QED Supremus

MJ31.07.2018

Speaker cables

The Supremus speaker cables are packed in a matte black box that opens via a magnetic lock hidden in a aluminum rectangular plate with QED logo. After unlocking the box´s top part slides to sides and reveals the cables nested in a shaped foamed material. To elevate your experience QED includes a certificate of conformity of size of an LP cover that looks great on wall if you wish to show it off.

Function and form

95%

Ease of use

61%

Sound

98%

Appearance

The Supremus uses 16 silver-plated OFC solid core conductors with a total cross-sectional area of 6.2mm2. As a result the cable is quite inflexible and its bend radius is around half a meter. Luckily the strands that have the plugs mounted on them are long enough for easy connection. The cable´s geometry uses QED’s AirCore technology: conductors are covered in a thin enamel layer and wrapped around foamed PE core At the same time more PE hollow tubes are used to interlay the conductors. The whole construction is sealed in a semi-transparent jacket. By this design the Supremus achieve low resistance and low inductance values that were the goals set by QED engineers.

The Supremus is terminated by QED´s own AirLoc banana plugs that lock by screwing their outer barrel. The contact surface is rhodium through beryllium plated, the connections are cold welded. No chance is given for oxidation or loosening, everything screams quality and it includes the packaging.

Bass management

Weight

Slam

Articulation

I played minimum 40 CDs through the two pairs of the QED Supremus that I had on loan. Before I started listening to music the Supremus had been burnt in on Blue Horizon Pro Burn cable cooker so in total the cables run for at least 100 hours before the final verdict.
The Supremus is quite a thick sounding cable which added to the Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows soundtrack (Sony Music) that exhibits a lot of energy in 60-80Hz region. With lesser cables the deep sounds tend to roll over the fragile orchestration of strings, flutes and soft cymbals, making the sound illegible and muffled. This was not the case with the bi-wired QED that succeeded in wonderful instrument separation and detailed sound stage. The bottom end thickness lent heft and grandiose feeling to the otherwise claustrophobic compositions.

Clarity & delicacy

Detail

Air

Transparency

First two or three the sound of the Supremus lacks light and spark, however the situation starts to change quickly during further listening. The music opens and starts breathing, resolution grows by magnitude and bass gets contoured. It is not unlike the cable has been ´de-stressed´ in a kind of way. This phenomenon is not unique and some reference cables also need to settle down before they sound their best. Don´t expect flaming brass or ethereal ambience from the Supremus, not even after the burn-in. It´s a British cable, after all. Sibilants are understated, jingles silky, strings honey-like and very liquid and the overall sound is very musical. Similarly to what I heard with Crystal Connect top models I experienced slight suppression of tape hiss on analogue recordings. All this is for the benefit of modern music production that is difficult to digest through ´ruthlessly revealing´ speaker cables.

Tonal accuracy

Timbre

Dynamics

Temporal resolution

The QED Supremus ranks among the best I´ve auditioned as far as midrange is concerned. No matter which recording I played – be it soaring vocal of Loreena McKennitt or textured articulation of Johnny Cash – the voices were always balanced blend of richness of timbres, resolution, expressiveness and uncolored neutrality.

Spatial resolution

Holography

Soundstage width

Soundstage depth

Lateral soundstaging of the Supremus is simply superb and its focus too. It was even better than my own reference, the AudioQuest Redwood. The depth was very realistic too, not overdone. The height of image tested with the LEDR test found on Nordost Tuning and Set Up Disc was tracked as precisely as with the best cables. As far as the soundstaging is concerned the Supremus is equal to pricier contenders like Cardas Audio (Clear), Tara Labs (ISM The 2EX) and Nordost (Valhalla V2), if not better.

The QED Supremus is voiced to fit human ear´s preference so it exhibits lift in bass, flatness in mids and soft roll off in treble. It is not the cable that you'd buy at first listen - you need to live with it to appreciate it. I wished it was more open at the top end but this is just a minor quibble considering its other virtues and the modest asking price.

Price as reviewed:24 900,- Kč

Recommended resellers

Horn Distribution, Praha, +420 272 656 485

Manufacturer's website: http://www.qed.co.uk

Associated components

Sources: Accuphase DP-720, Accuphase DG-58, Clearaudio Concept/Concept MC
Amplifiers: TAD M2500-Mk2, Pro-Ject Phono Box RS
Interconnects and speaker cables: Audioquest Wild, Audioquest Redwood, Accuphase AL-10, Proson SC speaker cable, AudioQuest Vodka
Loudspeakers: TAD Evolution One, Definitive Technology Demand D9, Tannoy Legacy Eaton
Power conditioning: Shunyata Research Denali 6000T, Nordost Valhalla, Block Audio Snakeblock, Synergistic Research Atmosphere Level 2 PowerCell AC

Gallery

39%

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