FutureShop is an authorised dealer for both AudioQuest and QED Cables. Both cables are available in custom lengths, terminated to order and burnt in on our Nordost Vidar cable conditioning machine before dispatch.
Our Verdict
Both cables are among the strongest performers at their price and both earn their place in FutureShop's range. The AudioQuest Rocket 11 is smoother and more spacious, built on five consecutive What Hi-Fi Awards and a conductor design borrowed from cables costing significantly more. The QED XT40i is warmer, more rhythmically precise, and better suited to systems that need timing and midrange body rather than air and width. If your system sounds lean or bright, start with the XT40i. If it already sounds warm and you want more space and detail, the Rocket 11 is the stronger choice.
Quick Take
- The Rocket 11 uses a semi-solid true-concentric Long-Grain Copper conductor construction, combining technology from AudioQuest's FLX/SLiP 14/4 and Rocket 33. It is available in single-wire and bi-wire configurations and has won the What Hi-Fi Best Speaker Cable award five consecutive years from 2018 to 2022.
- The XT40i uses QED's X-Tube technology (conductors wrapped around a hollow tube to address skin effect) and Air Gap dielectric (additional air separation to reduce capacitance and dissipation). It is an upgrade over the XT40, available in custom lengths from £11 with QED AIRLOC banana plug termination.
- Sound character: Rocket 11 is smooth, spacious, and balanced. XT40i is warm, rhythmically precise, and strong in the midrange and bass. Both are clearly above generic speaker wire at the same price.
- Both cables are custom-made to length at FutureShop and burnt in on our Nordost Vidar machine before dispatch. Free burn-in is the single biggest difference between buying from FutureShop and buying these cables elsewhere.
- Both carry a lifetime warranty and FutureShop's 60-day money-back guarantee.
- If you are undecided, contact our team. We can advise based on your specific amplifier and speaker combination.
AudioQuest Rocket 11 vs QED XT40i: Introduction
Speaker cables are among the most debated components in hi-fi, partly because the differences are real and partly because the right cable depends on the system it joins. This comparison cuts through that uncertainty by examining two cables we stock, sell, and know well at FutureShop: the AudioQuest Rocket 11 and the QED XT40i. Both sit in a similar price range. Both punch well above their price. They are not interchangeable, and knowing which suits your system is more useful than knowing which is "better".
Design and Construction
The AudioQuest Rocket 11 borrows technology from two cables in AudioQuest's range simultaneously. It takes the conductor geometry of the FLX/SLiP 14/4 and combines it with the semi-solid true-concentric arrangement from the Rocket 33. The result is a mixed construction of stranded and solid Long-Grain Copper conductors, concentrically arranged to maximise contact pressure between conductor layers and reduce the mechanical noise that stranded designs can generate. Single-wire and bi-wire configurations are both available, giving it practical flexibility for different speaker binding post arrangements.
The QED XT40i takes a different approach, using two of QED's proprietary technologies in combination. X-Tube wraps conductors around a hollow insulating tube, which spreads them across a larger surface area and addresses the skin effect: the tendency of high-frequency signals to travel on the outer surface of a conductor rather than through it. Air Gap dielectric introduces additional air between conductors, reducing capacitance and dissipation, which QED's design work links directly to improved timing and rhythmic accuracy. The XT40i's large cross-sectional area also reduces resistance, which matters particularly for longer cable runs or lower-impedance speakers where resistance can limit amplifier control.
Performance
The Rocket 11's five consecutive What Hi-Fi Best Speaker Cable awards (2018-2022) at its price point are the clearest single signal of its standing in the market. The consistent finding from those tests and from customer feedback at FutureShop is that the Rocket 11 delivers a wider soundstage and greater sense of space than competitors at the same price. It is smooth, balanced, and confident, and it raises the noise floor of a system noticeably when replacing basic or generic speaker wire. Its character is neutral-to-open: it does not warm up a system, and it does not add top-end sparkle. What it does is create more room around instruments and improve the sense of ease and flow through a track.
