Audioquest Carbon 48 HDMI Cable

Carbon 48 Is Where AudioQuest's HDMI Range Turns Serious

AudioQuest's Carbon 48 is the fourth rung of its 48Gbps HDMI cables. Its solid conductors carry a 5% silver plating, four times the layer below it. A high-loss carbon layer sits between metal layers around the data pairs. It is certified Ultra High Speed by HDMI Licensing.

5% Silver-Plated Copper Conductors

AudioQuest plates its Long-Grain Copper with increasing thicknesses of silver as the range climbs, culminating in solid Perfect-Surface Silver. Carbon's 5% layer is the thickest below Vodka. AudioQuest says placing the superior metal on the outside of the conductor produces the greatest benefit on overall performance.

The conductors are solid. AudioQuest says solid conductors defeat both electrical and magnetic strand-to-strand interaction, major sources of distortion in cables. Four balanced audio/video pairs each carry 12Gbps, so 4K/120, 8K/60, Dynamic HDR and video up to 10K are all within the cable's reach.

Level-3 Noise-Dissipation: Carbon Between the Metal

Around the four data pairs and the eARC pair, AudioQuest sandwiches a high-loss carbon layer between layers of metal. It says a plain shield drains radio noise to ground and disturbs the reference the circuits depend on. The carbon absorbs that noise first. All 19 conductors are controlled for direction.

The HDMI Plugs, Explained

Carbon 48 ends in a full-size HDMI plug at each end. HDMI is the flat 19-pin plug on every TV, projector, receiver and console. One cable carries picture, sound and the control signals that let the devices talk. Arrows on the plugs show which way to run it.

Who Is This HDMI Cable Best For?

• You want the thickest silver below Vodka — Carbon's 5% plating is four times Cinnamon's, so more of the signal path is silver
• You run a PS5, Xbox Series X or 4K/120 display — the cable is certified for the full 48Gbps those features need
• You care about sound as much as picture — the eARC pair and its drain sit inside the same carbon and metal shield as the picture pairs
• Your rack is crowded with power supplies and Wi-Fi — the carbon layer soaks up radio noise before it reaches the ground reference, so the receiver sees a cleaner signal
• Your run is longer than 3 meters — AudioQuest builds this passive cable only to 3 meters, and a passive HDMI cable cannot be spliced or extended without loss. Call us about AudioQuest's active optical cables and we will size the run

How Does It Connect to Your System?

Plug one end into the HDMI output of your player, streamer or console and the other into an HDMI input on your TV, receiver or processor. AudioQuest controls the direction of all 19 conductors, so point the arrows on the plugs toward the TV, or from the source toward the AV receiver. Then choose that input on the display or the receiver.

Then press play. Other and longer lengths available. Call for prices.

Pairs Well With

An HDMI cable is one link in a home theater chain. It usually joins these categories.

• Home Theater Receivers — the hub most HDMI cables plug into
• Digital-to-Analog Converters — for HDMI audio links and I2S over HDMI
• Speaker Cables — the last link after the receiver
• Power Cables — clean power for the display and the receiver

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Level-3 Noise-Dissipation?

AudioQuest's name for the shield on this cable. A high-loss carbon layer is sandwiched between layers of metal around the four data pairs and the eARC pair. The carbon soaks up radio noise instead of passing it to ground.

Why plate copper with silver?

AudioQuest says increasingly thick layers of silver are applied to its Long-Grain Copper to improve Noise-Dissipation. Placing the superior metal on the outside of the conductor produces the greatest benefit, which it calls a superbly cost-effective way to maximize a digital cable.

Does it support PS5 and Xbox Series X features?

Yes. AudioQuest says its 48Gbps cables support the enhanced gaming features, 4K120, VRR, ALLM and QFT, for optimal performance from Sony PlayStation 5, Microsoft Xbox Series X and gaming PCs. The cable is certified Ultra High Speed by HDMI Licensing.

Will it work with my 4K gear?

Yes. AudioQuest says all its HDMI cables are completely backwards compatible with existing 4K devices, and that the improved materials and design of its 48 cables significantly benefit the overall performance of a 4K system too.

What warranty does AudioQuest give?

A limited lifetime warranty to the original owner, for cables bought from an authorized US dealer such as Audio Advisor. AudioQuest will repair or replace a defective cable that has not been abused. Keep your proof of purchase.

Is there a step up?

AudioQuest Vodka 48 is the next rung. It doubles the silver plating to 10% and keeps the same Level-3 carbon shield around the data pairs.

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Learn More

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