Cable question .... how good Cardas Golden Refe...

Pretty much the same story here. Never tried AU24 but tried several before deciding on Cardas GRs. If you buy the used you save about 50%. My system is just about complete with the GRs and have never seena brand new pair. Look at usedcable.com, they get them pretty regular. That does raise the question though...what are they being traded in on?

Cabling is most definitely system dependant.But some camps like the litz some like solid core. I had the GR and GC for a while in my system . Went to a full Audience AU24.
Then I tried some Z-squared on a whim cause the Auction price was ridiculously low.
Now I have Z-squared AU/AU ,IC's are xlr's,also power cords and a Z-cube conditioner.Really cheaply priced conditioner too.
However the speaker cable remains Audience AU24.
Nice combination. Gold Alloy in the start of the circuit and copper at the end.Don't know but it works for me.
Have used it with solid state and more recently changed to tubes.
I found that I didn't fancy the tonality of the GR it could be my taste or my ears. The GC was warm and very inviting, but ultimately looses its footing when the music gets complicated.
I have a liking for solid core wire I guess.
The multistranded or litz formation has big following but all have a similar sound to me.
That being said in my brothers system which is totally Golden Reference including power cords sounds pretty damm nice.So it is your pick.
Peter

Have not heard the AU24`s but have read good things about them however, I do use Cardas Golden Reference in my system. They are warm sounding with great mid`s, smooth highs, big soundstage, very musical. That being said the Golden Reference is also revealing....not really ``hi fi`` revealing but ``live music`` revealing. They may not be for your system depending on your equipment and or room. Try a pair if you can, also the Cardas Golden Cross is a excellent cable that is warm sounding and musical and works very well with most systems just remember if you try any Cardas cable be patient with them because they do not like to be moved and take a long time to break/burn in....once they do they are wonderful sounding.
happy listening

I've compared the Golden Ref. to some of the high priced spread from PAD, Siltech, Nirvana, Synergistic Research. The Golden Ref. remains between the preamp and amp while a PAD Venustas goes on source to preamp. I would describe the GR as essentially neutral, but somewhat forgiving and musical, slightly light sounding. This is one good cable regardless of price, I would think it would work in a wide variety of systems.

CGR is better for a less than perfect system. Errs on the yin side of the spectrum. If you want great transparency, consider the Pure Note Paragon which reveals all. Also AU24's are worth a listen.

Everything is system dependent. I had au24's for quite some time, then replaced them with cardas GR. To me the biggest difference is the GR was more holographic, had better deliniation of instruments in space, and overall had more finesse. The AU24's a bit more opaque, but also warmer,. more forgiving. Both had escellent bass.

At the time, my all solid state system with fairly revealing speakers in my "live" listening room, the GR were also too agressive sounding. Gearge Cardas will tell you himself that unless EVERYTHING is near-perfect, dont get the GR, since it can/will expose other sins (in my case things were too harsh/bright - i actually would have preferred the AU24's in my system at that time). George would tell you he would recommend the golden cross in most "real world" systems, esp if there's any residual bite/glare/harshness.

Dont limit your choices to Cardas. Tell us more about your system, dude.