QED Performance Coaxial review

Best Buy Awards 2012. Impressive coaxial cable Tested at £30

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

Best Buy Awards 2012. Impressive cable – level of detail, subtlety and scale are superb. There's plenty of punch and attack, too.

Pros

  • +

    Twin electrical screening

  • +

    clean vibrant and detailed sound

Cons

  • -

    Nothing

Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.

This is the first time in five years that we’ve decided to give Awards both to optical and coaxial digital leads. And, as in 2007, it’s QED that provides a winner in the shape of its excellent Performance cable.


With a purple trunk, dark-chrome plugs and gold-plated connectors, it looks flamboyant – and that panache extends to its performance.

It’s assertive, but good at conveying subtleties. The sound is clean and vibrant. There’s a good sense of energy too, with plenty of attack.

This is an excellent all-rounder and a better performer than many pricier alternatives. You’d have to spend significantly more to get a noticeable improvement, and even then you’d struggle to find better value for money.

See all our digital cable reviews

What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.

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