Help me understand the Cardas line of ICs

I'm with Drubin. GR is NOT neutral. It is among the warmest sounding cables available. NR is pretty neutral but still has some of the characteristic Cardas warmth. GR is only suitable for matching with bright components or speakers that are a little weak in the bass.

I believe Cardas sells more "high-end" cable of all sorts than anyone else. That fact alone recommends an audition. The hearing impaired and those wishing to voice their home systems like their cars (frequently the same demographic) will certainly choose "neutrality" over "musicality". Only Purist Audio surpasses Cardas for overall listening enjoyment, IMHO

I've gone back and forth between GRef and NRef more times than I care to admit, and I think these are Cardas' best. They both provide a coherent musical picture. I agree with Nighthawk that NR is not neutral on an absolute scale, but is actually somewhat forgiving in the highs, as Mdomnick notes. I like NR for its overall transparency and speed relative to the other Cardas types. It's a good place to start. If you still feel that your system is a bit aggressive, try GR, which preserves most of the detail but is more relaxing, although the bass with GR becomes fatter and slower. I personally find Golden Cross way too syrupy and veiled, and if you find it is necessary for your system, then reassess your electronics.

dam, i just bought a pair of GCs. Well, I'll give them a try and see what I see. I can always sell them if I don't like them. Thanks for all your help guys.

m-

The Golden Cross mightn't be a bad thing. SF is on the fast side and is hardly a tubey tube set up. The Golden Cross will help warm it up if that's what you are after. There is a review of the Golden Ref on 6 Moons and it is found to be a bright cable. I have found that it can be bright having heard it in a Krell based system.

Let us know what you think of the Golden Cross. I am considering it too.