Can anyone clear up (ha!) my confusion on why Cardas replaced Clear Light with Clear Sky interconnect? Is Sky an improved or a lesser version of Light? Also, any insight on what either of these interconnects sounds like, especially in relation to older Cardas cables, such as the Neutral Ref, would be appreciated.
If anyone is following this thread, I have learned a few answers that I'll share. Cardas replaced Clear Light - not with Sky, as I wrongly assumed, but with Clear Cygnus. Cygnus is similar to Light but with some added richness and better bass, and occupies the same price point. The Sky is a newer offering at a much lower price point, coinciding with their Sky speaker cable, and fills a spot in their lower-mid-line. Although I still have not heard detailed comparisons, I suspect the Clear Light was very similar to the older Neutral Reference, which I do know from experience sounded very clear but lacked some richness and involvement. That description reflects what Cardas wanted/needed to improve in Light, thus the Cygnus was developed. I'd still be very interested to hear from those who might have experience with what these cables bring to the table from a sonic perspective. I suspect Sky is similar to, but improves upon, the older Cross interconnect. Whereas the Cygnus may be closer to the older Golden Reference?
I can't answer the questions asked by the OP but I can say that I just recently purchased a 1.5/M pair of the Clear Cygnus interconnects and I really like what I'm hearing. The Clear Cygnus interconnects are between my CDP and Integrated Amp. They seem to due everything correctly and at the present time I have no complaints.
I will second Maritime51s recommendation on the clear light. Using both xlr interconnect and speaker cable, very nice. That said, have not heard the Cygnus line.
I have both Neutral Reference and Clear Light speaker cables. They are not the same. Not even 'similar'. Of course, my description is in context of my audio system (and my ears), so treat it more like a relative difference.Neutral Reference is more 'full' sounding, rounded, with some added, but less precise upper bass. I'd say, bass was less controlled, a bit more boomy. There was also some glare in lower mids, which affected vocals. I can imagine, it might be good to tame some of harshness from 'cold' and 'thin' sounding system. Then, is the Clear Light... compared to the Neutral Reference, it is more open, more detailed in highs, but not 'brighter'. That's the great thing - Clear Light is more resolving, but some might still call it 'dark', because it doesn't add 'air' to the sound. Midrange lost its glare, but in my system that was a positive change. Vocals became more realistic. Lower frequencies became more tight, but actually with a bit more pointy punch (I perceive that as more control). I also had Clear Sky RCA interconnects for a few days, which I compared to RCA Clear Light and the difference was: Clear Sky is slightly more 'cold' and less detailed compared to Clear Light. It was a quick comparison, so those were the most obvious differences. Not huge though - but might be important when you tweak those last bits of sound in your system. One more thing with Clear speaker cables. Clear Sky does NOT have the Crossfield technology, used in Clear Light, Cygnus etc. I can't tell how much this one alone influence sound signature, but yeah - its internal construction is not similar to the other Clear speaker cables.
I'm not good in translating what I hear into words. Still though, I hope my description helps.
I have clear cygnus speaker cabel.
Cygnus took the place of clear light.
Compared to clear light it is more refined ,natural and neutral. Clear light
is more colored ,with more mid bass, mid/highs are not so refined.
Clear light
is good cable
,sounds pleasant, but cygnus
is
in my opinion
better. Clear cygnus
is close to no-cable.
OK, cool. By saying 'Clear', I mean the standard one, which used to be the top of the line, before the Beyond came out.The point of my question is, is Clear still above Cygnus in terms of neutrality, or Cardas sort of made two different lines of Clear cables: one is Sky, Clear Light and Clear, and a newer one: Cygnus and Beyond (both beeing more neutral).
Yes Clear is still above Cygnus. According to the statements of Cardas, Clear is "completely neutral and transparent". Between Clear and Cygnus now is Clear Reflection. As cited "Clear Reflection pays homage to the Golden Reference, blending the very best of old with the very best on new."
The Clear range is above Cygnus and less in the way with a better mid range and no tubbiness in the bass region. I have clear Sky between my Bel Canto 2.7 DAC and REF500S power amplifier. It was recomended by the bel Canto people to me and alows the Bel Canto to shine even more than I thought was possible. Great this game. A never ending search for a truth that is completely different for every single person.
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