Performance J2J is the 3.5 mm stereo minijack lead in QED's Performance range, which sits above the entry-level Connect series and below Reference and Signature. QED describes Performance as the cable it would recommend to most music lovers who want trusted engineering, long-term reliability and confidence in every connection. The "J2J" designation is QED's shorthand for jack to jack: this lead carries a 3.5 mm stereo jack plug at both ends, in a 3 m length.
Designed for Analogue Audio
The signal leaving a headphone socket is relatively small and, as QED puts it, surprisingly vulnerable. Electrical interference, crosstalk and noise can all affect what eventually reaches the amplifier, so Performance J2J is designed to protect the signal throughout its journey rather than simply bridge the gap between two sockets.
Conductors and Screening
The left and right channels each use their own individually dual-screened conductor pair of 99.999% oxygen-free copper, stranded as 2 × 1 × 19/0.09 mm (27 AWG) and wrapped in a tinned oxygen-free copper braid. Keeping the channels separate and screened is intended to improve stereo separation and give better protection against unwanted noise finding its way into the music.
Dielectric and Electrical Performance
A low density polyethylene dielectric creates a low-loss environment for analogue signals and helps keep capacitance down, measured at 120 pF/m. Loop resistance is 0.122 Ω/m, loop inductance 0.31 µH/m, dissipation factor 0.0007 at 10 kHz and characteristic impedance 50 Ω.
Connectors and Jacket
Both plugs are gold plated and use a stepped profile designed to seat correctly in devices that are still wearing a protective case, so the case does not have to come off to make a connection. The 6 mm jacket is an ultra-flexible cool grey TPE, chosen to reduce handling noise and to cope with being bent, coiled and carried around in everyday use.
Typical Uses
QED positions Performance J2J for connecting portable music players to amplifiers, smartphones and tablets to active speakers, desktop audio systems, and headphone outputs to hi-fi equipment: in short, any pairing of devices with a 3.5 mm stereo output and input.
