AudioQuest has a solid track record of making genuinely good cables—some we own, use, and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend. But then they roll out the Brave Heart speaker cables starting at $5,000 for an 8-foot pair, and that’s where we have to draw the line. Sure, better cables can make a difference, but needing to drop what amounts to a mortgage payment just to hear it? That’s a tough sell. It’s your money to spend, but honestly, we wonder how this kind of pricing helps bring more people into the high-end audio world instead of scaring them off.
AudioQuest’s latest ZERO-Tech speaker cable, the Brave Heart, aims to be bigger, quieter, and just flat-out better than anything they’ve offered at this price point. Think of it as the slightly younger sibling to their Mythical cables—just 0.6mm thinner on the outside but packing about a third more of that fancy Perfect-Surface Copper+ conductor inside. It’s like the William Wallace of speaker cables—ready to take on the big battles but without the bulky armor slowing it down.
Physically, the Brave Heart keeps its positive and negative conductors separated in neat round bundles, making it easier to handle than the Mythical beast. The larger size gives it more “torque” on the music, especially in the low end. That means it holds the amplifier’s leash tighter, which is exactly what you want if you’re running speakers with ported enclosures that need firm control to sound their best. Plus, with more metal to work with, the cable smooths out those nasty impedance swings that mess with your frequency response.
On the noise front, Brave Heart steps up with upgraded polypropylene insulation that broadens and smooths out its noise-dissipation bandwidth. By pushing conductors farther apart, it kills off those harsh, out-of-focus distortion effects caused by capacitance. Toss in thicker layers of Carbon-Loaded PVC, a splash of Graphene, and a 4% silver shield drain wire, and you’ve got an RF-noise assassin that’s ready to keep your sound clean and clear. So, if you’re ready to rally your audio setup like William Wallace at Stirling Bridge, Brave Heart might just be your weapon of choice—just don’t expect it to come cheap.
Classic AudioQuest Design Elements: Key Features Behind Their Signature Sound
All that tech stacks on top of AudioQuest’s tried-and-true design hallmarks: solid conductors that keep strand interaction in check, with direction-controlled wiring that shunts RF noise away from your amp’s delicate guts — right where it can’t mess things up.
Brave Heart also brings in AudioQuest’s 72v Dielectric-Bias System to cut down on timing errors and noise caused by dielectric interference.
No sketchy RF-relaying metals sneak into the cable dressings, breakouts, or plug barrels. Plus, the cold-welded, gas-tight connections are fitted with Red Copper spades or bananas for reliable, lasting contact.
ZERO-Tech
Borrowed from AudioQuest’s Folk Hero and Mythical Creature lines, ZERO-Tech tackles the usual impedance mismatches that plague cables and gear hookups. The result? Power flows freely, and the music emerges seemingly out of thin air — no barriers, no fuss.
Speaker Side Terminations: This magic happens at the speaker end, where a positive drain wire discreetly connects to the negative inside a breakout that looks like any other.
Amp Side Terminations: Though the Brave Heart cable is beefy, hooking it up to your amplifier is easier than you’d expect, thanks to its improved flexibility—no wrestling matches required.
The Bottom Line
AudioQuest’s Brave Heart ZERO-Tech speaker cables are no joke—these aren’t your average run-of-the-mill cables, but they’re also not the absolute peak of cable pricing madness. AudioQuest offers a broad lineup that covers nearly every audio setup, with their entry-level and mid-tier cables consistently delivering solid, proven performance.
Brave Heart is clearly tailored for ultra high-end amps and top-tier speakers, aiming to squeeze every last drop of clarity and control from your system. At nearly $5,000 for an 8-foot pair, it’s your call whether that kind of investment moves the needle. Just remember—putting your money toward the music itself might be the smarter way to feed your obsession.
