QED Golden Anniversary XT Reference Speaker Cables
An ‘In the House’ review by David Neice
MSRP: As tested – 2.5 Meters with banana plugs (both ends) at approximately $499 Canadian. Other lengths available.
Verdict: QED, an English firm with well over fifty years of experience, is one the largest manufacturers of replacement cables for audio equipment. It is not surprising then that they offer a ‘reference speaker cable’ and this product is the object of our attention here.
The QED Golden Anniversary XT Reference speaker cable is excellently crafted and pleasant to work with and behold. However, I did find some real audible differences between it and other speaker cables that I placed in my system, including other well made QED cables that are less expensive. Yet these results must be tempered by the fact that these differences are subtle.
On balance these cables are firmly recommended to readers of ‘Wall of Sound’.
Reader Alert: It is common knowledge within my rather tight audio circle that reviewers are not flattered when they are asked, even engagingly by editors, to do a ‘cable review’. Cables and their reputed benefits are one of the darker arts of audio.
Reviewers mostly prize ‘differences’ in gear. When they apply their golden ears to a product they are searching for something better and, well, quite frankly, cables can at best only offer us up the very outer limits of significant audible differences. So it is with some trepidation that I write this review and I hope readers will understand the responsibility.
If an audiophile wants to own the ‘reference cable’ by a top manufacterer like QED then we are reluctant to discourage their search but any lofty expectations about their impact on the sound signature of their system should be met with some caution. Cables are not transducers and therefore are not really able to ‘blow us away’ in the manner that speakers sometimes do and cables are always system dependent.
Description: QED is one of the oldest purveyors of high quality audio cables in the world. It all began more than fifty years ago with the founding of QED (Quality Electronic Design) in 1973 by hi-fi enthusiasts Bob Abraham and Ian Vine. The company released QED 79 Strand, now recognised as the world’s first ‘specialist’ loudspeaker cable.
For the fiftieth anniversary of the company a special release was made with the introduction of its Golden Anniversary XT speaker cable. This product culminated over five decades of dedicated and extensive research, engineering and audio expertise.
In the words of QED ‘the 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.
Our objective in this review is to test this assertion.
There are four design and engineering claims that QED directs the buyer’s attention to and I will deal with each in turn.
1. X-Tube™ Plus Technology
X-Tube™ technology places a cable’s conductive material around a central hollow insulating rod – and the claimed result is the elimination of the ‘skin effect’ that would otherwise force high-frequency analogue music signals to the outside of the conductor.
2. Ultra-Pure Ohno Continuous Cast Copper Conductors
This cable uses a unique hybrid blend of 99.999% oxygen-free copper (‘OFC’) and Ultra-Pure Ohno Continuous Cast Copper (‘UP-OCC’) to improve the signal path and provide solid signal retention for the ultra-pure copper conductors – at a fraction of the price of using only Ohno Cast conductors.
3. Low-Loss Ultra-Uniform Dielectric Insulation
This cable uses a specially developed and formulated low-density polyethylene (LDPE), insulation material which works in unison with the cable’s X-Tube Plus configuration to deliver high-efficiency and a dissipation factor that is barely measurable.
4. 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. 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.
The practical proof for these claims lies in the audible performance of the cable which we will turn to now.
Test System: My system consists of Jean Marie Reynaud Bliss Silver speakers, a two way stand mount design that are unfailing helpful in their capacity to sort out fine details (Footnote 1). A Unison Research ‘Simply Italy’ amplifier pushes the speakers. It is a single ended EL34 design with about eleven or twelve watts per channel. CD duties are handled by a Cambridge Audio 640C player, a dual DAC Wolfson device. Analog playback is via a Gold Note 425 SE all acrylic turntable with a Gold Note B 5.1 arm and a Hana EL cartridge going into a Parasound Zphono moving coil phono input. My stock of RCA cables are a mix of Neotech OCC cables and DIY Kimber PBJ cables. The speaker cables I normally use are Audio Sensibility Impact OCC cables (see below), but QED XT 40 cables were also used for comparisons.
Listening Results:
Readers of my reviews will know that I tend to evaluate hi-end components by their ability to get to me through the ‘shiver effect’. By this effect I mean the ability of some components to convey the emotional freight of a performance and induce responses in me such as by raising the hair on the back of my neck.
