Moving up from Cardas Clear

Camb, they still have Golden Ref but in my system , there is some sibilance with it although not with Clear even though Golden Ref is the warmer cable overall.

Lall, Hexlink Golden 5C is supposed to be faster but less warm than Golden Cross or Golden Ref

Mickey,

I've replaced my Cardas Clear Light cables with Clear upstream of the preamp.

I'm now thinking of replacing the long Clear Light IC's from the preamp to the amp with Clears.

My opinion of Clear Light IC's is that they are very close to Clears with a bit less bottom end, a bit less sweetness on the top and perhaps a bit less organic. In other words, I might put it as Clear Lights are 80% as good as Clears at 1/3rd the price.

I suspect in most systems you won't hear the difference.

Half a year later, I find myself looking for answers to the original question! Mikey8811, I was surprised to read your comparison between the GR and Clear. I had GR XLR's in my system and compared them to the Clear and PAD Corvus. I tried the Clear first. I played a few Celine Dion songs to test for sibilance and was surprised to find that the Clear had much less than the GR. I felt the Clear was better in every way and didn't feel that the high's were highlighted. Kind of the best of the GR's were enhanced and weaknesses addressed. The Clear had a very wide soundstage, but didn't have the soundstage depth I was seeking. The Corvus did that and I chose that cable for my CDP to Integrated amp.

Well it now turns out that my integrated amp has jumpers between the pre-out and amp-in. Jumpers of any sort have been terrible. I decided to try a short GR interconnect instead, and voila the system sounds great. So now I'm looking for GR replacement... again.

So far I haven't come across a cable that would all out beat the clear by a significant margin without paying quite a price. I think the PAD Canorus would offer all the Clear's great traits and much more (judging by the power cord), while offering the warm sound of the GR. However, at 8K retail, I don't think this is happening. I recently listed to the XLO Unlimited and found it to be an exceptional cable (vs Valhalla). I think it's very comparable to the Clear and may be sweeter in sound. There's a review by Luminator (google search) that compares the Limited to Clear speaker cables. However, I can't find the XLO cables anywhere (no longer made). This would leave the Synergistic Research Apex (without bullets) as the only cable I know of that can match the Clear, produce a 'warm' sound, and can be found for Clear prices or less. It's big though, and will not fit in my rack or integrated amp well...

There is another solution though. Furutech has an AC receptacle called the GTX-D. The Gold version offers a warm tone. However, the Rhodium version is said to be better because it does not have that layer of warmth. The GTX-D gold has thus been criticized. However, for those of using Home Depot receptacles, need some warmth, and an increase in dynamics, resolution, etc, this could be a cost effective upgrade that may provide the right balance.

I have bought a GTX-D Gold. And now I'll pick up a Cardas Clear IC again.

Funny thing. I found some Golden Cross and am now considering picking up a GTX-D Gold or Rhodium.

What receptacles are you currently using? Let me know how the GTX-D Gold sounds with the Golden Ref cabling.

Mikey, I'm in the middle of moving so I won't have the opportunity to try the GTX-D Gold. I have lot's of experience with Furutech power connectors and IEC inlets. Their gold products are very warm in sound (FI-11, FI-10). I can't imagine the GTX doing any harm, not even the Rhodium.

I haven't tried the Golden Cross. If you aren't seeking to attain Cardas Clear levels of resolution, I would fully recommend trying Purist Audio Venustas (Praesto) cables (IC, SC, not the power cable). I replaced my Cardas GR speaker cables with the Venustas. It took away the sibilance that the GR had and produced a 3D like soundstage. Imaging was far better and more realistic. Bass and mid-range bloom remain, but the highs are much more clear. It is very much as warm and full as the GR. However since it is a laid back/relaxed sound the highs do no harm. Overall, the Venustas will give you more of what you like of the GR with less of what you don't like. I don't believe however, that it is at the same level as the Clear in terms of timbre, clarity and resolution. You could rent (borrow) from the CableCo. If you like it, I highly recommend the Purist dealers on Audiogon (I've bought from three different dealers here). Message them for up to date pricing and I think you'll be surprised on how good of a value the Venustas is. Purist also has another cable called Aqueous Aureus. It is smoother than the GR, perhaps even warmer. Highs are slightly more liquid than GR too. The speaker cable has strong bass (after 150 hours break-in). But overall, I think it's in the same general class as the GR but more refined (it is also cheaper). The Venustas is a big upgrade.

Since you like the Golden Cross I suspect you may have a little harshness in your system? A friend of mine let me borrow Black Diamond Racing cones (BDR) because I had this issue. I found BDR MK3 Cones with BDR MK4 pucks on top are amazing upgrades if you have no isolation. A lot of the harshness i had was because of not having any isolation. The cone/puck combo improved every area, no weaknesses. You'll find more bold images, improved bass, expanded soundstage and smoother highs. Other isolation products I found to be here and there with improvements, but the BDR's just seem to work.

I would also recommend taking up the Akiko Audio Tuning stick trial offer. To smooth your system in a warm way, try the AC stick. To add clarity and dynamics try the RCA stick. Or try both and return the one that doesn't work. This little sticks can make more difference than cable changes!