Cardas Audio Clear Reflection Interconnect Cable - RCA to RCA

Clear Reflection Pays Homage to the Golden Reference

Cardas Audio's Clear Reflection is the cable Cardas built to bring flagship-level performance to real-world systems. Cardas says it pays homage to the Golden Reference, its long-running classic. It blends the best of the old with the best of the new. It is hand terminated in Bandon, Oregon.

Two Conductors Suspended in an Air Core

The conductors are Cardas Grade 1 copper, 99.9999% pure, in Litz form with every strand enamel coated. Each is a Matched Propagation conductor on a Kevlar core. Two run at 25.5 AWG, twisted together as a suspended air-core pair inside anti-static LDPE air tubes.

Double Shields, a Golden Ratio Gap and a Copper-Colored Plug

Carbon-impregnated PTFE tape binds the pair. A second ring of PTFE air tubes, scaled 1.618 times larger than the core tubes, holds two composite shields of tinned copper and magnet wire away from the conductors. An extruded PFA jacket insulates each conductor. Black ultra-soft TPR covers the cable at 10.66 mm across.

The SRCA-CU Plug, and Why It Is Copper

Clear Reflection is where the Cardas line moves from the GRMO plug to the SRCA. It is machined from high-copper, non-magnetic brass. The contacts are silver plated under a rhodium flash, and a gold-plated cover screws on. Its cable opening is 9.5 mm.

Cardas introduced a copper-colored version, the SRCA-CU, for this cable. It matches the black and copper look of the Clear Reflection speaker cable. A full loom reads as one set. The XLR version wears the matching CG XLR-CU.

What Reviewers Are Saying

Kirk Midtskog, reviewing for The Absolute Sound on August 18, 2015, heard "commendable levels of apparent speed, dynamic range, and overall resolution." He wrote that "everything sounded organized and clean, without much interstitial noise."

Alan Sircom, in hi-fi+ on June 27, 2015, put it this way: "This is a cable that abides by the old Hippocratic Oath; first, do no harm."

The Absolute Sound went on to recommend the Clear Reflection in its 2016 Buyers Guide to Cables, Power Products, Accessories & Music.

Who Is This Interconnect Best For?

• You want flagship construction built for a real room — Cardas designed the Reflection for exactly that, so the top of the Clear line arrives at 10.66 mm
• Your rack radiates — two composite shields ride on their own ring of air tubes, so noise is rejected twice without loading the signal
• You are building a matching loom — the copper-colored SRCA-CU pairs with the Clear Reflection speaker cable, so the system looks like one decision
• You want the plug the top of the line uses — the SRCA is the connector Cardas fits from here up, so the termination is the flagship's
• Your components both offer XLR — the Clear Reflection is single-ended RCA. If both your components have balanced XLR jacks, choose the Cardas Clear Reflection XLR instead. Or call us and we will match the connector

How Does It Connect to Your System?

Run the Clear Reflection from a line-level output, a DAC, streamer, CD player or phono stage, to a line-level input on your amplifier or preamp. Keep left to left and right to right. Push each SRCA-CU plug straight on until it seats. Pull it off by the barrel, never by the cable.

Then leave it alone. Cardas says its cables settle with use, so plug in and listen. Other and longer lengths available. Call for prices.

Pairs Well With

An interconnect is one link in the chain. It usually joins these categories.

• Preamplifiers — source to preamp, preamp to amp
• Stereo Amplifiers — the power amp end of a separates system
• Digital-to-Analog Converters — DAC output to preamp
• Power Cables — clean power at both ends

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the SRCA-CU connector?

Cardas's SRCA plug in a copper-colored finish. Under the color it is the same plug: brass body, silver contacts with a rhodium flash, and a screw-on cover.

What is Matched Propagation?

Cardas's conductor design. The twist rate of each strand layer is set so the signal in the copper travels at the same speed as the charge in the insulation. Cardas says that keeps low-level detail intact.

How long does break-in take?

Cardas says at most 200 hours, and usually half that. Its advice is simple: "Plug them in, leave them plugged in, and enjoy your life."

What warranty does Cardas give?

A lifetime warranty. Every Litz strand is sealed in enamel, so the copper does not oxidize. Cardas says that is why its cables last.

Is there a step up from the Clear Reflection?

Cardas Clear is the next rung. It moves to three conductors in an equilateral triad, with strands drawn down to 41 gauge, and keeps the SRCA plug.

See It in Action

Audio Advisor's tour of the Cardas factory in Bandon, where the Clear Reflection is built and terminated.

Audio Advisor walks through Cardas cable construction, from Litz strands to hand-soldered plugs.

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Learn More

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