AudioQuest’s entry models, Pearl 48 and Forest 48, were the first HDMI-2.1 cables to receive HDMI LLC’s Ultra High Speed certification; now all AudioQuest 48Gbps models are certified. HDMI only certifies a bare minimum, though of course no AudioQuest cable is only a “bare minimum.”

The 48Gbps bandwidth necessary for all of HDMI’s new and future features is made possible by upgrading the 4 balanced audio/video channels from 6 to 12Gbps.

AudioQuest 48Gbps HDMI cables can transfer up to professional 10K Ultra-HD video, including resolutions/refresh rates up to 8K/60 and 4K/120. All 48G cables are completely backwards compatible with existing 4K displays.

Further, AudioQuest 18Gbps and 48Gbps HDMI cables are compatible with all varieties of HDR (including HDR10+ and Dolby Vision), which can be found on Ultra-HD Blu-ray and all major streaming services, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, and others.

Increasingly thick layers of silver plating are applied to AudioQuest’s Long-Grain Copper (LGC) conductors to improve Noise-Dissipation. Placing the superior metal on the outside of the conductor produces the greatest benefit on overall performance—a superbly cost-effective way to maximize a digital cable. Carbon 48 uses 5% Silver-Plated Copper for its conductors.

Traditional “100% shielding” is not enough against today’s increasingly prevalent Wi-Fi, Cellular, and Satellite radiation, especially because all metal conductors act as antennae, picking up Radio-Frequency Noise.

In AudioQuest HDMI cables, all 19 conductors, including the critically important eARC and power pairs, are Direction-Controlled, dissipating noise and draining it away from the most sensitive electronics to where it will cause the least harm.

Level 3 Noise Dissipation adds a high-loss carbon layer sandwiched between layers of metal around the 4 FRL + eARC pairs to further enhance noise-dissipation. Additional Noise-Dissipation techniques (Levels 4 and up) are applied as budget permits to further reduce noise.

Because sound matters, eARC gets equal love and affection with the same superior metals, Direction-Controlled Conductors, and Noise-Dissipation technologies as the main AV data pairs.

HDMI’s Audio Return Channel (ARC) sends audio from a TV to a soundbar or AV receiver for greater simplicity and flexibility in system setup. Hardware’s previous ARC capabilities max out at lossy (compressed) 5.1-channel surround sound.

Today’s HDMI 2.1 hardware supports enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC), which increases the digital bandwidth dramatically to support uncompressed and lossless high-resolution multichannel audio, including Dolby TrueHD and Atmos, and DTS-HD Master Audio and DTS: X.

AudioQuest eARC-Priority cables, the main A/V data pairs have Cinnamon-level performance (Forest 48’s solid 0.5% Silver + Carbon & Vodka 48’s Level-3 Noise-Dissipation), while the eARC data pair and Ground-Reference drain use all the same advanced design ingredients as their “48” counterparts.

A look inside AudioQuest’s FireBird 48 HDMI cable. Direction-Controlled conductors continue to be the foundation of AudioQuest’s effective Noise-Dissipation, but now this is taken to its logical extreme. In AudioQuest HDMI cables, all 19 conductors, A/V and eARC signals, all Ground-Reference drains, control and power conductors, are controlled for the most efficient dissipation of Radio-Frequency Noise.