QED Reference Ethernet Cable 3m

The QED Reference Ethernet is QED's flagship network cable, designed specifically for demanding audio and video streaming applications. Sitting at the pinnacle of QED's cable range, it is built to Class I, Category 8.1 (CAT 8.1) standard and supports data rates of up to 40 Gb/s — well beyond the bandwidth requirements of any current streaming format, providing considerable headroom for future network demands.

Construction

At the heart of the Reference Ethernet is a quad of 24 AWG, 99.999% oxygen-free copper (OFC) twisted pairs. QED applies customised twist rates to each pair to minimise inter-pair crosstalk — a key source of noise in conventional Ethernet cable designs. The F/FTP shielding architecture layers an aluminium mylar wrap around each individual pair, then a foil outer wrap, all enclosed within a ferrite-impregnated jacket. This multi-stage approach addresses both differential and common-mode interference across the cable's full operating bandwidth. The jacket is finished in White Pearl PVC and measures 9mm in diameter.

Connectors

Termination uses gold-plated Telegärtner Profinet CAT 8 plugs — professional-grade connectors featuring 360-degree shielded die-cast zinc bodies and high-torque cable glands. This level of connector engineering ensures that the shield integrity of the cable is maintained all the way to the socket, preventing the connector joint from becoming a point of ingress for radio-frequency interference.

Audio and Video Performance

The Reference Ethernet is engineered to support lossless streaming of high-resolution audio at up to 32-bit/384kHz and DSD512, with a characteristic impedance of 100 ohms across the full signal bandwidth. Its 40 Gb/s capability places it in a class that comfortably accommodates 8K video streaming and future network protocols alongside demanding audio applications.