Help me understand the Cardas line of ICs

Golden Cross and Golden Reference both represent the top of the line but with different objectives. Golden Cross is sort of the pinnacle of the Cardas sound (warm. rich, organic) and Golden Reference is a more neutral take on that sound. Some would say GR is the top, but I believe George Cardas would say it depends.

Neutral Reference occupies the next tier down but does not have the Cardas sound typified by the Cross series and even by GR. Others will disagree, I'm sure.

CARDAS Cabling explanation:

Cross: This cable is the little brother to the Golden Cross. Very smooth and non-fatiguing. Works well in most listening environments. Very steady performer. Great cost/performance ratio

Neutral Reference: This is an extremely "Revealing and FAST" cable. If you have a reference listening area as well as reference equipment, this will reveal the characteristics of each piece of equipment and it's surroundings. No sonic transformation. You get out what you put into it. If you have a less than perfect system or less than perfect listening area, you might want to look to Cross, Golden Cross or Golden Reference. Steady bass/midrange, tends to favor the top end. This is the most active in the Cardas line up.

Golden Cross: This cable has a lot of "Detail and Depth". Tends to "open up" the bass to midrange with a smoother, more controlled top end than the Neutral Reference. Very open and non-fatiguing. If you have a very active listening area, this cable can calm your listening experience. The warmest of the Cardas line up.

Golden Reference: This merges the best behaviors of both the Neutral Reference and the Golden Cross cabling. This is a perfectly neutral reference cable with unmatched transient purity. Simply put, "The Finest Performer".

Hope this helps!
Dan

Nice post Dan, my entire system is wired with the Cardas Hexlink Golden Five-C's interconnects & speaker cables (the older series) I was a little curious myself of the newer ones.