[jefmohd]

Didn't know this was that expensive. I'm in Manila and I just passed by a high end audio store to hear some Focal Diablo utopia speakers. Saw that they had cardas cables and I asked.

I was given a quote of just under 20$ usd for 2 meters of cardas clear headphone cables. Plus termination points. I'm guessing cables for my he500 would cost about 60$ usd. Too good to be true? Going back next week to finalize my order. I'll post back.

Too good to be true... Be careful for imitation

 

[davehg]

Adding to this older thread. Using a Woo 6SE with Sophia tube upgrade.
 
I added a 2.5m pair of Clear to the Audeze LCD-3. First impressions of the cable's build are very positive. If anything, the cable is a bit too robust, as you feel the extra weight pulling ever so lightly more than the stock cable.
 
So you know my biases, I've used Cardas cable before, and am currently using their Golden Reference AC cable. I do hear differences in cables, and in some but not all uses of their AC cable (I also have a paid of Foundation Research AC cables which incorporate a low pass filter, and always hear differences over stock cords). These Clear cables were no different. I think of Cardas as having a generally more relaxed sound, but these Clears did not have the traditional Cardas house sound. They were more open and revealing than expected, but never bright sounding. I was worried they might be too mellow with the Audeze, but they were very neutral sounding and didn't darken or mellow the LCD3's at all.
 
I think the sound of these over stock is most impressive. More detail is heard, and more space around different instruments is noticed. Listening to Shawn Colvin's "The Facts about Jimmy" and you can more clearly delineate brushed drums. Biggest difference is when Lyle Lovett backs up Shawn. On the stock cables, Lyle's distinctive tone seems a bit buried, but with the Clear cables, you can more clearly hear him layering the vocals. Horns on this track are also more prominent; their detail is cleaner and more delineated.
 
I missed seeing JJ Cale when he was alive, and now I'm left to listen to his great sounding CDs. On his album Roll On, "Cherry Street" is one of my favorite tracks. I've listened to it time and time again, with its great guitar pairings. For the first time, I was able to hear detail that had always been obscured: what I thought was the growl of a guitar is now revealed to be JJ lightly humming along. Cool!
 
I'm in a mellow classic mood tonight, so after JJ it was time to fire up Bob Dylan's superb sounding Oxford Town from his second album. Listen to this and the classic "blowing in the wind" track, alongside "House of the Rising Sun" from his first album, and be shocked at the fidelity of these early sixties recordings. The Clear brought more detail to the breathiness of the harmonica, and his guitar is that much more present.
 
On Sheryl Crow's album of the same name, two tracks show off the Clear. "Home" has a nice tone and decay of the guitar, and the bass is nice and fat. On the stock cables, this track can sound a bit collapsed and flat. The Clear brings out the tone of the guitars and the bloom of the organ. "Hard to Make A Stand"  has a pronounced fuzz on the guitar and the fat sounding bass has nice detail that the stock cables can lose, but the Clear preserves.
 
So, I think these cables are quite the upgrade. Are they worth the significant price? I paid $475 on Audiogon, so it wasn't as painful as a new pair.  I haven't heard other upgraded cables either. But I won't feel the need to try out anything else, given how good these sound.

 

[Amictus]

I have been trying not to order the Cardas Clear cable for my HD800 for some time. I tried hard to forget about it, to enjoy the stock cable, to argue with myself that I should try the Clear Light, to sleep on it etc. etc.

Anyway, I ordered it today. Any views on burn-in time from you guys? Thanks...

 

[Amictus]

Well, the Cardas Clear cable arrived this morning. The left channel was dead at first, then with a bit of jiggling of the 1/4" SE connector I got some bits of sound. With a bit more jiggling I got a ghostly sound on the left channel and a horribly phasey sound on the right. A nightmare.
 
I ordered the cable from Audiofreaks. I'll let you know how they do. Then, I hope, I'll let you know what I think of the cable.

 

[Amictus]

Gosh - I sent an e-mail to Audiofreaks at 8.58 this morning and Mr Bozic of Audiofreaks tried to telephone me six minutes later. When I eventually answered the phone (the sound was off first time round), he was quite indignant that I expressed surprise and disappointment that a cable of this cost and reputation could get into stock, but the BOTTOM LINE is that he is doing something about it immediately. WOW. He was also a delight to talk to. Once again, I'll let you know.

 

[Amictus]

The replacement cable has arrived and works fine. Thanks to Mr Bozic a replacement was with me in 48hrs - it would have been 24hrs had it not been for the intervention of Sunday. I am unable to resist the temptation to listen to it. At the moment, there is simply more: soundstage, treble, mids, bass, clarity, decay. May report more in due course.

 

[alvin sawdust]

  The replacement cable has arrived and works fine. Thanks to Mr Bozic a replacement was with me in 48hrs - it would have been 24hrs had it not been for the intervention of Sunday. I am unable to resist the temptation to listen to it. At the moment, there is simply more: soundstage, treble, mids, bass, clarity, decay. May report more in due course.

