Cardas
Cables
Website
Best Known For
Cables
/
Used Products
0
 Available
Average Price
$500
Brand Popularity
620
 of 900+
Products Listed
18
Review Count
0
Founding Year
1987
Headquarters
United States
Cardas
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What's unique about the brand

Cardas Audio is an American cable maker, founded in 1987 by George Cardas, a former telephone company line engineer. Its conductors are multi-stranded Litz wire, each strand enamel coated, with every layer a Golden Ratio step larger than the one beneath to control resonance. Its own ultra-pure copper goes into cables built in Bandon, Oregon. The Clear range uses the Matched Propagation Conductor, whose winding pitch and dielectric aim to match the signal's speed in the wire to its speed in the insulation. Connectors, chassis wire and bulk cable are sold separately for DIY builds.

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Products overview

Every Cardas cable uses Litz copper with Golden Ratio layer sizes, so the wire adds less resonance. The Crosslink Speaker Cable is the entry point, with twisted pair 20.5 AWG conductors for entry level systems. Clear Sky Speaker Cable steps up to braided 15 AWG conductors that allow internal bi-wire, so one run can feed both speaker inputs. Clear Beyond tops the range with eight 10.5 AWG speaker conductors, which carry more current for hard loads.

  • Start here. A first buyer with a tight budget gets warm, forgiving sound for stereo or home theater from the Crosslink Speaker Cable.
  • Sweet spot. Clear Sky Speaker Cable gives an upgrader Matched Propagation conductors and better resolution than the original Sky, plus internal bi-wire that the Crosslink Speaker Cable lacks, all for under $1,000.
  • All in. Clear Beyond is a statement piece priced far above Clear Reflection, and its finest conductors bring the maker's noted gains in spatial imaging, dynamics and low frequency impact for owners chasing the best sound.
Website author headshot
Julian Shapiro
ExtremeHiFi Writer

Product list

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Used

Cardas

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Average Price
$500
Used Products
0
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Brand Popularity
552
 of 900+
Headquarters
United Kingdom

About the brand

TCI Cables is a British cable maker based in Lisburn, Northern Ireland. Its founders, Andrew Stacey and John Payne, studied engineering and worked in hifi retail, and nearby aerospace and defense suppliers gave them materials not usually found in hifi. TCI uses aerospace-grade silver-plated copper alloys in its interconnect conductors and designs its own True-Plug connectors. The company says every cable aims for a neutral presentation and a three-dimensional image. TCI says the Constrictor and Temple Constrictor power products reject and filter RFI on UK or Schuko outlets. It also makes Podium supports.

Our interview with the brand

What are two key technological innovations or strong opinions that differ you from other brands?

What's your approach to customer support?

What are your favorite tracks for showcasing the strength of your products?

What other products pair best with yours?

Website author headshot
Julian Shapiro
ExtremeHiFi
Brand Page
Known For
Cables
/
Average Price
$1,001-$2,500
Used Products
0
 Available
Brand Popularity
154
 of 900+
Headquarters
United States

About the brand

AudioQuest is an American maker of cables, power products and USB DACs, founded in 1980. Many of its cables use solid conductors, which the company says prevent distortion caused by interaction between strands, along with high-purity copper and direction-controlled conductors that it says drain noise. The Niagara power conditioners give amplifiers high-current, low-impedance outlets and filter the outlets for source components more heavily, and the Niagara 1200 heads our Best Power Conditioners list. The DragonFly Black, DragonFly Red and DragonFly Cobalt are USB DACs that plug into a computer or phone.

Our interview with the brand

What are two key technological innovations or strong opinions that differ you from other brands?

What's your approach to customer support?

What are your favorite tracks for showcasing the strength of your products?

What other products pair best with yours?

Website author headshot
Julian Shapiro
ExtremeHiFi
Brand Page
Known For
Cables
/
Average Price
$2,501-$5,000
Used Products
0
 Available
Brand Popularity
267
 of 900+
Headquarters
United States

About the brand

Audience is an American maker of cables, power conditioners and loudspeakers, established in 1997. Everything is hand-built at its factory in San Marcos, California. Its interconnects, speaker cables and power cords are deliberately thin and low in mass, an approach the company says keeps the sound natural. The AdeptResponse power conditioners use capacitors of Audience's own design, with surge suppression that reviewers note does not wear out over time. The 1+1 V5 speaker uses a wide-band driver design with no crossover, and the aR2 and aR12 conditioners are on our Best Power Conditioners list.

Our interview with the brand

What are two key technological innovations or strong opinions that differ you from other brands?

What's your approach to customer support?

What are your favorite tracks for showcasing the strength of your products?

What other products pair best with yours?

Website author headshot
Julian Shapiro
ExtremeHiFi
Brand Page
Known For
Cables
/
Average Price
$2,501-$5,000
Used Products
35
 Available
Brand Popularity
98
 of 900+
Headquarters
United States

About the brand

Synergistic Research is an American maker of cables and power conditioners, founded in 1992. Its power conditioners are built around electromagnetic cells, which reviewers say filter AC power without limiting current, and many isolate analog and digital components on separate outlet banks. The PowerCell 8 SX has two selectable ULF generators, so the owner can switch between voicings, and the conditioners usually come with a power cord and an upgraded wall outlet. Some of its cables use Active Shielding, which puts DC voltage on the shield, and the top models use pure silver conductors.

Our interview with the brand

What are two key technological innovations or strong opinions that differ you from other brands?

What's your approach to customer support?

What are your favorite tracks for showcasing the strength of your products?

What other products pair best with yours?

Website author headshot
Julian Shapiro
ExtremeHiFi
Brand Page
Known For
Cables
/
Average Price
$2,501-$5,000
Used Products
35
 Available
Brand Popularity
97
 of 900+
Headquarters
United States

About the brand

Transparent Audio is an American maker of audio cables and power products, based in Saco, Maine. The range covers interconnects, speaker, digital and HDMI cables, power cords and power conditioners, in performance levels called Reference, XL, Opus and Magnum Opus. Its speaker cables are built around networks, also sold as Speaker Cable Brick Networks for custom installers. Transparent says the Reference Power Isolator uses power factor correction and common-mode noise rejection. Owners of current Transparent products can move up a level through the upgrade program and keep much of their original value.

Our interview with the brand

What are two key technological innovations or strong opinions that differ you from other brands?

What's your approach to customer support?

What are your favorite tracks for showcasing the strength of your products?

What other products pair best with yours?

Website author headshot
Julian Shapiro
ExtremeHiFi
Brand Page
Known For
Cables
/
Average Price
$5,001-$10,000
Used Products
0
 Available
Brand Popularity
544
 of 900+
Headquarters
United States

About the brand

Stealth Audio Cables is an American cable maker based in Olney, Maryland. Its catalog covers analog and phono interconnects, digital and USB cables, loudspeaker cables and AC power cords, and it also builds custom cables. The cables are made by hand, and some use an amorphous, grain-free conductor with helium gas as the dielectric. The Dream series spans loudspeaker and power cables. The Nanofiber is one of its analog interconnects, the cable that links a source to an amplifier.

Our interview with the brand

What are two key technological innovations or strong opinions that differ you from other brands?

What's your approach to customer support?

What are your favorite tracks for showcasing the strength of your products?

What other products pair best with yours?

Website author headshot
Julian Shapiro
ExtremeHiFi
Brand Page

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