Cardas Cold Forging

Doesn't look any different than any other good crimp IMO.

It's a plain old fashion compression crimp that everyone has been using for years. I don't see why they even mention it. You could get 10k pounds of pressure with hand crimpers. There is nothing unique on the video. It's just a sales pitch. Any other company that has crimp on terminals most likely has the same connection, or better. Even budget generic ones. The die is replaceable for different terminals. All crimpers have dies. If they want to run a different size through, they just change the die to fit the different terminal. Old technology to the world. If there is anything different here that anyone with knowledge on crimpers has, please chime in. Google compression hydraulic crimpers, and you'll find a full variety. They're doing a double crimp with the terminal misaligned, in the video. That might be causing a worse crimp.Nobody is supposed to notice that, or they don't know better themselves. I have some Cardas, but I'm starting to wonder. Nothing new here.

From watching the cardas video and having owned some of their cables, I doubt you can get that type of crimp by hand...unless your using some sort of manual hydraulic jack. That's heavy gauge wire and a serious spade....

Jfrech (System | Reviews | Threads | Answers | This Thread)

Hand hydraulic crimpers have been around for decades that are almost the same but with more capable higher pressures. Actually enough to crush that terminal to pieces. Don't forget, that is soft copper. That crimp won't pass inspection for a lot of aircraft crimps. I wouldn't want to be under any high voltage power line with that crimp. They use portable rechargeable crimpers for up in the air that have a lot more pressure. Here some links with their specs. Simple math. Old technology. It's been powering the world literally. Aircraft, cars, and an endless list before hi-end audio cables. In his video of the cutaway, you could see a lot of air gaps, that shows it could have been better. Again, nothing new. They might sound good though.

[http://www.huskietools.com/HydraulicCompressionSection.pdf]
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjYrA1WjmZU&feature=related]
[http://www.hydraulic-tool-manufacturer.com/hydraulic-crimping-tool.htm]

It's not my job.

Saves money. The idea of these terminals was to save the industry money, with these solderless terminals. It takes more time to solder, plus better silver solder costs more. The inside of most amps speaker wire will be soldered right behind the speaker terminal. Plus all of the terminations in the amps, preamps, and rest of the gear. This (adding solderless to soldered) might go against what is called synergy.

03-31-11: Lenny_zwik
Have you heard them? If not, then you've no basis to make a value judgement. If you have, then you're welcome to your opinion.
Lenny_zwik (System | Threads | Answers | This Thread)

Anyone is entitled to an opinion about something like this. Maybe it's time for them to start proving what their product can do, since they're making the claims. Amplifier, speaker builders not only go by sound, they also give measurements. When someone reviews their products, they also give their own measurements, and opinions. I'm just speaking about a technology that's over seventy years old to my knowledge. In the medical, aerospace and other types of industry, the company has to prove what their product can do. And we also still can give an opinion of proven products. I did not say it will sound bad.

This process of doing this this does not leave you with a solid one piece of copper. Cutting it open will actually let them separate into multiple pieces again. If they melted and turned into one, that's what you would have, but this most likely wouldn't be the case. Also, this process is actually over crimping. Copper is soft and malleable. If you run the cable at its full rated capacity, you will most likely have a hotter terminal with this method, than a normal proper crimp, with the correct dies used for both crimps. When over crimped like this, some of the copper will squeeze out, leaving a lighter gauge wire, than you started with. I'd like to see the terminal cut the opposite direction, to show this claimed solid theory. Also under a scope before filing, and letting some stray fillings appear to fill the gaps. You could polish the cut end enough to make a nice shiny finish. It is still not one, like taking in to its melting point, and actually turning the multiple pieces into one. For low current speaker termination, I'm guessing this process is fine. I don't think it would ever be adopted for termination that involves carrying electricity to anything, that may have human lives on the line.

we are talking about speaker wire termination and not conducting electricity. but george assures me this connection would be fine for that too.
best, bobby
Bobbyapalkovic (Answers | This Thread)

They can be cut open quite easily, and that would reveal they are not fused. I didn't know anyone used a chisel to check something like this.

For speaker termination, they should get by.

As far as they are not for electricity, speakers need that to make music.

I'm glad I didn't make the claim.

04-15-11: Jfrech
the strands and the connector seem totally fused...

There is a huge gap between seem, and is. They are not, at least in any terms of metallurgy. It is a crimp.

It isn't supposed to be an argument like you state. It would be nice to see the measured facts for this claim of the elimination of Eddy Currents. This could be great for mankind, if this is really the case too. This could be measured. Fact finding, not arguing.