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Cardas Cables

After having an amazing experience with a Cardas headphone cable for my Focal Utopia headphones, I am really getting an itch to replace my existing speaker cables (XLO UltraPlus) with Cardas cable.

Anyone familiar with Cardas speaker cables?

Based on current lineup, I really like the "Clear" version, but I cannot afford it, so looking for used.

I see several used cables for sale from Cardas, but they all appear to be previous models. And I have no clue which ones are the equivalent with current "Clear".

I see Neutral Reference, Cross, Golden Cross, etc.

Any help is appreciated!
128x128thyname
don_c55
1,025 posts
 
George Cardas used Magnepan speakers as his personal reference for many years, and his "legacy" cables mate very well with his speaker choice IMO.

Cables have synergy with certain speakers and amplifiers.

Subjective tastes and listening experience rule intelligent choice.   
lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
5,417 posts
 
@thyname, what speakers are you using? There needs to be synergy between the cables and the speakers.
fsonicsmith's avatar
fsonicsmith
964 posts
 
I have ARC tube gear, a Ref 6 and Ref 150SE and Clear Beyond XLR is magical between the two and Clear Rev 2 is likewise the best of several speaker cables I auditioned to power my DeVore O/93's. It is without a doubt system dependent. It is one of those maddening things about finessing the very best out of your gear. 
thyname's avatar
thyname OP
3,107 posts
 
@lowrider57  My Speakers are Revel f208, soon to be replaced by Revel f228Be on order.

Gear: Ayre QX-5, V-5xe, and K-1xe
lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
5,417 posts
 
That’s some fine gear. I know Focals have good high end extension and clarity.
The Neutral Reference are very neutral, a different signature than the Cardas house sound, and the Cross are very coloured and warm, lacking detail.

The question now is which line of Cardas will play well between an Ayre amp and Focal speakers. You can audition cables thru The Cable Company, but since you are buying used, hopefully you’ll get some recommendations now that you have listed your components.
If you are looking for transparency and dynamics, the newer Cardas would be the way to go.

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