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.
