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
I did a comparison of all Cardas GR interconnects + bi-wire GR speaker cables and all Speltz interconnects + Speltz single wire speaker cables. In my comparison, with CJ electronics and sonus faber guarneri speakers, the Speltz had better prat and was more transparent. It also sounded more relaxed and like timing was cleaner. The Cardas had a little more bass and a little more natural timbre. I preferred the Speltz. I've not heard or done the comparison in other setups. Jeff
Jj2468, your experience sounds right to me. The Spelts SCs are smooth, spacious and musical. Speltz has the same dislike for dielectric distortion as I. As I have said, on my system that distortion comes out loud and clear.

Upon getting letters from some folks in Europe, with the same speakers as I, that said they love ribbon SCs, I decided to try a naked ribbon. There I got all the bass and natural timbre you noticed with the Cardas, but retains all the clarity of the Speltz. What's more, the fore and aft separation became phenomenal. PRAT even improved.

I am using the Nordost as interconnects and have changed from Neutral ref to golden cross speaker cables - Yes - for me this combo works very well - a balance of speed and warmth.
Muralman, interesting your experience with the Speltz. I was intrigued by them, but after reading tons of opinions out there, I was left with the impression that they were only good for the money, but they could not begin to compete with moderate, yet alone high, price cables. Some people did not like them at all, finding tonal and balance problems.