QED Signature Audio 40 - RCA

QED Signature Audio 40 - RCA 

THE GROUNDBREAKING SIGNATURE AUDIO 40 ANALOGUE AUDIO INTERCONNECT CELEBRATES QED'S 40 YEARS AT THE FOREFRONT OF BRITISH DESIGNED AUDIO CABLES

Signature Audio 40 is an entirely new design concept from QED laboratories. The cordage is designed primarily for low capacitance as this has been identified by QED as a significant factor leading to a high fidelity experience and makes for a tight sound retaining the rhythm of the original piece. Add our Complementary Conductor TechnologyTM for high frequency detail and our Analoc TechnologyTM to maximise signal integrity and the result is what we feel to be the most innovative interconnect ever made by QED. Please see our 'cables matter' section below for more in-depth information on this ground breaking design.

There’s no denying QED’s leading role in the British cable market over the past 40 years – a whole nation of audiophiles grew up with QED 79-strand speaker cable in the eighties, likely between a NAD amp and a pair of KEF Codas! To commemorate its anniversary, it has a new range of interconnects. Between you and me dear reader, word is that they were developed after HFC’s epic 12-way interconnect Group Test that ran in issue 362 back in 2012; QED took a good listen to the winners and came back with this.

The Signature 40 is a beautifully packaged product, and immaculately turned out with its translucent sheathing showing the braided electromagnetic shielding around it. QED’s beautiful Rhodium-plated Analoc plugs look like jewellery, and are said to provide a high-purity copper connection without the use of bulky brass plug bodies.

They’re soldered to silver-plated 99.999% oxygen-free copper conductors in a Teflon dielectric, in an asymmetric twisted pair configuration and a Zn/ Mn ferrite jacket is used. Finally the whole cable is cryogenically treated.

DRESSED TO IMPRESS

Here’s a genuinely impressive sounding audio interconnect. Although not completely translucent, the new Signature is open and detailed like few others at the price, with a light, spry sort of sound that captures the energy of the music in its full glory. Tonally, it’s very close to neutral, but comes across as just a little ‘well lit’ in absolute terms, pepping up otherwise lacklustre recordings or systems by a fraction.

It has strong and taut bass,happily lacking in overhang or smear, and a crisp and incisive midband that lets the elements in the mix hang in their respective positions in space with ease. It doesn’t crowd out things, offering a nice spacious soundstage where there’s room for the music to breathe. Treble is sweet and airy, too. Overall then, this new cable is an excellent performer at the price, right across the board.

COMPLEMENTARY CONDUCTOR TECHNOLOGYTM
This innovation utilises two conductors of different diameters to carry the same audio signal. This has the effect of providing an alternative path for high frequency audio components which might otherwise become time smeared in a single audio pathway.

TEFLON DIELECTRIC
This material with its low dielectric constant has been used to cut down on the amount of audio signal energy lost due to cable capacitance.

CRYOGENIC TREATMENT
It is understood that cryogenic treatment results in the elimination of dislocations and fractures in the material’s micro-structure. Trumpets and other brass instruments have been found to produce a better tone after Deep Cryogenic Treatment (below −190 °C, −310 °F) and it also extends their working life. Our extensive listening tests have shown that the cryogenically treated cable is preferred over the same cable without the treatment.
ANALOCTM LOCKING RCA PLUGS
The new QED Analoc™ plug is a low eddy current design featuring small high purity copper
conductors in place of the usual large volume brass body found in ordinary high quality plugs. This cuts down or eliminates the tendency for the changing magnetic field in the conductor to induce eddy currents which can affect the micro timing of the audio signal. Rhodium plating has the advantage for use as a plating material due to its superior hardness.

SPECIFICATIONS

Silver Plated 99.999% Oxygen Free Copper(SPOFC) conductors with Teflon™ dielectric
Asymmetrical twisted pair geometry

• SPOFC shield giving 100% electromagnetic screening
  
  
• Zn/Mn ferrite Jacket
  
  
• Rhodium plated QED ‘Analoc™’ RCA plugs
  
  
• Cryogenically Treated
  
  
• Capacitance: 63pF/m
  
  
• Inductance: 0.37uH/m
  
  
• Loop resistance: 0.072 Ω/m
  
  
• Dissipation Factor: 0.0011