I have found that the Cardas wire is a little "Fat" compared to the more neutral sounding Cheetah. In a comparison, yes, the Cheetah would sound a little leaner.
As for the wire to the subs, about the only thing Vandersteen has ever said about this is that in absolute terms of matching, use the same wire as you run to the speakers. I found no wire to change the overall levels.
I used the 3a Sigs and 2Wq's for a number of years. I would try a "Q" setting of .7 which matches the 3a's pretty much spot on (their overall Q is .7.) You also might want to try reversing the phase to the subs. Be surprised what it will do. Experimentation is the key with these. It took me 6 months to get them seemless and with proper bass weight. Using 2 subs helps with the room issue but you've got to experiment some. You can really make some music with the combination. However, I found setting the 3a's up alone took a while and then the subs.
BTW, I experienced no real change in the Cheetah other than they seemed to smooth out a touch after a week or so. I'm using the optional 72v DBS on XLR's.
As for the wire to the subs, about the only thing Vandersteen has ever said about this is that in absolute terms of matching, use the same wire as you run to the speakers. I found no wire to change the overall levels.
I used the 3a Sigs and 2Wq's for a number of years. I would try a "Q" setting of .7 which matches the 3a's pretty much spot on (their overall Q is .7.) You also might want to try reversing the phase to the subs. Be surprised what it will do. Experimentation is the key with these. It took me 6 months to get them seemless and with proper bass weight. Using 2 subs helps with the room issue but you've got to experiment some. You can really make some music with the combination. However, I found setting the 3a's up alone took a while and then the subs.
BTW, I experienced no real change in the Cheetah other than they seemed to smooth out a touch after a week or so. I'm using the optional 72v DBS on XLR's.