Cardas vs Cardas vs Shunyata interconnects

I’d assume that from the Cable Company they have been used a bit already but of course hard to know.

I did find the Cygnus was a little bright with female vocalist—maybe the spot for the Reflection.

Actually trying a mix and match right now with the Cygnus from the DAC and Reflection to the monos. So many possible combinations!

Would you agree that the interconnect between the DAC and the pre has more influence on SQ than between the pre and the monos?

@w123ale not surprised about Cardas. I heard that wool warm blanket when I tried their Clear Beyond power cord. I’m sure it works well in some systems and sounds good to some listeners but I pass.
 

few things if I may…

In my experience, when it comes to interconnects, having the best set between the preamp and amp will get the most ROI. Speaker cables and amplifier power cord would also be at the top of the list. 

I remember reading your post on Shunyata Delta NR v2 power cord on DAC. If that’s the power cord you ended up with, I’d recommend staying with the same level interconnects and speaker cables. 

it is a chain so it all matters

but in my experience, the first connection (from the source) is most pivotal, for obvious reasons -- think back to analog/turntables, that cable from the tt was absolutely key to sonics

"@jjss49 it amazes me that cardas would make an overtly warm and dull cable in their ’clear’ line"...

Yes, it is confusing, they threw one in the middle of the line to make that so.

I also own(ed) Clear Cygnus and now Clear Reflection, and many other Cardas for that matter. Any of the clear line is clear in different ways. Yes, results are different among the line. And, results can vary depending on the clarity and transparencey of equipment and speakers being used.

Yes, the 4-wire Cygnus is going to be more transparent than the 2-wire Reflection cable (different hybrid design of old/new technology), two different cables. "Overly warm", not necessarily, unless someone’s preamp or dac, speakers, and system is already veiled over to begin with. Clear Reflection, need not apply with overly smoothed over McIntosh systems, time to break out Std Clear or Clear Beyond. Or, check and try other brands. The new clear line is different from old 90s Cardas.

Going up the line of "clear" Clear Cygnus, Std Clear, Clear Beyond increasingly have more transparency cut from more of the same dna. Clear Reflection is not the same (odd man out), it’s a hybrid of the older cross and new clear line. I am running 3 pairs of Clear Reflection, listening to them in my system right now. My system is transparent to begin with. Took 10+ days for them to relax, to lose mechanical tension with the internal dialectric, and then they open up a little more. Bright no. Warm no. Neutral with the high freq slightly more smoothed out, yes.

The whole line is completely misunderstood by folks who’ve not tried or compared them personally in your system for a longer period of time. i.e people can’t be swapping Cardas cables back and forth every 30m, gotta let them sit and play 10-14+ days. No joke, tested this literally 100s of times with brand new and used ones coming out of a box coiled up. Gotta try the different versions of clear to understand the limitations & benefits.Every one if these cables has a different result, fwiw.

I’m re-comparing them to all of my former [other brand] OCC and Silver-Over copper cables, and I’ve owned many. Yep, it’s all weird and makes no sense :) All those others are gone now, off to new owners enjoying them now. Back to Cardas, past 30+yrs. I just tell people to go buy other cables and wish them best of luck, unless they are willing to work with TheCableCo or.a dealer to try them out 1st hand.

Those who’ve tried them [in their system] know, love it or hate it. It’s hard to explain to those who’ve not tried them at all fwiw.