You went quiet. Are you still using the Cardas Clear with your HD800s?

 

[Amictus]

  You went quiet. Are you still using the Cardas Clear with your HD800s?

Yes, I am. Life intervened a bit, as did other head-fi things. I tend to oscillate between the HE 500 with Q cable (out of a Lyr with, currently, Siemens E288CC) and the HD800 with Cardas Clear (out of a Lehmann SE). A much-loved HD650 sulks in the background.
 
I did try the Q cable with the HD800 (with an adapter), and felt that it was better than the stock cable. The Cardas, though, gives more: transients, clarity, soundstage. I have the impression that it is an open window on what's there. The slightly aseptic quality of Lehmann + HD800 gets more PRAT. I'm happy with the combination, although I'm not sure that the Lehmann SE is the endgame amp for the HD800 + Cardas Clear.
 
I have also been distracted by acquiring a Grado RS-1i which turned out to be a transitional i/e of very limited merits. I reacted by hunting down a PS500 (old version)... but that is another story entirely.

 

[alvin sawdust]

 
Yes, I am. Life intervened a bit, as did other head-fi things. I tend to oscillate between the HE 500 with Q cable (out of a Lyr with, currently, Siemens E288CC) and the HD800 with Cardas Clear (out of a Lehmann SE). A much-loved HD650 sulks in the background.
 
I did try the Q cable with the HD800 (with an adapter), and felt that it was better than the stock cable. The Cardas, though, gives more: transients, clarity, soundstage. I have the impression that it is an open window on what's there. The slightly aseptic quality of Lehmann + HD800 gets more PRAT. I'm happy with the combination, although I'm not sure that the Lehmann SE is the endgame amp for the HD800 + Cardas Clear.
 
I have also been distracted by acquiring a Grado RS-1i which turned out to be a transitional i/e of very limited merits. I reacted by hunting down a PS500 (old version)... but that is another story entirely.

Thanks for your impressions. Sounds like you will have your time taken up with all those phones to swap and change.
Might have to keep my eye out for a cardas cable in the for sale ads.

 

[frodeni]

I started out positive about the clear, but it has a problem: It kinks. My retailer will probably quit selling them, as the cable easily kinks or get bends/knots.
 
I tried out the cable they had, a demo cable, and it has a number of defects. So simply put, these are extremely fragile, not durable. They might easily kink or bend, even if you treat them carefully. I need to constantly straiten the cable, to avoid more kinks. It is unforgiving if you twist the wire just once.
 
Given that my cable is faulty, I cannot comment on its performance.
 
I really wanted to like these, I just can't.

 

[joe1016zw]

A little expensive it is!
Samsung Galaxy S6 cover
Samsung Galaxy S6 edge case

 

[DRuM]

  Certainly not cheap! 1.5m £529, 3.0m £579, 4.5m £629. Got the prices today from the UK importer. I may go for the standard Cardas headphone cable for my HD800's. I did ask the importer what the sound difference is between the CLEAR and the standard and I was just told HUGE. Very helpful I'm sure!

£529 for just 1.5 metres of cable that might possibly make a small difference. Hate to think what the same cable costs in 2015. Lol. And why would they only charge £50 more to double the length? The word gullible comes to mind. I can just see these cable manufacturers rubbing their hands with glee and their eyes rolling $ signs that another audiophile has fallen for the marketing and the placebo effect. 
 
I'm sure someone will tell me there is an audible difference. So? Even if there is, you're clearly being taken for a ride with those extortionate prices. Ah well, it's your money. 

 

[treebug]

  £529 for just 1.5 metres of cable that might possibly make a small difference. Hate to think what the same cable costs in 2015. Lol. And why would they only charge £50 more to double the length? The word gullible comes to mind. I can just see these cable manufacturers rubbing their hands with glee and their eyes rolling $ signs that another audiophile has fallen for the marketing and the placebo effect. 
 
I'm sure someone will tell me there is an audible difference. So? Even if there is, you're clearly being taken for a ride with those extortionate prices. Ah well, it's your money. 

Didn't go for the Cardas in the end. Now using the Sennheiser CH800S as I needed a balanced cable.

 

[Amictus]

The Cardas worked for me. To my ears it made a huge difference, but it is, admittedly, not a robust piece of kit. I am pleased to have it, however, and do not regret the purchase, despite the elevated price.

 

[frodeni]

  The Cardas worked for me. To my ears it made a huge difference, but it is, admittedly, not a robust piece of kit. I am pleased to have it, however, and do not regret the purchase, despite the elevated price.
 

 
I am not the least surprised about your saying on the sonic quality of this cable. Could you say something about the difference? This sample I had, was killing it for imaging, opened up the treble, and increased separation in a way that enabled me to listen more easily in on each instrument. That was using the HD800.
 
The base, as with most broken cable, was actually worse than the stock single ended cable, lacking both attack, body, and intensity. In particular, this was felt for some room acoustics simply was no longer audible at all.
 
Hopefully that is not the case with a healthy cable at this price point.
 
Edit: Removed stuff that just ruins this thread.