the hexlink is less colored.
dont get me wrong, both are "warm cables". but the golden cross is one of the most colored cables i have every heard. very rolled off higs and lower midbass bloat. can work well in some systems.
hope that helps,
mike |
I have to agree. I actually prefer the Cross to the Golden Cross in my system. Unless your system is on the "bright" side, go with the Hexlink. |
Rusvit, not to hijack your thread, but I have a related question:
What about the difference between the Cardas Golden Reference and the Hexlink?
I am thinking about getting the Cardas Golden Reference as the link between my amp and preamp, as it is supposedly a very neutral cable, which is what I am looking for in that particular link in the sonic chain. (I figure I can always adjust upstream interconnects if I want to adjust the sound from my CD player or other source.)
Thanks! |
i just replaced my golden cross with ridge street audio poiema!. alot better than cardas in everything. sounds like a whole new system. extremely transparent.
aloha keith |
Kurt, your idea is good, but I'm not sure Golden Ref is the best choice. It is more neutral than Golden Cross for sure, but compared to just about anything else on the market it is a warm sounding cable. Cardas' own Neutral Ref is a more neutral cable, but lacks the nth degree of resolution. Why don't you try several good cables from the Cable Co. and decide for yourself? Kimber Select 1030/1130 are good choices as well as Nirvana SX and Synergistic Resolution Reference. Audience AU24 may also work. It has a slight treble roll-off but is quite neutral across the rest of the band.
A lot of this is going to depend on your speakers. Do you really want a neutral IC? If your speakers are a little hot on the high end you may want to take a little of the edge off. Golden Ref can make a system with a hot high-end and a lean bass sound more neutral, but the cable itself is NOT neutral. It does have pretty good resolution, however, so it can be a very useful compensatory type of cable. |
Kurt,
I'm a pretty hardcore Cardas person...have just about every Cardas cable made. Like most of them but not all. I've been in the audio field for 31 years both professionally and as a hobbyist so am no newbie. The Cardas Golden Reference is simply an outstanding choice between preamp and amp. You'll probably love it but one good thing about that cable...if you don't like it you can quickly sell it on Audiogon. Don't pay more than about $450 for a 1m pair simply because you don't have to. I just posted the original thread to get some opinions; as you know,everybody's got one. |
i have had better luck with cardas speaker cable.
the interconnects did not work well in my system no matter how hard i try to to like them (and i have tried them all).
the neutral reference speaker cable is quite good imo.
take care,
mike |
Hi everybody,
I am using Audioquest Clear biwired speaker cable for my Krell KSA250 and Merlin EXL IV. The sound is too clean and clear. I heard that Cardas Hexlink 5c is warmer. Is that right? How much does it cost for a six-foot bi-wired pair (new/used).
Thanks for your help,
Lou |
I have a Quad amplification + Marantz source & B&W 805s ..and this can really sound shrilly on that 'slightly higher' volume level that we may want to listen on with most cables. Despite vdh 102 i/c running behind the rack.
Something XLO-Ultra6 had to be taken out of the system despite good staging, imaging ..it was just in the face thatn smooth. Golden Reference was a straight addition, which could tame the brightness tad bit, as was needed and made for effortless fit in the whole chain. A definite audiophile medical treatment. Its the one of the doctors for bright systems. And yet stands for what this huge brand is known.
Sid
www.theAudiophile.net - The Global Audiophile.network
.. |
i have owned them both and sold them both. i will never own cardas again.
why ? glasre in the mids.
the golden hex is definitely warmer than the golden cross.
i found the golden cross closer to truth than beauty--not very colored. |
Wow, checking my sales history. It's been 6 years since I had a Cardas cable in my system. I have had Golden REF. and Golden Hexlink 5 and 5c interconnects. Both are very good especially used together. Speaker cable wise I've owned Golden Hexlink 5c, and Golden Cross. The Golden Hexlink 5c was much better in my system than the Golden Cross I bought to replace it. The Golden Cross seem to through a lot more information at you in an unmusical way. The term T.M.I comes to mind. The sound was always tense and dynamic never relaxed and dynamic like the Golden Hexlink 5c I sold. I would like to revisit the Golden Hexlike 5c speaker cable and interconnects one day. |
Rusvit, I own the Cardas Hexlink Golden 5C interconnect and owned the Golden Cross ic, I sold the Golden Cross and kept the Hexlink. IMHO, the Golden Cross is very bright and unnatural. The Hex Golden 5c is warm and a little slow, but it is a far better cable than the other Cardas cables that I have heard.
OTOH,none of the Cardas cable that I have heard is anywhere near SOTA IMHO. |
My advice is not to limit yourself to Cardas. Be sure to experience the cable you might be interested in, in YOUR system. Every cable sounds a bit different in different systems. |
Funny thing I was at a loss in finding speaker cables for my Grand Veenas and my mono block amps.
I had an old pair of Cardas Golden Hex 5c, one mtr, stripped the spades off at one end and made DIY biwires.
Best wires I have found yet,glad I never sold them. |
Friends, we all have a musical preference & hence the liking. Hexlink 5C is known to be easy, while the Reference & Presence series known to add a bit more Air to the sonics.
I apologize for my err, in my above post - I have the Golden 'Presence' not the Reference. And Presence is again a worthwhile cable. Why? - cause if this cable sounds pleasant and airy without being least BRIGHT in 12x12 room having no acoustic treatment with B&W 805S! Then you as an audiophiles can well relate to what i am trying to say.
FYI, I have given away my XLO to friends with dull systems.
UPDATES:
..
++
PASSIVE PRE
++
And, since the time i last posted on this thread, i have taken out the Quad-pre and have introduced Promitheus Audio's Signature Passive Pre which is a monobloc design.
And the Cardas midrange has been well assisted by this introduction with brilliant imaging and an incremental sound stage. Yet, bass decays do get hampered with all the passives i have tried till now. Yet not at all a barring factor to an extent that my Quad-Pre has been packed and bid Adieu to the store room
For the ones keen on You can see the pics & user review on this thread on The Global Audiophile.network -
http://theaudiophile.net/showthread.php?35-Promitheus-passives-malaysia&highlight=promitheus
++
CABLE UPDATE
++
And as for the cables, I got curious on this Danish brand - www.vipera-cables.com , which came up some months back & hence I got talking to the owner - Mr. Kenneth, who later sent me samples of speaker cables & I/C from the - "XANTHINA RANGE" which seems to be the higher of the two variants the the company has launched.
I asked for the longer cable run - 5mtr and love what i received. I have compared it to my Cardas Golden Presence in here on Audiogon and have also penned down my easy impressions on The Global Audiophile.network . Here is the link -
http://theaudiophile.net/showthread.php?180-User-Review-Xanthina-Speaker-Cables-%28VIPERA-Cables-Denmark%29
The thread i started on Audiogon for Vipera - Cardas comparison, is due approval by the mods. Which you can look up in a few minutes/hours.
Sid
www.theAudiophile.net
"The Global Audiophile.network"
Cheers
|
