The Art of Making Cables With Cardas

We get questions all the time about what cables sound like or what effect they have on your system. I wanted to spend a little time talking about one of the brands that best represents the art of making cables and pursues perfection at every level in their series, not just the highest priced pieces. Cardas is that brand for many audiophiles and those looking for performance at any price level without sacrificing quality. Cardas seems to be all about musicality, mids, and just an all-around fun listening experience. While this can come at the expense of some details with certain cables or gear, with most of their cables—particularly the Crosslink and Reflection—I found the details not only present but more engaging overall.

Timeless Designs: Why Cardas Cables Stand the Test of Time

Cardas is not a brand that updates and changes models every few years. Lines like Clear Reflection are newer but still years old at this point. These replaced the famous Cardas Golden Reference cables, which brought the brand to prominence and are still highly sought after on the used market. The point is they spend a lot of time creating thoughtful designs that stand the test of time. Though there are similarities to overall design, the technology doesn’t necessarily change much as you move up Cardas's line. However, the metal content does, adding conductors as you go up. Think of it like this: you have 10 cars traveling down a 2-lane highway with the Crosslink, a 6-lane highway with the Parsec, and a 12-lane highway with the Reflections—all with the same 10 cars. By the time you get to the Reflections, you have more lanes than you need. All the cars drive cleanly, smoothly, and at their desired pace.

Understanding Cardas Cable Design

Now imagine those same cars are driving on an old, forgotten stretch of highway. The stretch of road is riddled with potholes, car parts, roadkill, and maybe even a few appliances dropped on the edges of the road. When copper is purified and processed correctly, the result should be a surface that provides no potholes or obstacles for the signal to travel over. It has become well established over the years that there is a difference in the purity of metals. Beyond that, there are different processes for getting to the highest purity possible, especially with copper used in audio cables. As in the previous example, where we had 10 cars traveling down the highway. Cardas copper is like having a smoothly paved new stretch of highway, plenty of lanes for all. Cardas Copper alone has become famous, very well known for its absolute purity, clarity, and overall performance.

At the heart of a Cardas cable is our Ultra Pure Cardas Copper. Mined in the Southwest USA and processed in the Northeast, we employ proprietary drawing and annealing techniques to create the highest quality, purest copper strands. A Single Poly-Nylon coating is applied to prevent oxidation, and eliminate crosstalk between strands.

- Cardas

The Golden Ratio: The Science Behind Cardas’ Performance

As the Cardas Nautilus Shell logo is based on the “Golden Ratio," the Golden Ratio is applied to many Cardas products, specifically on the Litz conductor designs such as the Iridium, crosslink, and Clear Reflection line. In a Cardas multi-stranded Litz conductor, the smallest wires are at the center, with each layer increasing in size at a Golden Ratio step (1:1.618). This technique helps with microresonance control and was the subject of one of George Cardas’s first US patents, which is present in all of Cardas cables & chassis wires.

 

Golden Section Stranding mathematically eliminates resonant multiples in conductors by sequencing strand masses and their associated inductive effects in an irrational progression. - Source: https://www.cardas.com/deep-dive

Cardas cables employ a unique stranding method where the smaller strands are placed towards the interior of the conductor in Golden Proportion. This is called constant "Q" stranding. It is a very effective method for reducing the inductively stored and reflected energy that fuels cable resonance. - Source: https://www.cardas.com/deep-dive

Comparing Cardas Cables: Which One Is Right for You?

Now into the good stuff. The comparisons below rely primarily on sonic performance and somewhat on price point. I spent some time comparing a few of their cables, focusing on the lines that we get asked about a good bit from Cardas, and comparing other cables in their relative pricepoint. All Cardas cables compared below have the famous Lits design using the golden ratio.

Cardas Crosslink: The Budget-Friendly Sleeper Hit

The Crosslink is the cable that most surprised me. I rarely say this; however, for the money, I was simply shocked by the level of detail and clarity from this line. The Crosslink is a sleeper and not talked about enough. This cable offers a nice bass presentation and overall clarity. It’s detailed and fairly neutral, with a touch of midrange warmth. The Crosslink cables have good timing and soundstage width, though not necessarily depth. For that, you’d need to move up the Cardas line (more on that below). I would definitely recommend this to the cable skeptic. It’s a great cable regardless of price point, but when compared to something like the AudioQuest McKenzie, the Crosslink delivers exceptional performance for the price. The McKenzies have long been a favorite amongst those looking for detail and overall represent a great value in the cable world. They have met their match in the Crosslink, at almost half the price. In comparison, the Mckenzies sounded muted, whereas it was not as noticeable before the direct comparison.

Cardas vs AudioQuest

• Cardas Crosslink: $170 (1m RCA or XLR)
• AudioQuest McKenzie: $329.95 (1m RCA or XLR)

Shop the full Cardas Crosslink series

Cardas Parsec: Balanced, Detailed, and Midrange-Focused

The Parsec line from Cardas is solidly built and fairly neutral, with a slight emphasis on the midrange. The AudioQuest Yukon has become a favorite of mine, especially when testing against other new cables. The Yukon has neutrality and energy, with great detail portrayal. I have to say, however, the Cardas Parsec sounds incredibly similar, with a touch more detail in the highs. They are a little more reserved when it comes to bass and energy. They seemed to flatten the signals a bit. I would recommend these to most people looking to get detail and energy but have a fairly neutral system and are looking for a slight midrange push. Be cautious; if paired with other gear that is also neutral or clinical, these cables will likely continue that trend and come across as flat or unenergetic. 

Cardas vs AudioQuest

• Cardas Parsec: $450 (1m RCA or XLR) 
• AudioQuest Yukon: $595 (1m RCA or XLR)

Shop the full Cardas Parsec series

Cardas Clear Reflection: High Energy with Natural Detail

These are very well-made cables with organized bass, pronounced mids, and incredible highs almost to the point of being too much, but they stop just short. They’re very energetic and musical overall. These cables are ideal for someone with a good system who wants to ensure they’re capturing details in the upper mids and highs without them being overly etched. This is far from a dead-neutral or lifeless cable. I would recommend it to someone with a very revealing system that needs a little more heart and emotion, or in some cases, needs to slightly calm down the high end. 

I was able to compare these with the AudioQuest Pegasus cables. They are quite similar in many ways. For me, the overall timing of the Reflections wins the battle. While the AQ cables are incredibly quiet, detailed, and energetic, the Reflections have a more natural sense of timing, which comes across most in vocals, cellos, violins, and reed instruments. They just seem a bit less eager with the details in the higher end and upper mids, whereas the Pegasus are a little more forward. Instruments are easier to place in the room and overall present in a way that feels realistic. I highly recommend the Clear Reflection series. (To be upfront, I bought the Clear Reflections after testing them out.). These are for a person that values detail, depth, and energy, but with overall realness and natural sound presentation.

Cardas vs AudioQuest

• Cardas Clear Reflection: $1400 (1m XLR or RCA)
• AudioQuest Pegasus: $1995 (1m XLR)

Shop the full Cardas Clear Reflection series

Why Cardas Belongs on Your Shortlist

I would recommend Cardas overall as an option for anyone's shortlist. Not only can you fit any budget, but do so with a great cable from a world-class company. Get some interconnects that give you confidence in your system’s performance so you can stop looking and listen to music. Cardas is certainly that.