@markusthenaimnut I’ve stayed away from this thread hoping others like @ghdprentice and others would reply, as per above. I’ve owned about 80% of the older generation and newer generation Cardas past 30 years.
My entire system is back to all Cardas again now. No need to mess with it more.
If you can somehow manage to simply stay with Neutral Reference, it will help save you a lot of time and money. While each cable is different in design up/down the line, one is not always better up or down the line. After messing around with it for too long, I’m back to being a renewed and firm believer its also "system dependent". One set of cables works well in system A, and not system B fwtw.
My recommendation is to figure out what you are looking more or less of from your system. Once you achieve a transparent level system, the differences are noticeable with each model.
Some of the upper line Cardas in the "Clear" series can be more "clear" as you go up the line. This is why Clear Reflection came about, a hybrid blend design of the old Golden Cross design and the newer Clear line design, a blend of the two. Clear and Clear beyond simply get more expensive. I have a combo of Clear Reflection and Clear. I would not recommend it for everyone. Trying it for 30 days on dealer/demo loan is the best - and truly the ONLY way to really know, 110%.
Imo, it really comes back to your system and what you hear and need, and the #1 decision is your "budget" limit. You can dabble with two different cables up/down the line and use your budget as your baseline to figure out, that’s what I’d recommend. Again, each cable in the line is different in design, cost, and results. Best to work with TheCableCo, loaners, and take it from there. Best of Luck.