Quality Interconnects from QED

Over many years the debate on quality cables and their impact on sound quality has been going on amongst manufacturers, hifi enthusiasts etc.

How much of an improvement cables make is down to a few factors in my opinion. The hifi equipment must be of a reasonably good to very good standard and you will have to know what your system sounds like before you could really hear differences between one good cable and another.

What most people will notice though is the difference between a cheap wire , and a quality cable. Particularly in the field of speaker wires.  However, also the interconnecting cable between an amplifier, and a source such as a CD player, Tuner, Network streamer or Turntable can make a difference, particularly when compared to the often very cheap RCA cables included with a lot of gear. Great to get you going, but that's all.

So with that in mind I recently bought a set of QED Performance Audio Graphite Interconnects, to replace an older cable between my trusty CD player, and my amplifier.   I chose the 0.6M length version, retailing for 24.95 GBP.
The cables are well packaged and very well made with a nice good looking 'Graphite' finish and gold plated contact areas.
Did I notice a difference?  Well, to be honest , yes I did! It wasn't day and night, but then my current HiFi is hardly the top of the range.  I currently play CD's from a Marantz CD6003, feeding an Arcam A85 amplifier, into KEF Q1 speakers.   All these components are a few years old but I know what they sound like, and they work in my current listening room.
I am looking to change the speakers next , but taking my time.  Anyway, back to the interconnects.
I noticed that compared to the older cable, I had an improvement in bass, which appeared tighter and better timed, as well as details in the higher registers, edges of cymbals, percussion instruments, and room ambience all seemed to be easier to pick up.  Some of these elements were not night and day, and I'd say the biggest improvement in my case was the firming up of the lower registers.

I would however say not to go over board. Keep everything in balance. A pair of 25GBP cables is well worth it for equipment such as mine, but paying a ten fold of that, would be silly, unless your other components are of a similar standard. Even then, I don't think you get a ten fold improvement.

In short, these QED Performance Audio Graphite Interconnects are well worth the investment.

For more information and others in the range visit:  http://www.qed.co.uk