Cardas Audio cables

[Thieliste]

You culd perceive sound compression during some time of the burn in process.
more than 300 hours perhaps.

In your experience how long did it take you with your Beyond ?

 

[Rocoa]

I'm afraid I can't answer because, as you know, it depends, in addition to the time of use, on the intensity of the current that passes.
However, they will improve after a few weeks of use, with the relevant ups and downs in sound performance.
Be patient and you will end up enjoying the best combination of resolution and musicality.

 

[spearl8]

The Cardas Clear Beyond XL is pretty amazing. I have one in my system now and comparing to the Transparent XL power. Wow, talk about a shootout of “XL” cables. They’re both serious power cables. IMO a higher league than the Shunyatas I have used.

 

[Ron Resnick]

Please give us your full impressions and comparisons between the two cables!

 

[spearl8]

XL cable shootout- Cardas Clear beyond XL vs Transparent XL. These are my opinions in my specific system so take with a grain of salt. Here are my thoughts and comparisons.

Companies- The Cardas is the premier cable by a genius designer George Cardas. I like that the company is multi generation family run, low ego, and fun. They supply swag like Cardas hand sanitizer and cup holders. Cardas is an OEM supplier for other companies and their connectors are clearly unique to Cardas. Transparent is also a classy company. Great support, a long history, and the upgrade program is a big selling point. Buying the transparent is not the end of the road as you know there will be future cables to upgrade to.

Packaging- The Cardas is minimalistic. You know they put all the money into the cable itself. The Transparent box looks like it can be used to transparent priceless diamonds which is impressive but maybe not necessary.

Cost- Basically the same, around $2,600.

Physical build- The Cardas blue is nice visually. The cable is very thick and substantial. The connectors are awesome. The transparent is a little thinner in the cable but the network box is huge. The connectors have nice Transparent print but I think the same as my Shunyatas. The Transparent black/ gray doesn’t draw attention to itself. I would say neither is especially nimble but the Transparent might need some extra consideration with the network box being so prominent.

Sound- Theoretically, eventually all equipment when perfectly designed should sound the same. These cables really do almost sound the same. It means they are excellent designs. Both are very low noise but not boring or stale like other cables I have used. The slight differences really took concentration to hear. I think the Transparent may have had slightly more detail and sizzle. The Transparent was maybe ever so slightly more dynamic. However, the Cardas had a hard to describe X factor. The Cardas just seemed to touch the heart a little more. It drew me into the music. Both are truly excellent and they would be at home in any level of system.

 

[Cellcbern]

XL cable shootout- Cardas Clear beyond XL vs Transparent XL. These are my opinions in my specific system so take with a grain of salt. Here are my thoughts and comparisons.

Companies- The Cardas is the premier cable by a genius designer George Cardas. I like that the company is multi generation family run, low ego, and fun. They supply swag like Cardas hand sanitizer and cup holders. Cardas is an OEM supplier for other companies and their connectors are clearly unique to Cardas. Transparent is also a classy company. Great support, a long history, and the upgrade program is a big selling point. Buying the transparent is not the end of the road as you know there will be future cables to upgrade to.

Packaging- The Cardas is minimalistic. You know they put all the money into the cable itself. The Transparent box looks like it can be used to transparent priceless diamonds which is impressive but maybe not necessary.

Cost- Basically the same, around $2,600.

Physical build- The Cardas blue is nice visually. The cable is very thick and substantial. The connectors are awesome. The transparent is a little thinner in the cable but the network box is huge. The connectors have nice Transparent print but I think the same as my Shunyatas. The Transparent black/ gray doesn’t draw attention to itself. I would say neither is especially nimble but the Transparent might need some extra consideration with the network box being so prominent.

Sound- Theoretically, eventually all equipment when perfectly designed should sound the same. These cables really do almost sound the same. It means they are excellent designs. Both are very low noise but not boring or stale like other cables I have used. The slight differences really took concentration to hear. I think the Transparent may have had slightly more detail and sizzle. The Transparent was maybe ever so slightly more dynamic. However, the Cardas had a hard to describe X factor. The Cardas just seemed to touch the heart a little more. It drew me into the music. Both are truly excellent and they would be at home in any level of system.

Had Clear Beyond PC's in my system. They were good all around but the Echole and Hemingway cables that I ultimately settled on are at a whole different level when it comes to articulation and natural, musical sound. Ditto for the interconnects which were no match for my Townshend Fractal F1. I was auditioning Clear Beyond as a potential upgrade of my Verastarr Grand Illusion PC's, but ended up keeping the Verastarr. Cardas has always made very good cables that are a good value, (I use Clear in my AV system), but over the last two decades I've never heard a Cardas model that I would consider top tier or use in my main system. Of course people with different components than I have may have different experiences.

