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Zu Gede vs Cardas NR vs Bolder M-80?!?

post #1 of 6
3/2/04 at 3:28am
Thread Starter 
Looking for comments and comparisons between the Zu Gede, Cardas Neutral Reference and the Bolder M-80 analouge IC's. Also any insights on the silver bullet plug option on the M-80 would be cool.
-Mag
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post #2 of 6
3/2/04 at 3:40am

Cables

I’ve never heard the Bolder ICs, but I have heard the Cardas NR in several systems (including my own) and I own the Gedes. In the systems I have heard the Cardas and the Gede, the Cardas was nearly better in nearly every way - even in my own. I think the one area where the Gede was superior was in my enjoyment of the music. In my testing of various ICs I simply enjoyed the music better in that particular system (the NAD 521BEE & 320BEE) even though I acknowledged the Cardas’ superiority in nearly every arena. However, in my dad's higher-resolution systems and my own mid-fi vinyl rig, the Cardas NR simply allowed more of the music to be heard. The comparison is not quite fair because the Gede's can be had for $100 new (through Zu's eBay store) and the Cardas NR are quite a bit more. I think a more fair comparison is between the Zu Varial and the Cardas NR, as both have similar prices and really perform n par with each other in many ways (I prefer the Varial for my vinyl rig, but I would choose the Cardas NR for my dad’s analog rig – which currently has the VD Masters). In the end, like any audio component, the answer depends on your system and your tastes; this means only you can answer this question. The simple answer is that in most systems the Cardas will probably sound better than the Zu Gede because it's simply in another class of performance. Always consider your personal sound preferences and never underestimate the power of synergy.
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post #3 of 6
3/2/04 at 1:43pm
Grover interconnects at $75 best cardas neutral refs in every way in my opinion. They also come with a 90 day money back guarentee.

Biggie.
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post #4 of 6
3/2/04 at 5:24pm
Headphile XRS cables also seem to be better or equal to the Cardas NR and give the Kimber Select 1010 a run for their money. Read Stuartr's review.
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post #5 of 6
3/2/04 at 5:30pm
Here is a quote from Dave over at the Steve Hoffman forum:

"Well, now that I've had these Grovers in my system for a couple of months all I can say is that neutral is incredible. Formerly a Kimber KS-1010 user, now a Grover man. These are a complete bargain IMO. Easily defeating my Kimbers that are 5 times the price.

The staging and clarity are unbeatable. The decay is jaw dropping. The life it gave back to my sound is easily worth the price of admission.

Anyone who hasn't tried these yet is missing out IMHO, and with a money-back guarantee how can you go wrong."

Heh..

Biggie.
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post #6 of 6
3/2/04 at 5:40pm
Having used the headphiles and maybe a couple of the Bolder, I really am not much of an expert on this issue. However as a headfier, I will continue to shamelessly plug the products made by another headfier, even if it is to the point of being biased.
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