# Wireworld Supanova 7= better resolution still and better dynamics, forward midrange.
# Audioquest Vodka = Just slightly better resolution still, better dynamics, more evenly balanced frequency range from hi - low. Good tight bass and clear treble.
# Audioquest Diamond = Has all the qualities of the Vodka, but in much greater quantity across the board. The only cable to bring out the emotion of the streamed song or the dialogue nuances from DVD. This Toslink shows why a singer can make their mother cry, or why that actor won the OSCAR.

Warni-ng, there is a huge price range from my £20 glass Toslink to the £499 Diamond, My suggestion is to choose the Toslink which price matches the quality of the rest of your system.

My ratings try to reflect the price/performan-ce balance of the respective Toslink cable.

Feel free to cut and paste my review into any other forum discussion of Toslink Cables.

Chri-s 5Aug17