QED Reference Audio Interconnect (1m Pair)

The QED Reference Audio sits within QED’s Reference tier — above the Performance Audio Graphite and Performance Audio 40i, and below the Signature Audio 40 — making it a mid-range interconnect designed for systems where signal integrity matters but the budget does not stretch to the flagship Signature series. It is a stereo RCA phono interconnect intended for connecting source components such as CD players, turntables (via a phono stage), tuners, and DACs to an integrated amplifier or pre-amplifier.

Conductor & Cable Construction

The Reference Audio uses silver plated 99.999% oxygen-free copper (OFC) conductors arranged in a symmetrical twisted pair geometry. Silver plating over high-purity OFC is a well-established technique in cable engineering: the silver layer provides a low-resistance surface for high-frequency signal components, while the OFC core handles the bulk of the signal current with minimal grain-boundary resistance.

Screening is comprehensive — a double-layer arrangement combining a silver plated 99.999% OFC braid with a Mylar foil wrap. The braided shield rejects low-frequency electromagnetic interference, while the Mylar foil layer addresses higher-frequency noise ingress, providing broad-spectrum protection against external interference.

Termination

Each end is terminated with QED’s proprietary RCA plug featuring an 8-leaf 24-karat gold-plated ground ring. The multi-leaf design increases the contact area with the socket’s outer ring, improving the integrity of the ground connection. The plug body is precision engineered with an integrated user grip for secure, strain-free insertion and removal.