AudioQuest Vodka 48 Ultra High Speed 48Gbps HDMI 2.1 Cable (1m Single)

The AudioQuest Vodka 48 sits in the upper tier of AudioQuest’s Ultra High Speed HDMI 2.1 cable range, positioned above the Carbon 48 and below the ThunderBird 48. Where the Carbon 48 uses 5% Silver-plated conductors, the Vodka 48 steps up to 10% Silver-plated solid conductors throughout the audio/video and eARC signal paths, alongside a 5% Silver Ground Reference. This increase in Silver content is the primary engineering differentiator between the two models, with both sharing the same Level-3 Noise-Dissipation architecture.

Conductor Design

All A/V and eARC conductors in the Vodka 48 are solid rather than stranded. AudioQuest specifies solid conductors in order to prevent both electrical and magnetic strand-to-strand interaction, which can degrade signal quality in a stranded construction. The 10% Silver-Plated Copper conductors apply increasing thicknesses of Silver plating, a progressive approach that AudioQuest states further improves noise dissipation compared to lower-plated alternatives.

Noise-Dissipation System (Level 3)

The Vodka 48 employs AudioQuest’s Level-3 Noise-Dissipation system, which operates across all 19 HDMI conductors. Each conductor — spanning A/V signals, eARC, Ground Reference drains, and control and power lines — is direction-controlled to reduce Radio-Frequency (RF) Noise. In addition, a high-loss carbon layer is sandwiched between layers of metal around the four FRL and eARC conductor pairs to further suppress noise at this critical part of the cable’s signal chain. The combination of conductor direction control, a carbon absorptive layer, and metallic shielding constitutes the three elements of the “Carbon + Metal + Direction” designation.

Performance & Compatibility

The Vodka 48 is rated to carry the full 48Gbps data rate of HDMI 2.1. This is achieved through four balanced audio/video pairs, each capable of 12Gbps. Supported video formats include 4K at 120Hz, 8K at 60Hz, and 10K at 30Hz. Dynamic HDR formats are supported, as is enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC), which enables high-quality audio to be passed from a compatible television back to an AV receiver or soundbar without a separate optical connection.

The cable also supports the enhanced gaming features introduced with HDMI 2.1, including Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), and Quick Frame Transport (QFT), making it suitable for use with Sony PlayStation 5, Microsoft Xbox Series X, and gaming PCs that output at 4K/120Hz.

Construction

The jacket is finished in a black nylon braid with blue stripe detailing. The cable is sold as a single unit.