Price & Availability
AudioQuest Brave Heart ZERO-Tech Speaker Cable Pricing:
- US: $4,990 for 8ft pair; $5,790 for 10ft pair (check Amazon)
- Canada: $6,790 for 8ft pair; $7,890 for 10ft pair
- Europe: €4,999 for 2.5m pair; €5,649 for 3m pair
- United Kingdom: £4,249 for 2.5m pair; £4,799 for 3m pair
Custom lengths available on request, with your choice of banana or spade connectors on either end.
For more information: audioquest.com
Related Reading:
- QED Launches Supremus Zr Flagship Speaker Cable: High End Munich 2024
- Advance Paris Introduces The LINK Cable Series And They’re Still Affordable With The Tariffs
- English Electric’s EE1 Plus Ethernet Noise Isolator Is For Those Suffering From A Case Of The Jitters?
- Clarus Audiophile Crimson Cables: Quick Take (Part One)
ORT
July 24, 2025 at 12:07 am
If I may?
Another attempt at E.N.C., i.e. the Emperor’s New Cables.
“SIGH”…Talk about the arrival of “shittyocracy”. People worry about the arrival of A.I. but in truth there is more to fear from L.I.E.
Lack of Intelligence Everywhere. It’s a variation on the theme of “The Sixth Sense”. I see (and unfortunately hear) stupid people everywhere. When did it become fine and dandy to marry close relatives and produce banjo strumming ‘tards? At what point in the last 50 or so years did A.E. (Audio Enthusiasts) become frAudiophiles. When did they morph into bipedal, nearly hairless gigantic lemmings?
“Pathetic earthlings. Hurling your bodies out into the void, without the slightest inkling of who or what is out here. If you had known anything about the true nature of the universe, anything at all, you would’ve hidden from it in terror.” – Ming The Merciless
I want you to wake (not woke!) up right now, sit up, go to your local purveyor of audio stuff, open the door and walk in and and melodiously yodel – I’m as glad as hell and I’m not going to FAKE this anymore!
“Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity”. Gaius Petronius Arbiter
More I hear you say?
Everyone will find what he’s looking for. Nothing pleases everyone: this man gathers thorns, that one roses.” (Gaius Petronius Arbiter)
In the case of what passes (gas) for an Audio Enthusiast these days, they gather in conciliatory covens of kooks. And collect tubeses (aka: the “Precious”) and the lingering dust of decades old accolades from long gone false profits.
Do not get me wrong, cables and tubeses are wonderful things but they are not the Holy Grail of Audio and even the French would fart in your general direction if questioned about whether or not they had any. But behind closed doors, beyond sight you can bet they’re doin’ the audio version of the “Vatican Rag”.
Genuflect! Genuflect! Genuflect!
And yes. This is my audio/video raison d’être and hopefully I honor Gaius Petronius Arbiter, for he is a god amongst wordsmiths…small “g” mind you.
We now return control of your FapTop, DeskTop, Mac or Windows setup to you, until the next time at an as yet undetermined time, when the Control Voice will take you to… The ORTer Limits…
ORT
Ian White
July 24, 2025 at 3:27 am
ORT,
That needs to be your first column. And I’ll allow farting in your general direction.
Can we have Knights?
IW “King of the Who?”
ORT
July 24, 2025 at 5:14 am
Really?! That would be wonderful! By all means, please do so if you think it is worthy 🙂
ORT
Catherine Lugg
July 24, 2025 at 5:13 pm
Quite simply: BWHAHAHAHA. I’m just astonished at the marketing chutzpah of this company. (“Braveheart?” Like that dopey Mel Gibson film from 30 years ago? )
These guys are going to drown in their gendered and ageist assumptions of who buys audio gear.
Ian White
July 24, 2025 at 7:23 pm
Catherine,
Oh, they have plenty of chutzpah. More than you can imagine. Their affordable cables are quite good.
IW
KDA
August 1, 2025 at 4:46 pm
Hahahahahaha! These will get a LOT of praise from people barely able to hear up to 12kHz