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CARDAS Fans: Golden vs. Neutral vs. Presence?

I know the Reference series is considered to have less of the traditional house Cardas sound. However, I've read many differing opinions that leave me in the dark as to what they sound like.

Also, one 6moons reviewer liked the Golden Ref IC more than the Golden Ref speaker cable. He found the speaker cable somewhat lean, though detailed and transparent. The most worrisome trait, though, was that he found there to be a loss of "body sound" to vocals and strings, with an emphasis on what he called the "head sound." And the bass a bit overblowsn. This was compared to Nirvana S-L.

Then there is both the Neutral Ref and the Golden Presence. I know what Cardas says about them on their website, so I don't need their descriptions of how they hear them.

Many people find the Neutral Reference too lean with brightness on less than ideal recordings. And the bass seems to be good, but not as deep and tight as it could be.

Then there is the Golden Presence. Few have written about it, but there are a couple of people who like it best of all the Reference series.

Can I get some informed opinions on both the interconnects and the speakers cables of all three models?
zear
jj2468
280 posts
 
I've owned both the golden reference and the neutral reference and both in interconnects and speaker cables. IMHO the golden reference is better in all respects. In my system, the major difference is that the golden reference has very good body and timbre. The neutral was quite veiled and timing was muddy - again, limited to my system(s) experience. I can recommend the golden reference, but the neutral is not my cup of tea at all. Also, I feel the moniker of "neutral" versus "golden" and its implication that the "golden" is warmer and less neutral is inaccurate. The "golden" is simply a better cable and therefore my conclusion is that the "golden" is also more neutral than the "neutral" since it interferes less with my perception of the music. Last, none of the Cardas cables IMHO are super detailed, fast or super transparent. However, the golden reference does timbre and body very well, especially in a system that is already too bright. Of course, limited to my experience and subjectivity. Jeff
dazzdax
599 posts
 
Hi Zear, I thought you were using Straight Wire Crescendo? Why are you moving to Cardas?

Chris
sns
3,003 posts
 
I think Jeff has it right with the Golden Refs vs. the Neutral Ref., the Golden Refs are definitely the most accurate of the Cardas cables. I would suspect the Golden Presence would be closest to Golden Ref, seeing as it is a decontented Golden Ref. I would expect it would just have less of everything. Again, the Golden Ref will have the body vs. mouth thing down. You should hear more body than mouth in a synergistic system, the Cardas is more about spaciousness and decay than attack. I am experiencing truly dimensional imaging and and a nice full tonal balance with mostly Golden Ref cabling.
I should also add, I do think the IC's are a bit more neutral than the speaker cable, in my experience the speaker cable does add a touch more bass than neutral. With tubes and all Golden Refs I could see how one could have an overly dark presentation, again it is all about synergy.
In the end, you simply cannot count on other's opinions for what it will do in your system. Buy some used here on the 'gon and sell them at no loss if you don't like them. Or borrow some from the lending library at the Cable Company.
mrtennis
3,295 posts
 
one of the problems of elicitingopinions about cables or any other compoents is differences in perception.

two listeners exposed to the same stereo system could voice diametrically opposite perceptions about what they here.
it seems that if you place 4 audiophiles in the same room, there will be 5 opinions.

an experience i had at jabuary ces illustrates this point.

at one of the rooms in the ventian, i midly objected to the treble response. some adjustment of room treatment materials occured. we listened again. i objected again and there was a disagreement between about 6 people in that room.

be careful of eliciting opinions. the same product can be described using opposite terms. in the context of this thread, i am surprised that anyone describes the cardas cable as warm. i don't find any of their cables warm.

let me add one more experience. a friend visited me and described my stereo system as "muffled", where as, i disagreed saying it was quite extended. assuming no hearing loss, such a difference in perceptions is perplexing.
cyclonicman
693 posts
 
Mrtennis you are right about everyone having an opinion and perhaps a different listening experience. However, I was one of the person's that stated the Cardas Golden Cross is a warm cable and you can believe that to be the absolute truth when compared to the Nordost SPM's that I was using for the past few years. Everything is relevant!! If you have ever heard Nordost, you would say that Cardas is on fire!!
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