The XT40i's character is different in a complementary way. Its strength is in rhythmic accuracy and midrange body. Customers who use it on systems that are already spacious often find it brings more physical weight and presence to vocals and instruments. Systems that are bright or lean in character respond better to the XT40i than to the Rocket 11, because the XT40i's warmth and timing precision compensate where the Rocket 11's neutral presentation would leave the problem in place. The large cross-sectional area is also a practical advantage: the XT40i is one of the lowest-resistance cables at its price, and that matters when the cable run is long or the speakers are low impedance.
Value
Both cables start from around £11-12.50 per metre, making them accessible entry points into properly engineered speaker cable from specialist brands. The Rocket 11 is the stronger value if you buy into What Hi-Fi's five-year verdict and want a cable that has been independently validated against everything else at the price. The XT40i is strong value if you need the practical advantages of its lower resistance and large cross-section, or if the warm, timing-forward character is what your system is asking for.
At FutureShop, both cables are custom-made to your length, terminated with the correct plugs for your amplifier and speakers, and burnt in on our Nordost Vidar cable conditioning machine before dispatch. The burn-in is free and makes a meaningful difference to either cable's performance on arrival, particularly in the first few weeks of use.
Which Cable Suits Your System?
The original question is always: which one is right for my system? The honest answer is that it depends on what your system already sounds like and what you want to change. The table below maps your system character to a specific recommendation.
| Your system sounds like... | Recommended cable | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Bright, thin, or a little harsh. Vocals feel forward. Treble is prominent. | QED XT40i | The XT40i's warm, body-forward character softens brightness and adds weight to the midrange. Its rhythmic precision also helps if the system feels a little frantic or unsettled. |
| Warm and enjoyable but closed-in. The soundstage feels narrow. Instruments sit on top of each other. | AudioQuest Rocket 11 | The Rocket 11's spacious, open character is its defining quality. It separates instruments and creates more air without adding brightness. This is where it beats everything at the price. |
| Generally balanced. You want a clear upgrade over generic cable without changing the character of the system. | AudioQuest Rocket 11 | The Rocket 11's neutral-to-open presentation makes it the safer all-round choice for a balanced system. It improves what is already there without tilting the character. |
| Long cable run, 4m or more, or low-impedance speakers (4 Ohm or below). | QED XT40i | The XT40i's large cross-sectional area gives it lower resistance than the Rocket 11 over long runs. Lower resistance means better amplifier control at the speaker terminals, which matters most with demanding loads. |
| Bi-wire speaker terminals and you want the matching cable for your system. | AudioQuest Rocket 11 bi-wire | The Rocket 11 is available in a dedicated bi-wire configuration. The XT40i can be jumper-cabled for bi-wire setups but does not have a dedicated bi-wire variant. |
Conclusion
The AudioQuest Rocket 11 and QED XT40i occupy the same price territory but serve slightly different system needs. The Rocket 11 is the more versatile of the two for balanced systems, with its award-winning spaciousness and smooth, detailed presentation. The XT40i is the more targeted choice: better for systems that run bright or lean, better for long runs or demanding speaker loads, and stronger on timing and rhythmic energy.
Both benefit from FutureShop's custom termination and free burn-in service, and both carry lifetime warranties and our 60-day money-back guarantee. If you are still undecided after reading this, call or email our team with your amplifier and speaker model and we will advise based on that specific combination.
If you want to explore further up the QED range, our QED Golden Anniversary XT review covers the cable directly above both of these, combining X-Tube Plus and Aircore technologies for a step up in spaciousness and resolution. And for a look at a different design philosophy at a similar or slightly higher price, our Tellurium Q speaker cables review covers the Black and Silver families.
The AudioQuest Rocket 11 (also in bi-wire) and the QED XT40i are both available now at FutureShop in custom lengths, burnt in and terminated to order, with our 60-day money-back guarantee. Not sure which suits your system? Get in touch with our team for free expert advice.