 

[spearl8]

Had Clear Beyond PC's in my system. They were good all around but the Echole and Hemingway cables that I ultimately settled on are at a whole different level when it comes to articulation and natural, musical sound. Ditto for the interconnects which were no match for my Townshend Fractal F1. I was auditioning Clear Beyond as a potential upgrade of my Verastarr Grand Illusion PC's, but ended up keeping the Verastarr. Cardas has always made very good cables that are a good value, (I use Clear in my AV system), but over the last two decades I've never heard a Cardas model that I would consider top tier or use in my main system. Of course people with different components than I have may have different experiences.

I think the XL is definitely better than the Beyond

 

[Rocoa]

In my opinion Cardas power cords are not in the same league as their Clear interconnects and speaker cables.

 

[Cellcbern]

In my opinion Cardas power cords are not in the same league as their Clear interconnects and speaker cables.

Which if true makes Cardas even less attractive since power cords make the biggest difference in system sonics.

 

[thedudeabides]

Which if true makes Cardas even less attractive since power cords make the biggest difference in system sonics.

Please elaborate if you can. There are so many moving parts in a system that impact system synergy and sonics. Speakers and room interface comes to mind.

 

[Cellcbern]

My comments and this thread are focused narrowly on cables. Among cables, power cords have the biggest impact on system sonics,

 

[andromedaaudio]

Cardas connectors are at least made of billet copper.
CAT uses them , i use them also for speakerterminals Quality stuff.
Cables themselves are not my expertise .
I have better things to do in life then testing cables.

Some terminals/ connectors from other manufacturers are actually made from messing with goldplating for example.

Ps for my next model i will order cardas though for comparison
It ll be Habia industrial cable which i use at the moment versus Cardas wire

 

[andromedaaudio]

By the way i love the Bandon coastline , absolutely stunning

 

[Nirvana]

Been using them since some 12 years, bought and sold many, but always need some in my chain. Currently 2 Golden Reference on my OXCO network switches, SE9 speaker cable, Neutral Reference RCA from DAC to amp and latest addition Cardas Clear Network cable. Oh yeah Clear Power cord on my amp. There's no good audio system without them.

 

[Cellcbern]

Been using them since some 12 years, bought and sold many, but always need some in my chain. Currently 2 Golden Reference on my OXCO network switches, SE9 speaker cable, Neutral Reference RCA from DAC to amp and latest addition Cardas Clear Network cable. Oh yeah Clear Power cord on my amp. There's no good audio system without them.

Top tier cables like Echole and Hemingway will quickly make you forget about Cardas.

 

[Nirvana]

Yeah im in HiFi since more than 20 years and i'll tell you I have heard and had more expensive systems and less expensive systems and i have never been less ready for rip-off than now.

 

[dan31]

Cardas makes some nice cables. They are not cheap but they are also nowhere near the heights of several prominent brands. I still use Neutral Reference and Golden Cross depending on the component and the desired sound.

 

[Ron Resnick]

Herb Reichert of Stereophile on Cardas Clear Beyond cables:

Gramophone Dreams #63: Cardas Beyond interconnect & loudspeaker cable

I was born an obsessive reader and a compulsive tinkerer. During the '60s, I subscribed to Popular Science, Popular Mechanics, Hot Rod, Car Craft, Motor Trend, Road & Track, and (of course) Stereo Review and High Fidelity. Every one of those magazines presented articles discussing the importance...

www.stereophile.com

 

[Ron Resnick]

This is a very good piece by Herb!

I like how Herb characterizes “ability to resolve ambient detail and let music emerge from black, silent backgrounds” as “just hi-fi traits.”

I give Herb credit for comparing the Cardas cables to other cables in multiple systems.

Most of all I like (and I strongly agree with) this:

Most cable manufacturers would like users and reviewers to perceive their products as best employed in full-system looms. I cannot fault them for that except that electrical conditions can vary radically between connected components. Because I view audio cables as active, component-level participants in the electrical impedances drama, I continue to examine each connection separately.

I agree with this because I believe that between any two components there is an interconnect that each of us would like more or less than other interconnects. While using the same brand and model of cable throughout the system (the “loom” approach) is easy and, maybe, emotionally satisfying, I don’t think it is the most intellectually honest approach.

Unfortunately, the most intellectually honest approach is extremely difficult to implement. One would need a big inventory of different brands and different models of interconnects, and the patience to analyze the sonic effects of each of these different interconnects between each pair of components. Only Marty has that kind of patience and discipline!

 

[microstrip]

Herb Reichert of Stereophile on Cardas Clear Beyond cables:

Gramophone Dreams #63: Cardas Beyond interconnect & loudspeaker cable

I was born an obsessive reader and a compulsive tinkerer. During the '60s, I subscribed to Popular Science, Popular Mechanics, Hot Rod, Car Craft, Motor Trend, Road & Track, and (of course) Stereo Review and High Fidelity. Every one of those magazines presented articles discussing the importance...

www.stereophile.com

Thanks for pointing. Excellent read - curious how certain sonic attributes of particular gear sometimes enter in resonance with our perception, creating an hyperbolic feeling of realism and enjoyment. Great narrative, if Cardas Beyond was available in my country I would surely try them, as I have great experiences with the previous top of range - the Cardas Golden Reference, of which I still keep a complete loom. Surely colored, but very musical.