Tonality comparison: Cardas vs. Tara Labs

Cardas is warmer sounding and could be said to be less transparent in comparison to the Tara cable. I used both and prefer the Tara for soundstaging and transparency. I think if Tara has a weakness, it is in dynamics. Not bad by any stretch but leans to the subdued side. I used Air 1 and "The 2" both are very similiar with The 2 being a little more refined sounding. I guess I would describe Cardas as the more "Tube" sounding cable, warm and rich but without pinpoint imaging.

That's probably about right, what Bigtee mentioned. I think the Cardas works best in systems that are bordering on "edgy" or slightly agressive sounding. Also, if the system is a bit cold and analytical, you could get away with the cardas as a good "try" cable.
Tinker with both and find out. I've had systems that the Cardas Golden Cross worked well in, and others that it didn't.
good luck

something i have noticed about both sets of cables (i have owned both cardas & tara).

when you use 2 sets ( between source to pre and pre to amp) the sonic signiture of the cable is really magnified ( it makes sense, since the signal is amplified).

for example, the all cardas system was waaaaayyyy to laid back and the midbass was very exgrarated and a heavy loss of detail(it was like a cj pv5 was put in my system). also a noticeable increase in body and added ALOT of bloom.(golden cross)

with the all tara, there was a slight tendency toward brightness in the top octave and a little more forward and a faster cable ( less body & less bloom -(master generation).

what i finally came upon was xlo signiture II for the cd to pre ( this is a VERY, VERY revealing cable, also very coherant) and the cardas from pre to amp (smooth and adds body).

so imo dont be afraid to mix it up to find a sound that works well in your system.take home some interconnects from the local shop and find out what works. i was very surprised about the combination i found.

also the cardas cross is a less "carmel colored" than the golden cross.

For a well balanced cable with a little bit of warmth, you might want to check out the tara decade

hope that helps !!

mike

I use Tara RSC Master GEN2 between preamp and power amp and I use Cardas Golden Cross between CD player and preamp. In my system they both offer a wide soundstage but the Tara lets you hear a wider soundstage towards the back of the soundstage. The above opinions were acurate in describing the tonal balance of both cables. Since I prefer a richer sound, I have Cardas speakers to complement the upstream cables. In my system the Cardas and Tara cables work well together.

I use Nirvana SX between my Dodson processor, and Cardas Golden Reference between my Mac C-2200 pre-amp and Conrad-Johnson Premier ll amp. This is the best combination I have found to go with my Genesis V speakers.