Floyd,

Explains why I awarded the Golden Anniversary XT my “Editor’s Choice” award for 2023. I genuinely dislike expensive cables and have been using QED for almost a decade. I have 4 sets of their loudspeaker cables and the GA XT worked the best with the Q Acoustics 5040. They are staying in my system permanently.

Best,

Ian White

I have now read several reviews of this cable. Of course, they are all slightly different. I would like to mention a review from Hifi News by Paul Miller, as he also went into the technical measurements, and as far as I know, he is the one at Hifi News with his main task concerning the technical measurements. At the end of the review he says: “It’s equally refreshing to discover a cable whose technical specification precisely matches that found in our independent testing.” That’s already a good sign.

The actual trigger for me to buy this cable was a post on Karl-Heinz Fink’s private account on Facebook. I don’t think there’s any need to introduce him here or the speakers he’s developed over the last few decades. Here is his personal assessment of the Golden Anniversary XT:

“Golden Secret: I’m not really a cable guy, and definitely nobody who believes that speaker cables can make a bad speaker into a good one. But I can hear the difference and while searching for a cable to combine with our new EPOS ES-7N, I came across the QED Golden Anniversary XT cable. I already had a good experience with the big brother, but for the EPOS, I was looking for something that was not so fat and not crazy expensive. This one is around 380€ for 2x3m with Bananas, but the sound quality is definitely above that price level. I tried it with more expensive speakers (like our Fink Team KIM), and it still works well. So, this is the third QED speaker cable in my storage box now. I might even prefer it to the bigger Genesis in certain setups, as it works tighter on the lower mids and has a nice “golden” top-end character. It definitely has a richer mid-band compared with the XT25. Highly recommended.”

As is always the case in hi-fi, you have to try it out for yourself. I’m very happy with it in my analogue chain.

Best regards
Floyd

What? Marry for moolah?! Or one could say they sold themselves body and sole.

But cables? Ian is correct-o-mundo (a noble nod to the great Arthur Fonzarelli!) in his assessment that spending more quite often gets you less. Well…Except where Ortwellian chiding is concerned. I will lambaste any who dare belittle those of little well but sound of mind that cannot afford to be a frAudian, especially when it comes to cables. I digress…

These cables look cool. Sweet. Hip. Bitchin’. Totally tits. Fab gear gear fab. And If one admittedly pays for looks there is no shame. It is when grandiose claims are made that are purely puerile that foils may be flourished.

Looks are purely subjective and while people may make fun of another’s choice if said choice is made from the heart it will be impervious to all challenges. Being stupid, on the other hand, all bets are off or even increased.

If you buy these for their looks and they are to your way of thinking a more “sound” investment then I say HUZZAH! to you.

Or as Judah Ben-jamin once said: “All cats are gray in the dark. And in the dark, all cables are zip cord. So turn on the freakin’ lights and enjoy all the more! Down Mars-Bars! Up Reeses” Oy…

ORTwellian?! Yeah. I am felling more “Animal Farm” than “1984”.

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