AudioQuest Cinnamon 48 HDMI Cable

The AudioQuest Cinnamon 48 is a passive 48 Gbit/s HDMI cable with 1.25% silver plating and Noise-Dissipation Level 2 – the stage at which a genuine shielding layer joins the refined conductor surface for the first time. Full HDMI 2.1 bandwidth for 8K/60, 4K/120, HDR, and eARC remains a given.

Why the Cinnamon 48?

Two things change compared to the Forest 48. First, the silver plating is more than doubled to 1.25%, making the conductor surface even lower-loss. Second, AudioQuest wraps a metal layer around the four FRL pairs and the eARC channel – that's Noise-Dissipation Level 2. It catches interference before it even gets near the data pairs. In a rack full of routers, power supplies, and DECT bases, that's no theoretical luxury.

What you get

A fully terminated HDMI cable from 0.6 to 5 metres – the long variant that AudioQuest no longer offers at the higher stages. Picture up to 10K, 8K/60 and 4K/120, HDR and Dolby Vision, plus an eARC return channel with the same material and shielding quality as the picture pairs.

Who is the Cinnamon 48 suitable for – and who isn't it for?

For well-equipped home cinemas, for racks with lots of electronics in a tight space, and for anyone who needs to bridge five metres without switching straight to an active cable. Honestly: if your TV sits two metres from the streaming box with nothing else in the way, the Forest 48 gets you practically the same result – and you'd rather put the rest into content.

Our verdict

The Cinnamon 48 is the sensible stage in the range: enough silver, genuine first-stage shielding, still five metres of length. Tell us about your setup, and we'll say whether this stage is the right one – HD Zürisee in Wädenswil, 044 680 22 00, WhatsApp 076 534 22 00 (text only, no calls), or shop@hdzuerisee.ch.

Technical data

• Type: passive HDMI cable per HDMI 2.1, Type A connector (19-pin)
• Bandwidth: 48 Gbit/s over 4 FRL pairs at 12 Gbit/s each
• Conductors: Long-Grain Copper with 1.25% silver plating
• Noise dissipation: Noise-Dissipation Level 2, metal layer around the FRL and eARC pairs
• Directionality: all 19 conductors direction-controlled
• Resolution: up to 10K, 8K/60 and 4K/120, HDR and Dolby Vision
• Audio return channel: eARC in Level 2 execution
• Lengths: 0.6 / 1 / 1.5 / 2 / 3 / 5 m

Frequently asked questions

What does Noise-Dissipation Level 2 change compared to Level 1?

Level 2 adds a metal layer around the data pairs on top of direction control. It keeps out high-frequency interference from external sources such as WLAN, mobile networks, and switch-mode power supplies. The fuller your rack and the longer the run, the more this extra effort pays off.

Can you actually see a difference with HDMI?

Not as a difference in colour or sharpness, since HDMI transmits digitally. A better cable becomes noticeable exactly where errors occur: sparkle, brief picture dropouts, handshake problems when switching sources. More headroom simply means these disturbances don't happen.

Why is the Cinnamon 48 available in 5 metres, but the more expensive stages aren't?

AudioQuest offers the Carbon 48, Vodka 48, and ThunderBird 48 only up to 3 metres, whereas the Cinnamon 48 goes up to 5 metres. If you need greater distances at a high level, the way forward is active or active-optical cables.

Does the Cinnamon 48 work with a soundbar via eARC?

Yes, at the TV's eARC connector. The return channel on the Cinnamon 48 is built just like the picture pairs, so with 1.25% silver and Level 2 shielding. That gets Atmos and DTS:X to the soundbar uncompressed.

Why order the Cinnamon 48 at HD Zürisee?

Because we don't treat HDMI as an afterthought at the bottom of the receipt. We look at your devices, distance, and connector and tell you which stage really fits. Our specialist team in Wädenswil can be reached by phone, WhatsApp, and email.

Goes well with

Keep browsing: all stages under HDMI cables, matching displays at the TVs, and the rest of the range in the AudioQuest collection.