AudioQuest vs Cardas XLR

@lollipopguild any change with more time?

I find the Cygnus to be a little more revealing than my older series Cardas or other pairs of Clear Reflection (hybrid of old/new designs). With Cygnus, fyi, my source, preamp, and amps have to be fully warmed up a few hours b4 the edge goes away and Cygnus do their best. The 4-wire design of Cygnus does reveal what’s there with any source or recording. Cygnus is not as colored or bloomy or veiled over as some other regular copper basic wire cables can be, imo.

Thanks for following up, @decooney .

I haven't observed much change in character with burn-in - and it's had a lot.  Female voices, in particular, seem to suffer a hardness, and sibilance is very noticeable.

I've actually found a set of Golden Cross XLR second-hand, so will compare them.  I might also try Purist Audio Designs.  I do think I need something with a little warmth to it, and though the Cygnus is a great cable it's a little too analytical for my system.

@lollipopguild "I’ve actually found a set of Golden Cross XLR second-hand.."

I was a GC diehard for a few decades, probably the absolute most lush cable Cardas ever sold. That is the other end of the spectrum. Later came Clear lines. GC was also one of the most complex and labor intensive to make too. All three of my GC pairs went to Pass Labs owners with certain amps and speaker combos that were "too bright" in their words. Sibilance can also start at the source, AC power, DAC, etc.

Once I moved to better DACs, power supply, and a good 6SN7 tube preamp, parted with all three pairs of Golden Cross to the next happy owners. You’ll have no problem reselling the GCs later if you choose to down the road. Should be a good comparison for you. IF GCs are not extra lush, something else going on there.