REVIEW: Cardas Golden Reference

[Welly Wu 0]

REVIEWER EQUIPMENT EXPERIENCE:

I owned both the Grado RS-1 and Sennheiser HD600 flagship headphones; I also owned the Etymotic Research ER-4P/S and I use the Ultimate Ears Ue-10 PRO earphones. For headphone amplifiers, I owned the HeadRoom Cosmic (with Reference Module), but I use a Ray Samuels Emmeline HR-2. I owned both the DiMarzio High Resolution and M-PATH, but I use the Cardas Neutral Reference interconnecting cables. My power conditioner is a Balanced Power Technologies BP.Jr. II Ultra and I use the Cardas Golden Reference and PS Audio xStream Plus power cords. For sources, I owned a Panasonic SL-CT570, Apple iPod, NAD C541i and Denon DVD 2900. My current source is a Pioneer Elite DV-59AVi and I use both Vibrapod Isolators (Model Two) and Cones.

 

REVIEWER BIASES:

I prefer my sound akin to a mug of Starbucks Italian Roast coffee: warm, full-bodied, dark, and boldly rich with hints of sweetness.

 

MUSIC SELECTIONS:

Eagles Hotel California (HDCD)

Celine Dion, All the Way…A Decade of Song

Patricia Barber, Modern Cool

Renee Fleming & Bryn Terfel, Under the Stars

Van Halen, 1984 (HDCD)

Toby Keith Shock ‘N Ya’ll (HDCD)

Norah Jones Come Away with Me, Feels Like Home

Sade Lover’s Rock (HDCD)

The White Stripes Elephant

Linkin Park Meteora

Renee Fleming Bel Canto, By Request, Under the Stars

Andrea Bocelli Sogno, Sentimento, Cieli Di Toscana

Hans Zimmer Gladiator

Rachel Podger Antonio Vivaldi: La Stravaganza: 12 Violin Concertos

Anne-Sophie Mutter Vivaldi: The Four Seasons (DVD-Audio)

The Beach Boys Pet Sounds (DVD-Audio)

Fleetwood Mac Say You Will (DVD-Audio)

Sting Sacred Love (DVD-Audio)

Elton John Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (DVD-Audio)

Roxy Music Avalon (Hybrid SACD)

Diana Krall The Girl in the Other Room (Hybrid SACD)

Original Motion Picture Soundtrack: Top Gun (Single Layer SACD)

Anne-Sophie Mutter Beethoven: Violin Concerto / Romances (Single Layer SACD)

Midori Debussy, Poulene, Saint-Saens (Single Layer SACD)

Nikolaus Harnoncourt Anton Bruckner: Symphony No.9 (Hybrid SACD)

Hilary Hahn Bach Concertos (Hybrid SACD)

Helene Grimaud Credo (Hybrid SACD)

 

CARDAS GOLDEN REFERENCE POWER CORD:

Product Description:

The Cardas Golden Reference Power Cord is made from an accumulative six gauge pure copper Litz and it utilizes the company's proprietary Constant Q and Golden Ratio. Cords are available in different lengths from one meter up to two and a half meters and custom lengths are available upon customer request.

 

Miscellaneous:

The CGR Power cord looks unremarkable: owners may feel slightly disappointed considering its expensive price tag. Yet, the sound is so beautiful and the cord is relatively flexible and lightweight. I use it between my BP.Jr II Ultra power conditioner and Pioneer Elite DV-59AVi.

 

THE CARDAS SOUND:

Of paramount importance, the Cardas Golden Reference Power cord has an oily background. The heart of the Cardas Audio sound pulsates in the midrange: it is full, warm, and sweet while retaining intimate immediacy. Furthermore, it has both sparkling clarity and seductive lushness. On on hand, bass is fairly deep and tight with solid body and weight, but little extension. On the other hand, treble sounds sparklingly clear, but slightly rolled-off.

On Hans Zimmer's Gladiator, Lisa Gerrard's voice takes on a lushness and sweetness that elevates her voice to the status of a poetic muse in sequence when Russel Crowe's character brushes the fingertips of his left hand across the tops of flat amber plains in a previous dream. On Patricia Barber's Modern Cool album, her alluring voice gains added darkness and smoke with hints of sweetness. Switching to male vocalists, Sting's Sacred Love demonstrates that age has not been too kind to his voice or musicianship on his latest album. As a whole, the band members of both The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds and Fleetwood Mac's Say You Will sound more coherent and focused with the added welcome of a delightfully sweet midrange and sparklingly clear trebles. The medley of violins, violas, cellos and oboes in Hilary Hahn's Bach Concertos sound regal and splendid as does Ms. Hahn's exquisite up- and down-bow strokes on her violin. Helene Grimaud's Credo tantalizes me with her chaotic wizardry of imagination and the Cardas Golden Reference Power cord never fails to keep pace with each keystroke on her grand piano.

 

PS AUDIO xSTREAM PLUS POWER CORD:

Product Description:

The PS Audio xStream Plus Power Cord utilizes advanced materials including an eight gauge copper design having both a solid and multi-strand cores, hermetically sealed connectors machined from solid billet, four layers of shielding, and a ferrite impregnated jacket. It also implements advanced design techniques such as hot and cold welding. Newer generations feature a removable ground pin. Cords are available in lengths from one meter up to three meters.

 

Miscellaneous:

The PS Audio xStream Plus power cord looks like an exotic cable. It has the skin of a snake, the weight of a Komodo Dragon, and the flexibility of a boa constrictor. I use it between my BP.Jr II Ultra power conditioner and Ray Samuels Emmeline HR-2 headphone amplifier.

 

THE PS AUDIO SOUND:

First, this power cord has an jet black background: it is absolutely dead quiet. Once you push play, the bass has abysmal depth and intense tightness; the bottom end acquires immense power. The midrange sounds clear albeit untouched while the treble sounds smoother, but slightly rolled-off.

The PS Audio xStream Plus power cord yields immediate improvement to hip-hop, pop, rock 'n roll, and rap music. On Linkin Park's Meteora album, the intense thrash of percussion instruments retains clarity (as is the title of one of their songs), yet there is extra extension and slam to the bottom end. On The White Stripes' Elephant, the black void of air between notes gives greater energy to kick drums and sparkle to the shimmer of cymbals. I hypothesize that this power cord smooths out the top end. I use both Diana Krall's The Girl in the Other Room and Fleetwood Mac's Say You Will albums as test materials. My results confirm my hypothesis: the complex blend of synthesized sounds, piano, and the voices of Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, Krall retain clarity and focus without tipping up trebles.

 

CONCLUSIONS:

The Cardas Golden Reference and PS Audio xStream Plus power cords are an excellent synergistic combination in my reference system. The former has a beautifully sweet and warm midrange while the latter emphasizes deep and powerful bass. As to which one I prefer more, I prefer both of them given their special synergy of strengths.

 

STRENGTHS:

Cardas Golden Reference:

Beautiful midrange sweetness and warmth

Oily black background

PS Audio xStream Plus:

Jet black background

Deep, tight, powerful bass

Smooth treble

Newer generation cords feature user removable ground pins

 

WEAKNESSES:

CGR Power costs $387 USD

xStream Plus costs $250 USD

Very heavy, stiff, and thick

[cmk 0]

Nice review Welly, as I'm intimately familar with the Cardas Golden PC, I can understand where you are coming from. I'm using something like 5 of them in 2 systems and love the sound, one of them is connected to the Denon A11/5900. The xStream is newer and I've no experience with it.