Help me understand the Cardas line of ICs


I'm a little confused by Cardas ICs. From their web site it would seem the top of the line cable is the Golden Reference, then the Neutral Reference, followed by the Golden Cross, yet if the prices I am seeing here on A'Gon are accurate, it would seem the Golden Cross is 'better' than the Neutral reference.

So what's a 'better' cable; the Golden Cross or Neutral Reference?

I put the Neutral Reference cable between my pre and amp and very much like the air surrounding the highs as well as the softening (without loss of detail) in the highs. Would the Golden Cross give me more of that than the Neutral Ref? How about the Golden Ref?b
mdomnick


CARDAS Cabling explanation:

Cross: This cable is the little brother to the Golden Cross. Very smooth and non-fatiguing. Works well in most listening environments. Very steady performer. Great cost/performance ratio

Neutral Reference: This is an extremely "Revealing and FAST" cable. If you have a reference listening area as well as reference equipment, this will reveal the characteristics of each piece of equipment and it's surroundings. No sonic transformation. You get out what you put into it. If you have a less than perfect system or less than perfect listening area, you might want to look to Cross, Golden Cross or Golden Reference. Steady bass/midrange, tends to favor the top end. This is the most active in the Cardas line up.

Golden Cross: This cable has a lot of "Detail and Depth". Tends to "open up" the bass to midrange with a smoother, more controlled top end than the Neutral Reference. Very open and non-fatiguing. If you have a very active listening area, this cable can calm your listening experience. The warmest of the Cardas line up.

Golden Reference: This merges the best behaviors of both the Neutral Reference and the Golden Cross cabling. This is a perfectly neutral reference cable with unmatched transient purity. Simply put, "The Finest Performer".

Hope this helps!
Dan
Nice post Dan, my entire system is wired with the Cardas Hexlink Golden Five-C's interconnects & speaker cables (the older series) I was a little curious myself of the newer ones.
I'm with Drubin. GR is NOT neutral. It is among the warmest sounding cables available. NR is pretty neutral but still has some of the characteristic Cardas warmth. GR is only suitable for matching with bright components or speakers that are a little weak in the bass.
I believe Cardas sells more "high-end" cable of all sorts than anyone else. That fact alone recommends an audition. The hearing impaired and those wishing to voice their home systems like their cars (frequently the same demographic) will certainly choose "neutrality" over "musicality". Only Purist Audio surpasses Cardas for overall listening enjoyment, IMHO