AudioQuest - Forest HDMI (0.6m)

Punches Well Above its Weight Class We got to hear this budget HDMI cable at CES and we were blown away by what Forest did for audio via HDMI. We knew there were substantial differences in performance between HDMI cables, but when we heard Forest absolutely destroy a competitor's cable (which was three times the price) our jaws dropped. On both music and movies, Forest is smoother top to bottom, more focused and articulate, with a larger soundstage and greater separation of instruments. We couldn't believe so modest an investment in an HDMI cable would yield such a large improvement. Perhaps we should have, Audioquest has been trumpeting their state of the art HDMI construction for years, with innovation and build quality not found on any other HDMI cable. Digital Audio over HDMI There are significant, audible differences between HDMI cables. We're not sure how this is possible, since HDMI is purported to be a purely digital interface, however, the sonic differences are repeatable and consistent from system to system. A better HDMI cable makes a better digital audio cable, period. This is as true for music as it is for movies. Metallurgy Forest uses ultra-smooth and high-resolution Long Grain Copper solid-core conductors, for a rich and lively tonal balance with solid bass and surprisingly good top-end extension. Forest is a directional cable, AQ listens to every primary signal conductor used in Forest to determine proper conductor orientation, this simple test yields a surprising improvement to sonic performance. Termination Forest is terminated using a solderless cold-weld process which eliminates distortion and improves reliability and longevity. Forest receives gold plated connectors which prevent oxidization and corrosion. HDMI v1.4 While the focus of the Indulgence Series HDMI cables is groundbreaking audio, video perform