AudioQuest Rocket 44 Speaker Cable - PREMIUM No Frills Termination - Spades to Spades

AudioQuest Rocket 44 With PREMIUM No Frills Termination

AudioQuest Rocket 44 brings Perfect-Surface Copper+ into its blend of conductors, alongside Perfect-Surface Copper. AudioQuest says PSC+ has fewer grain boundaries, which reduces harshness. The solid conductors add up to 13 AWG, in a Double Star-Quad geometry.

Our own terminators finish this AudioQuest Rocket 44 cable here at Audio Advisor. They have more than 50 years of experience with high-end audio cables. We fit it with our PREMIUM No Frills connectors: Pangea Audio Xtreme spades and gold BFA bananas.

Other length & termination options are available. Call us to discuss your needs.

Why Solid Copper Beats a Bundle of Strands

Every conductor is solid copper, with no strands inside. In a stranded cable, each strand shifts position inside the bundle. AudioQuest says solid conductors prevent that strand-to-strand interaction, a major source of distortion.

The Layout and Shield That Keep Noise Out

Each half of the cable uses AudioQuest's Double Star-Quad geometry. The company says it beats conductors run side by side, and even the same conductors run as two twisted pairs.

The negative conductors are insulated with a partly conductive, carbon-loaded plastic. AudioQuest says it damps the radio noise fed back into the amplifier. The positive conductors use foamed polyethylene, which absorbs very little energy, the company says.

What Makes the PREMIUM Connectors Worth It

PREMIUM No Frills cables use higher-quality, more expensive connectors. The spade is the Pangea Audio Xtreme Spade. It is one piece of tellurium copper, plated directly with pure 24-carat gold. A spring-compression feature locks it in place, and it fits 1/4-inch or 5/16-inch binding posts.

The banana is a Pangea Audio BFA gold banana, a crimp-on plug of gold-plated beryllium copper. A few lengths use pins, barrier spades or bare wire instead. Each listing's title names the connector on each end.

What Reviewers Are Saying

Glenn Young reviewed Rocket 44 for Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity on July 26, 2023. He found them "the clearest I’ve heard in the bass, and equivalent to all others in the midrange and treble."

Who Is This Speaker Cable Best For?

• You want AudioQuest's best copper in the blend — Rocket 44 adds PSC+, which AudioQuest says has fewer grain boundaries
• Your system sits near other electronics — carbon-loaded insulation on the negatives helps damp radio-frequency noise
• You want the work done by experts — our terminators have more than 50 years of experience
• Your speakers have two pairs of binding posts — bi-wire versions let one run from the amplifier feed both pairs of posts
• Your speakers have one pair of binding posts — order a standard listing, not a bi-wire one. Bi-wire versions need two pairs of posts on each speaker, so the standard cable is your fit

How Does It Connect to Your System?

Connect one end to your amplifier's speaker outputs and the other to your speaker's binding posts, red to red and black to black. Do the same for the second speaker.

The Measuring Mistake That Leaves You Inches Short

Speaker cable is cut for one room. Measure the path the cable will really take, around furniture and along the baseboard. Then add a little slack. As Cardas puts it, "A cable that's just long enough usually turns out to be just not long enough." Keep the left and right runs the same length, as Cardas recommends, even when one speaker sits closer.

Which Connector Holds Up Best Over the Years?

Spades clamp under a binding post and hold tight. Bananas push straight in, so they connect fastest. Bare wire fits almost anything, but we suggest avoiding it. Bare copper oxidizes quickly, and Cardas notes that copper oxide is not a good conductor. If you use bare wire, re-strip the ends when the copper darkens.

Two Pairs of Binding Posts? Here's What That Means

A bi-wire cable has four connectors at the speaker end instead of two. It is made for speakers with two pairs of binding posts. Your speaker's manual shows which links to remove.

Tighten the connections, power up, and play something you know well.

When Is It Time to Upgrade?

Speaker cable often stays put for years, so it tends to be the last thing upgraded. Look again when something else changes. Moving from bookshelf speakers to floorstanders is the big one. In our experience, about nine in ten people who make that move keep their old speaker cable. A stronger amplifier, a longer run, or darkened ends are the other signs.

Pairs Well With

A speaker cable joins your amplifier to your speakers. These are the categories on either end of it.

• Floorstanding Speakers — the best time to rethink your speaker cable
• Bookshelf Speakers — the speaker end in a smaller room
• Integrated Amplifiers — the amplifier end in most stereo systems
• Stereo Amplifiers — the amplifier end when you run separates

Frequently Asked Questions

Who terminates this cable?

Our in-house terminators at Audio Advisor do. They have more than 50 years of experience terminating high-end audio cables, and they fit the connectors named in the listing's title.

What makes PREMIUM No Frills different?

The connectors. PREMIUM No Frills uses higher-quality, more expensive connectors: Pangea Audio Xtreme spades and gold BFA bananas.

What gauge is Rocket 44?

Rocket 44 is 13 AWG, solid Perfect-Surface Copper+ and Perfect-Surface Copper.

Which end goes to the amplifier?

AudioQuest controls its conductors for direction. Connect the end marked for the amplifier to your amplifier. If no end is marked, either end can go to either component.

Need a Different Length or Connector?

The most popular configurations are shown on this page. If your system requires a different length or termination, call our audio experts. We’ll help you choose the right configuration and arrange a custom cable for your system.

Why Audio Advisor?

• 40+ Years of Expertise — Since 1981, we've helped over a million music lovers find the right gear.
• 60-Day Money-Back Guarantee — Take your time. Listen, enjoy, and make sure it's right for you.
• Real Experts, Real Help — Our team is here to answer your questions at 800-942-0220, weekdays 9am–6pm EST.
• Free Shipping — On orders over $49, delivered to your door.
• Flexible Payment Options — Financing available so you can start listening now.

Learn More

Want to learn more about speaker cables, speaker placement, or matching an amplifier to your speakers? Visit our Learning Center for guides, tips, and expert advice.