Secondly, the true value of a superior cable is that it affects the pace, flow and timbre of the music and captures the ear by just sounding ‘right’. This is a subtle thing that draws in the listener and is probably not measurable. Similar results are found by reviewers in their reactions to turntables. It is one of the reasons that the Linn Sondek turntable has had such a long run as a pre-eminent audio component.
So first up for examination are tracks from Colin James’s stirling CD ‘Bad Habits’ and in particular the specific track ‘Bad Habits’. Right out of the gate the Golden Anniversary XT cable showed signs that something special was going on. The bass line in particular was deep and crisp and the articulations in the guitar’s blues inflected wavers were especially notable. I was captured by the moment and found I could follow every nuance of Colin James’s guitar solos accompanied by shivers galore.
This was driven home by the fact that I had listened to the very same track only moments before using an Audio Sensibility Impact cable, which while quite good, is not in the same league.
In a similar vein, the Colin James track ‘Speechless’, one of my favourites, was excellent in every way and every inflection of James’s playing was on show. In that regard he challenges Stevie Ray Vaughn for the honour of being a blues guitar slinger of exceptional prowess.
Next up was Chantal Chamberland’s outstanding CD ‘Temptation’. In particular I played the track ‘It’s a Beautiful Life’ several times. Chamberland is a Canadian-Quebec based artist inspired by jazz interpretations of various classic and contemporary songs. Her CDs are meticulously produced and well worth owning.
‘It’s a Beautiful Life’ is a breathy low key torch song about mutual love and I have heard it many times on different systems. The Golden Anniversary XT Reference cable excelled at bringing that track’s full glory into the listening room. Chamberland was rendered with a reach out and touch it feel that only accompanies the very best components. Similarly, that old Nina Simone pot boiler, ‘You Put a Spell on Me’, (Footnote 2) was full of shivery moments and surprises. If you are loooking for a CD that will work out your system then I can highly recommend Chamberland’s tour de force, ‘Temptation’.
Next into the tray was a CD by Florence and the Machine called ‘Ceremonials’. The specific track ‘Shake It Up’ was a production heavy hit in the UK and was recorded at Abbey Road Studio. This track is densely layered and the vocal by Florence Welch can easily be lost in the surrounding pyrotechnics. The story line is her struggle with the ‘horse of alcohol’ and the lyrics are quite meanngful. I put this CD on as a test of the resolution of the QED cables.
The Golden Anniversary XT cables did not disappoint me. The complexity of the arrangement was well rendered but the vocal track still stood out so the story line could be told without resort to liner notes. I turned then to yet another track ‘Spectrum’ from the same CD. I was surprised by the power of the track which again has complex production values that can be easily lost. Once again I was also finding that shivers were being induced by this track and I played it several times.
I then thought that I would play Norah Jones first CD ‘Come Away With Me’ and in particular the track ‘Nightingale’ which is my all time favourite Norah Jones recording. The flow of this track always gets my senses going and I was again struck by the emotional power of the song and by the first rate musicianship of her accompanying colleagues. It is easy to dismiss Norah Jones as a light weight but her ensemble piano playing is superb and her reading of ‘Nightingale’ is inspired.
The Norah Jones track also conveyed the overall pace, flow and timbre that characterizes these QED cables. There is just a rightness to the sound that lures in the listener and the desire to make written notes on the sound scape is tempered by the desire to just ‘fall into the music’.
This characteristic was carried over when I played the entire contents of the great CD by Van Morrsion ‘Keep it Simple’. I was cooking dinner in an adjacent room but could not avoid being drawn into the music and I left the kitchen several times to sit in the listening room and just relish in the rightness of the music.
I have almost a complete catalogue of all of Morrison’ s recordings and I can tell very easily if a component is adding or subtracting from his performance. On the final track ‘Behind the Ritual’, I was held in thrall by the music as I have heard this track dozens of times and I was impressed and even a bit surprised at my reactions.
