Performance sits at the heart of the QED range, above the entry-level Connect series and below the Reference and Signature tiers. QED describes it as the cable it would recommend to most music lovers building a good digital audio system and wanting the confidence that every connection is properly taken care of. Performance USB A(M)-C(M) is the USB-A to USB-C lead in that family, introduced with the redesigned Performance range on 1 October 2026 and supplied here as a single 0.6 m run.
Built for Digital Audio
QED makes the point that not all USB applications place the same demands on a cable: moving a spreadsheet to a printer is one thing, delivering high-resolution digital audio to a DAC is another entirely. Performance USB has been engineered specifically for audio applications and supports high-resolution formats including 24-bit/192kHz audio and DSD512.
Independently Certified
The cable carries USB-IF High Speed certification. That is independent verification that it meets the standards required for reliable USB operation, giving confidence that it will perform as intended with modern DACs, streamers and digital audio devices.
Protecting the Signal
Digital audio is particularly sensitive to timing accuracy. Performance USB uses an individually screened 99.999% oxygen-free copper data lane alongside low-loss dielectric materials, chosen to help minimise interference and reduce the potential for cable-induced jitter.
Keeping Power and Data Apart
A triple-screened construction keeps the power conductors isolated from the data lane. QED describes good cable design as a collection of small details working together to prevent problems before they happen, and this is one of them.
Build and Finish
One end is fitted with a USB Type-A plug and the other with a USB Type-C plug, and both plugs are nickel-plated: QED specifies nickel plating on its USB models, while the 24K gold-plated contacts used elsewhere in the Performance range are reserved for its other cable types. The silver-grey connector styling is shared across the new Performance line-up, and a soft, flexible TPE outer jacket of 6.8 mm outside diameter in stone grey makes the cable easy to route behind a desk or equipment rack. QED offers this USB-A to USB-C cable in two lengths: 0.6m and 1.2m.
Applications
QED lists Performance USB as ideal for connecting DACs to laptops and desktop computers, music servers to DACs, streamers with USB audio outputs, high-resolution digital audio systems, desktop audio setups, and dedicated headphone DACs and amplifiers.
