Cardas Clear Beyond Power cords

@garebear @guidocorona 
I have now had my new pair of 1M XL PCs (20A) accepting continuous current for more than 300 hours. My observations are based on comparing the XLs to CBs on Jef Rowland M925 mono amplifiers. The XLs are plugged directly into Porter Ports on 2 separate dedicated 20A circuits. Besides the XLs, I am running a full loom of Cardas CB PCs and ICs, except for a Shunyata Sigma NR PC (20A) between the wall and the power conditioner. In my system and in my room the XLs are presenting more detail, without "etch", in the higher registers than the CBs. The XL's bass, mid-bass particularly, is tighter than the CBs. This is a good thing IMO. Initially, the XLs appeared to widen the soundstage about 6 inches over the CBs. However, by the 150 hour mark, that feature seemed to retreat and has not returned. Consequently, I could not say with confidence that the XL has a wider soundstage. The XLs do present a deeper stage than the CBs. It is not greatly deeper; but it is clearly present in my system. Most importantly, I previously opted to run the CBs into a power conditioner rather than into the wall because the system sounded better that way. I haven't yet tried the XLs into the power conditioner. I prefer the XLs into the wall over the CBs into the power conditioner. I agree with Guido musical can be neutral. I classify CBs as "neutral" and "musical." The overriding feature of the XLs is they provide more detail than the CBs, without promoting fatigue. If you are currently a happy user of Cardas Clear or Clear Beyond PCs, I would be surprised if you weren't satisfied with Cardas Clear Beyond XL PCs on high output amplifiers. IMO they qualify as a beneficial upgrade. Lastly, the XLs are very flexible, although the wall plug end is longer and wider than the CBs. If you have limited space between your rack and wall or in your audio cabinetry, this could be a complicating issue.     

@guidocorona I agree with you, but if one says "I am afraid it’s too neutral" means a cable sound that way many audiophiles call "neutrality", but reality is that sound is thin, lacking of weight and body.
I would say it won’t happen with Cardas, but it happened in the past with the Clear Interconnects, "fixed" by the Beyonds... I think Clear Interconnects it’s good example of "too neutral" sound.
However, as I told before I am almost sure that the "excessive neutrality" he talked about comes from the only 80 hours of use: that amount of copper deserves at least 100 cooking hours to start talking seriously about how does XL sound

Any update or further impressions about the XL?

I share my recent experience about standard Clear Beyond and Clear Power cords.

As I wrote before, I used to keep a Clear Beyond from the Purepower 3000 (feeded by a 12AWGx3 dedicated line with Oyaide C279 at the end) to the integrated, a Clear Power from the Purepower 3000 to the Goldenote Dumbo AC (filter/isolation trasformer dedicated to source only) and a Clear Beyond from the Dumbo to the SACDp.

After having suggestions from a dealer I chatted with on Facebook (it started with me asking about the XL!), I swapped Clear and Clear Beyond on the Dumbo, obtaining best focus and more natural sound, with speakers better disappearing than before and more image depht.

I don't feel that slow and not so much extended sound I noticed when I tried the Clear Power on the integrated, neither I lose the goods of Beyond Power (in terms of neutrality, extension and detail) on the source (it's still there, but before, no more after the filter); simply, swapping Clear and Clear Beyond on the Dumbo, with the higher gauge on the filter and smaller on the source seem to give the best results, keeping the goods of both cables and reducing or eliminating their faults.

After this experience I am re-considering Cardas tips of putting smaller gauge cables on sources.

500+ hour update--The XLs continue to perform as described in my earlier post except that now I would say that the XLs do have a slightly wider soundstage than the CB; this came back at about the 400 hour mark. Based on what I have heard in my system, I think the CCB XLs need a full 500 hours to settle into their sound profile.  

With the XL on my Luxman 509u integrated amp it feels like I replaced it with double powered separates.
More power and control, you can play louder with less confusion and distortion, with more dynamics, more focused, taller and very much wider image, better vocals, better bottom end (deeper and tighter), better top end (more airy, extended and kess fatiguing), every single thing gets better.
The XL lowers dramatically the noise floor letting details to emerge in a natural way, with better separation of vocals and instruments.

The XL is not that kind of cable which colours sound its way, there are no tricks or special effects: it simply improves your system.

Astonishing.