Turning to vinyl I listened carefully to Willie Nelson’s classic project of American standards, ‘Stardust’. There is something about Nelson’s voice that is special. On the very best equipment there is a strong sense that he is present in the room. His voice pulls at you and so I often use this record as a test of the level of versimilitude – the ability of a given set of components to trick the ear into thinking it is a live performance. The QED Golden Anniversary cables did not disappoint me and Willie’s voice sounded especially strong and clear. Every nuance and shading was revealed and the reverberant field surrounding his ancient flat top guitar was excellent.
Then I returned to Van Morrison, in this case his signature recording ‘Astral Weeks’. Other reviewers have sometimes commented that they expect to be buried with a copy of ‘Astral Weeks’ in their casket and I am of the same persuasion. The bass work of Richard Davis throughout the album is sublime and Morrison really found his artistic and poetic sides in these tracks which were recorded quickly in New York when Morrison was still in his early twenties.
The track ‘Madame George’ always wins the ‘best of sweepstakes’ for me and the QED cables did a fine job of rendering a high level of satisfaction in it’s replay. Morrison’s voice is young and strong and he is obviously touched by the lyrics as he recounts the tale of a prostitute’s life. ‘Astral Weeks’ is a touchstone album even if it may not suit every taste. I always feel privileged when I hear it and the QED cables opened the recording up for extra attention.
Finally I will report on the great Allman Brothers album ‘Brothers and Sisters’. In particular I want to highlight the exceptional track by Dickie Betts called ‘Jessica’. This was recorded after Duane Allman had died and Betts had taken over as lead guitarist, an unenviable position to be placed in. ‘Jessica’ is an inspired instrumental recording that rocks on at a ferocious clip for over seven minutes. It was recorded at the very peak of the Southern Rock period of popular music in the US and I love it.
The QED Anniversary cables allowed all the virtuosity of Betts’ guitar playing to shine through. The sudden changes in musical key sprinkled throughout the track are one of its highlights and these thrilling moments are revealed in their full glory. After nearly seven minutes of replay I was almost limp from the experience. As much as I like some contemporary music I find there is a visceral satisfaction to the best music of the seventies and eighties that is hard to overlook.
Comparing Other Cables:
As noted above I normally listen to Audio Sensibility Impact OCC speaker cables. They offer the astute audiophile a well crafted solution at an affordable price. Audio Sensibility along with Neotech offer cables that use Ohno Casting Copper which is a special metalurgical process that creates gigantic copper crystals which are said to lead to superior conduction. Meanwhile I just like them because they sound good and are very flexible and beautifully finished.
I also use the Canadian Audio Sensibility OCC cables in my turntable, where I find they are a superior phono cable, and many Canuck Audio Mart followers have also bought them for just this purpose.
Nonetheless the QED Golden Anniversary XT cables outperformed the Audio Sensibility speaker cables with a weightier bass reproduction as well as more musical detail revealed.
I substituted a pair of lower priced QED XT 40 cables to just see what was possible. As expected, the XT 40 cables were completely outclassed by the Anniversary XT cables at well over double the price. The old maxim that you get what you pay for definitely applies here.
Conclusion:
The QED Golden Anniversary XT cables will be a fine addition to anyone’s system but remember that the system must be inherently very resolving before these benefits will be realized. Cables are not transducers and therefore their role is limited in most systems to a secondary status when it comes to listenable differences.
My top-line criteria for reviewer approval is based on the ‘shiver effect’ but other audiophiles may be using other criteria. Still, there is no doubt in my mind that these particular QED cables improve the pace, flow and timbre of the music they are conducting. It is a subtle but important effect.
So on balance the QED Golden Anniversary XT Reference cables are firmly recommended to readers of ‘Wall of Sound’ and I am considering buying the pair I reviewed.
Acknowledgements
Essentia Technology Inc., the Canadian distrubutor of QED, is to be thanked for making these cables available for review as is Noam Bronstein of Stereo Untypical.
Footnotes
1) DALI Oberon 5s, a small floorstander, were also used as secondary speakers in this review.
2) Not to mention Screamin’ Jay Hawkins.
Specifications
Cross-Sectional Area 2.5 mm
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 0.0090
Conductors 9 x 19/0.13 mm OFC + 1 x 19/0.13 mm UP-OCC
Insulation LDPE Jacket With 100% Coverage Of Golden/Mylar Tape Wrap
Plugs And Spades QED Airloc™ Forte Banana Plugs
