QED Reference Audio 40 Cable, 0.6 m

I have now completed the QED Reference chain of cables from laptop and CD player to DAC to amp (USB, COAXIAL, ANALOGUE).These are simply stunning. Up all night playing albums one after another.Some may think that £80 for a pair of .6 metre interconnects is crazy, but what I'm hearing easily justifies that. Even good value I would add.I'm not keen on the plugs though, I find the locking awkward, especially when fumbling at the back of a piece of equipment, but once done they should stay put, and I don't plan on changing them soon.The build quality and finish is top drawer, and they look good but are hidden away out of sight unfortunately.I just wish I could find some QED speaker cables that I like, maybe one day.

Sound wise, it’s a definite improvement over Amazon basic cables. I’m using this cable to connect my CD player into my DAC and I can tell there’s a sound improvement once I used theses cables. Not night and day but the tonality was smoother and slightly warmer. I didn’t want spend triple or more on these cables so I think it’s a decent value that QED offers.

Good, well constructed cable. Gripping plugs with the screwable shroud works well. Flexible and easy to route through tidies etc.... can I tell the difference between this and the Atlas cable, half the price? Nope, but that's HiFi for you.

I haven't burnt these cables in yet, so I can't speak of their sonic properties yet, so four stars, but they do sound very clear and open on first impressions. I've docked them another star for how awkward they are to fit to a hifi unit. After struggling and completely failing to get them on, I noticed that on the back of the small round label that was loosly tied to the cable there are diagrams that suggest you loosen the outer shroud, fit them on to hifi unit, then tighten the shroud up. All well and good, unless like me you have a Cyrus amplifier, with connections packed close together. Trying to tighten the shrouds on any but the first pair with your fingertips requires the dexterity of a concert pianist, along with the fingertip grip and strength of a world champion nose picker.

Great quality, excellent value. A connector that does not get in the way of the music, very 'open window' and match carefully to your system. For those who value a neutral component, it will bring out issues in the system, don't blame the cable!

As expected for the price. Quite stiff. Be mindful that the connectors require untightning before insertion. Not in a position to compare the sound quality, but absolutely fine on my £3K hifi gear. Nice presentation.

I run a high-end Cyrus-Linn-Tannoy system. I've owned various cables over the years and was looking for something tonally neutral and well constructed, as is my system. After purchasing a 3m length to run from Cd to pre-amp, I was so impressed that I bought 2 of these 0.6m to connect 2 power-amps. If your system is harsh or bass-heavy, this is not the cable to cure it. It will only highlight poorly matched components. If you are running serious kit, the tonal neutrality and superb build quality will impress. You will need to spend a hell of a lot more to beat this excellent interconnect. Faultless.

I was drawn to these interconnects one the basis of their favourable What Hifi? review and decided to take the plunge as a bit of a treat for my (what I would describe as) semi-audiophile system. I installed them this morning, replacing what were very decent, if not rather old, interconnects (Cable Talk Monitor 2) that I was using between the step-up transformer of my turntable and my amplifier, and despite my initial scepticism, there was a very noticeable boost to the clarity and separation of the sound produced. When I get the chance I'm going to try them between the DAC and the amplifier too, and if I get a similar boost there will be investing again! The build quality is superb too. Very pleased.