Home Cinema

For the front three channels (L, R, Centre) — which carry the most critical content — use the same quality cable as you would for a two-channel stereo system. QED XT40i or Chord Clearway are excellent starting points. For the rear surround channels, a quality cable matters less but still contributes to the overall performance. If running cables through walls or under floors, check whether you need CCA (Conduit) or CCC (In-Wall) rated cable.

If you play 4K at 60Hz with HDR, your existing HDMI 2.0 (18Gbps) cables are fine. If you want 4K at 120Hz (which PS5 and Xbox Series X support), you need HDMI 2.1 (48Gbps) cables. The cable end is the same physically — only the internal specification differs. Look for cables certified at 48Gbps, ideally from reputable brands such as QED, Chord or AudioQuest.

eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel) allows full Dolby Atmos from your TV's built-in apps to pass to your AV receiver. Without eARC, you can only pass compressed Dolby Digital 5.1 — not the full uncompressed Atmos signal. If you watch Netflix, Disney+ or Apple TV+ on your smart TV and want full Atmos, eARC is essential. It requires an eARC-compatible TV (HDMI 1 port usually), an eARC-capable AV receiver, and an HDMI cable that supports eARC.

Measure the actual distance from the AV receiver subwoofer pre-out (typically a single RCA socket labelled SUB or LFE) to the subwoofer input. Add 30–50cm for connections and movement. Subwoofer cables are typically 2m, 3m or 5m — most living room installations need 3m or less. For larger or unconventional room setups where the subwoofer is far from the receiver, a 5m or 8m cable is available.