[Ampersand]

I currently use the Cardas 300B Microtwin IC in my headphone rig. I love the sound and warmth that Cardas IC's provide. I'm looking to upgrade but need opinions from current/past Cardas users.

I've been looking at the Neutral Reference, but am afraid I will lose the warm sound I currently have. I guess I'm looking for something at the NR price range (or less) that adds more detail but doesn't lose the warmth provided with the 300B.

I've heard the Quadlink is the warmest of the bunch - probably too warm for my tube rig.

Haven't heard too much about the Cross

The Golden Reference and Presence are out of my price range.

This will be used in the system shown in my sig.

Thanks for the help

 

[lator]

How about Golden Cross? It is warm without losing details in the process. Very musical and fatigue-free sounding cable. I used it in my rig (check sig) before.

 

[Ampersand]

The Golden Cross seems to be priced similar to the Golden Reference/Presence, which is out of my price range.

The cables in my price range are the Crosslink/Quadlink5C/Neutral/Cross.

I'd like to find a warm cable that is a little less warm than the 300B, and which provides more detail.

Keep the opinions coming

 

[drubrew]

Here is a brief run down on sound descriptions of the Cardas Cables. The Golden Ref and Neutral Reference are just that Reference cables. They sound the same no matter the length. The Neutral Reference is dead Neutral. It will add no flavor to the sound. They are extremely detailed and unforgiving. If there is a flaw in your system they will let you know. I use these cables to hear changes in a system. If I am modifying a piece of equipment it will help me hear the differences in the changes I have made to a circuit path. If you are a very critical listener this is the cable for you. The Golden Reference builds upon this but has better midrange voicing. Vocals are soooo smooth. There is a little bit of flavor to the Golden Ref to my ears.

The Golden Cross and Cross are the warmest of the Cardas cables. The Cross has about 75% the sound quality of the Golden Cross at half the price. It is the best bang for the buck Cardas cable in my opinion. These are both very musical cables and forgiving to bad recordings. Lush but not supper lush. Very liquid and smooth. Wonderful for Jazz and Blues. The Golden Cross has a little more detail and Better Midrange.

The Golden Presence is a very interesting cable. It is the Neutral Ref geometry but with a double run of the Neutral Ref conductors. Same geometry but 2 conductors per individual run vs. 1 in the Neutral Reference. It is a warmer version of the Neutral Reference. It and the Cross are my favorite cables.
Quadlink. This cable is perfect for home theater setups. I find home theaters to be on the hot side. The remastering of DVD's tries to recreate a more near field presentation because most home theater rooms are smaller than your typical theater. They also try to boost the vocals. This cable is great for taking the harshness out of the sound. But it is a little to thick sounding for Tube gear in my opinion.
Hope this helps.

 

[Ampersand]

Awesome explanation of the Cardas line, Drew. That helps immensely. BTW, I'm enjoying the cd25.2 I bought from you very much!

 

[drubrew]

Not a problem.

 

[Ampersand]

Can anyone else with Cardas experience chime in? I'm looking for as many opinions as possible.

 

[Kentonious]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ampersand /img/forum/go_quote.gif Can anyone else with Cardas experience chime in? I'm looking for as many opinions as possible.

Hi Ampersand...I have experience with the Quadlink and Cross IC's...I think both are great and that the Cross is now one of my favorite cables...it is detailed and has a bold,smooth sound while still keeping that Cardas warmth. The Quadlink as pointed out in other posts is still wonderful and perhaps better in hotter or bright systems and is a great buy in its price range if you are looking for a cable with those characteristics. Interestingly, I also have the Quadlink speaker cable which, in my experience, is a better 'overall' cable than the IC...I think it approaches 'neutrality' more than the Quadlink IC's, but this with swapping out only a few things. The Cross IC with Quadlink speaker is a great combo for me, but the Quadlink/Quadlink combo can be 'too much' of a good thing for my system and tastes.

Happy Listening!

 

[Shunyata]

Ill second the neutral reference.

 

[Ampersand]

Thanks everyone for the input. I went with the Cross. It should be here in a few days. I'll report back with my findings.