British audio specialist QED has introduced its next-generation flagship loudspeaker cable: Supremus Zr – the result of more than five decades of technological evolution and refinement.
Featuring QED audio innovations, the new Zr model now boasts high-quality zirconia plugs and barrels. Used in watches and fountain pens and in automotive and aerospace industries, this advanced ceramic material is prized for its durability and high resistance to wear, temperature and eddy currents, while its lustrous surface also adds a luxury finish to the cable.
In conjunction with QED’s Aircore and Airloc technologies and a host of other designs, the manufacturer claims that Supremus Zr represents the most effective way of preserving the integrity and fidelity of the analogue music signal from beginning to end that QED has ever achieved.
Key features include new hard-wearing zirconia barrels and boots that offer durability and resistance to performance-affecting eddy currents, in one lustrous-looking material, a cold weld system that unifies the conductors and plug components for a lifetime of perfect functionality, a rhodium-plated locking design ensures optimal contact between a speaker binding post and the cable plug for a maintenance-free connection, aircore technology delivers an even, consistent performance across the entire audible frequency range,
6.2 mm2 ultra-low resistance conductors allow an amplifier to exert complete control over speakers, while cryogenic treatment ensures a ‘perfect’ cable microstructure for more natural tonality.
The high mechanical strength of zirconia, its remarkable resistance to scratches and general wear and its glossily lustrous finish, all make it the ideal material for this cable’s barrels and boots.
Not only are the Supremus Zr plugs tactile, the electrically inert nature of zirconia also means eddy currents cannot become established and therefore plug-induced distortion remains low.
The brand’s high-pressure termination process compresses the conductors and plug together, creating a cold-welded area where conductors and plug effectively become one. Because all the air has been removed from the joint, there can be no oxidisation or degradation in conductivity – and that’s true for the entire lifetime of the cable.
Aside from its purely decorative properties, rhodium makes the surface of the Supremus Zr connectors very smooth, increasing the contact area and reducing resistance. Designed specifically for Supremus Zr cable, this unique contact expansion system securely clamps the rhodium-plated beryllium copper pins into the speaker terminals, while at the same time increasing the contact area of the plugs, simply by twisting the plug barrel until it is tight.
And because it’s so very hard-wearing and resistant to oxidation, rhodium can cope with the extra load exerted by our locking design – which ensures a perfect, maintenance-free connection.
Loudspeaker cables with large cross-sectional areas are prone to skin effect, where high-frequency analogue music signals are forced to the outside of the conductor, and proximity effect that disrupts current distribution.
QED’s i Aircore technology combines hollow tubular conductors – to minimise the skin effect – with polyester insulation and a special spiral construction to reduce the proximity effect. This combination evens out current density and significantly improves the cable’s uniformity throughout the audio band.
Boasting a large cross-sectional area, the ultra-low resistance, silver-plated, oxygen-free copper conductors effectively bring the amplifier electrically much closer to the loudspeakers, enabling it to exercise better control over them, so the fidelity of the original music signal can be more accurately maintained.
Cryogenic treatment improves the microstructure of the copper core by eliminating crystalline dislocations. Numerous brass musical instruments at all points of the frequency range have been found to produce a better, more natural tone after deep cryogenic treatment.
QED Supremus Zr is available in July in pre-terminated options from QED retailers priced:
QED Supremus Zr 2.0 m £1,399 / € 1,749 / $2,100
QED Supremus Zr 2.5 m £1,599 / € 1,999 / $2,400
QED Supremus Zr 3.0 m £1,799 / € 2,249 / $2,700
QED Supremus Zr 4.0 m £2,199 / € 2,749 / $3,300
QED Supremus Zr 5.0 m £2,599 / € 3,249 / $3,900