Cardas Clear Beyond Interconnects ?

@mikey8811    Thank you. That's good to know.

I will report back once I have the loaner Cardas ICs in system. 

My SCs are the Audience Au24 SX and I've been evaluating the SX RCA/XLR ICs with a Lyric Ti 140 Mk2 amp and Pass pre/amp separates.

Since the Cardas will be coming after the loaner Audience ICs are shipped back, I will have to go by memory and my notes. I will let you know.

@david_ten Which Pass separates are you trying the Au 24 SX XLR's with and how do they sound so far?

I wonder if they have a leaner sound than Cardas does.

@mikey8811

Which Pass separates are you trying the Au 24 SX XLR’s with and how do they sound so far? I wonder if they have a leaner sound than Cardas does.

My current ICs with the Pass XP-20 and XA-30.8 are the Cardas Clear Reflection XLRs.

I compared these with the Audience Au24 SX Single Ended RCA as well as XLR ICs.

Both the Audience Au24 SX -- SE and XLR ICs DO NOT SOUND LEANER than the Cardas, within my system...to answer your question specifically. And neither does the Cardas (sound lean).

The Audience SX ICs have a ’bigger, bolder sound’ with greater dynamics, more slam and impact and energy. Bass is heftier and tighter. They also offer more air and bloom and also convey a greater degree of venue information and ambience.

The Cardas Clear Reflection sounds more polite and refined in contrast and with an overall more delicate presentation. It moves the stage back a few rows. It sounds ’cleaner’ and less energized and less resonant (Note: these terms are not meant in the negative).

I like the Audience A LOT. But I do believe (within my system) that it accentuates the lower frequencies and the aspects that make it so very engaging and enjoyable (air, bloom, dynamics, etc).

The Cardas Clear Reflection steps away from accentuating and to my ears is ’perhaps’ more accurate (relatively). However, for me, this comes at the cost of being less engaging and exciting (THAN). I also like the Cardas A LOT, but for different reasons than the Audience. It remains engaging and exciting and enjoyable...but when compared to the Audience it is less so.

Both of these cables are very good. It will come down to your preferences and system and goals.

@david_ten from what you are saying, it sounds like the Audience SX is the way to go.

I think the Clear Beyond will give you some of that. How does it compare to the Audience SX? I will await your feedback.

I tried many different XLR IC's between my ARC Ref6 and ARC Ref150se in all different price ranges. Mogami Gold, Morrow MA-6, Sommovigo Airwave, Harmonic Technology (model unknown-dealer lent them to me), and then Clear Beyond. The Clear Beyond are nowhere near burnt in yet, but I can confidently say that with my electronics, the sound is just "right". Before, the sound was too in-my-face and music seemed to be emanating out of each speaker (DeVore O/93's). I was unable to get the soundstage to gel despite playing around a lot with speaker position. With the Clear Beyond, I am now getting exactly what I was longing for-a coherent soundstage and a sense of organic rightness. One of my favorite fall-backs is Sufjan's Illinois on vinyl with the two last tracks on side one, "John Wayne Gacy Jr." and "Jacksonville" on Asthmatic Kitty records. Last night listening to these, Sufjan was in the room and the various instruments sounded halographic, a first since buying the electronics new in August and the DeVores in September. I also tried many different sets of speaker cables and none sounded right until I bought a set of Clear at the same time as I bought the Clear Beyond IC's. Again, I (obviously-given how good things sounded last night with Sufjan) am very happy with the Clear speaker cable. I have no way to know for sure, but I suspect my sensitive DeVores would not benefit much by the thicker gauge Clear Beyond. My gut/instinct was to buy the very best IC I could afford for the preamp-amp interface and the ARC manuals confirm that too. I conferred with four different dealers with great reputations about choice of cabling with my equipment and while various names came up, the one common denominator among all four was Cardas. One Brooklyn-based dealer sold both DeVore and ARC and Cardas Clear or Clear Beyond was at the top of their list. What sets Cardas Clear and Clear Beyond apart? I don't know and don't care. All the gobbledy gook marketing stuff dulls the brain after a while. I trust Cardas though for manufacturing it's own wire, forging their own spades, and crimping with extreme pressure rather than soldering. Again, for my equipment, the proof came in the results. While I am at it, I might as well bring up Auditorium 23. John DeVore recommends Auditorium 23 irrespective of electronics but I auditioned my DeVores with VTL gear and Auditorium 23 and I thought the sound was a bit on the dark side. The Brooklyn dealer advised me not to go with Auditorium 23 on the basis that they were too neutral and at the same time, would not reveal all that my Ref6/Ref 150se was capable of bringing to the table. I think he gave me good advice. "Too neutral" some (or many) would question? Well, I have come around to that view. How can this be? Look folks, trying to create verisimilitude/plausible deniability out of recorded music amplified to two loudspeakers is inherently artificial and flawed. "Strict neutrality" is one of those concepts that sounds undeniable to the brain but in earthly practice is not necessarily a good thing. My point; my system needed a little manipulation and I think that Cardas would never admit it, but Cardas Clear and Clear Beyond to some degree manipulate the sound to create a sense of reality-all things being system-dependant of course.