Audioquest HDMI Forest 48Gbps 1.5m

At a time when HDMI 2.1 is becoming the standard in home cinema and gaming setups, AudioQuest is offering the Forest 48, an Ultra High Speed certified cable that incorporates the brand’s proprietary noise-dissipation technologies. This model occupies the second rung in the American manufacturer’s 48 Gbps range, just above the Pearl 48, and marks the entry point into silver-plated conductor cables.

Solid silver-plated conductors

The Forest 48 uses solid Long-Grain Copper (LGC) conductors coated with a layer of silver representing 0.5% of the total thickness. This plating technique is far from trivial: in a high-frequency digital cable, the signal travels mainly along the surface of the conductor, a phenomenon known as the skin effect. Placing silver, a better conductor than copper, on this surface optimizes transmission without requiring a cable made entirely of solid silver.

The choice of solid rather than stranded conductors eliminates the electrical and magnetic interactions between the different strands that would otherwise make up the conductor. AudioQuest applies this same treatment to the conductors dedicated to eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel), which is not always the case with other manufacturers, who sometimes reserve their best materials for the main audio/video pairs only.

Level 1 noise dissipation

AudioQuest structures its noise-dissipation technology into several levels. The Forest 48 benefits from level 1, which is based on directional control of the cable’s 19 conductors. The principle stems from an observation: traditional shields, even those advertised as 100%, struggle to protect against radio-frequency interference generated by Wi‑Fi networks, Bluetooth, and mobile phones.

The granular structure of drawn metal has an asymmetry that creates a preferential direction for draining noise. By controlling this orientation across all A/V pairs, eARC pairs, control, and power conductors, AudioQuest directs captured interference toward the least sensitive circuits. Arrows on the connectors indicate the installation direction, from source to display or amplifier.

Bandwidth ready for 8K

Ultra High Speed certification guarantees 48 Gbps bandwidth, made possible by four balanced audio/video pairs, each capable of carrying 12 Gbps. This capacity allows for the transmission of 4K at 120 frames per second, 8K at 60 frames per second, and even 10K at 30 frames per second over the shortest lengths.

The Forest 48 supports dynamic HDR in its various forms (HDR10+, Dolby Vision) and eARC, which allows uncompressed audio streams such as Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Atmos, DTS-HD Master Audio, or DTS:X to be sent from a TV to an amplifier or soundbar. Earlier generations of ARC were limited to compressed 5.1‑channel audio; eARC removes this restriction.

A cable suited to recent consoles

All of the HDMI 2.1 gaming features are present: VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) to synchronize the display’s refresh rate with that of the source, ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) to automatically activate the TV’s game mode, and QFT (Quick Frame Transport) to reduce latency in fast-paced action scenes. These features fully exploit the potential of the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and recent graphics cards.

Build and installation

The black PVC jacket with green stripes gives the cable greater rigidity than mass-market models, which can make routing through tight spaces more challenging but ensures good impedance stability along the entire length. The type A connectors are carefully assembled and feature the directional arrows characteristic of AudioQuest cables.

For an ARC link between a TV and a soundbar, the cable must point toward the TV on both ends: the ARC conductors are wired internally to operate in the opposite direction to the main A/V pairs. This particularity is documented by AudioQuest but is worth keeping in mind during installation.

Technical specifications

Connectivity and performance

• Cable type: Ultra High Speed HDMI 2.1
• Bandwidth: 48 Gbps
• Supported resolutions:
  • 4K at 120 Hz
  • 8K at 60 Hz
  • 10K at 30 Hz
• Video formats: dynamic High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging
• Audio return channel: eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel)
• Certification: Ultra High Speed HDMI 2.1 48 Gbps

Conductor technology

• Audio/video conductors: 0.5% silver-plated long-grain copper, solid conductors
• eARC conductors: 0.5% silver-plated long-grain copper
• Ground reference: tinned copper
• Total number of conductors: 19, all direction-controlled
• Benefits of solid conductors:
  • Elimination of electrical and magnetic strand interaction
  • Reduced distortion
  • Improved signal accuracy
  • Optimal transmission for high-quality picture and sound

Noise management

• Dissipation level: AudioQuest Noise-Dissipation Level 1
• Technology:
  • Directional control of the 19 conductors
  • Effective reduction of radio-frequency interference (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular networks)
  • Design aimed at dissipating noise rather than simply blocking it
• Benefits:
  • More accurate and detailed picture
  • Cleaner, more natural sound
  • Exceptional stability in heavily polluted digital environments

Gaming features and HDMI 2.1

• Compatibility: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, high-performance gaming PCs
• Supported features:
  • 4K120 (4K at 120 Hz)
  • VRR (Variable Refresh Rate)
  • ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode)
  • QFT (Quick Frame Transport)
• Use: perfectly suited to next-generation consoles and high-performance gaming

Construction and standards

• Jacket: CMG (CL3 / FT4) for all lengths
• Design: robust, reliable, and engineered for intensive, everyday use
• Durability: AudioQuest construction ensuring reliability and long service life