Cardas Audio Clear Tonearm Cable

Cardas Clear — Matched Propagation, and the Top of the Phono Range

Cardas Audio's flagship tonearm cable, available in several lengths and terminations and terminated with the company's own top-of-the-line SRCA plugs. It is built around a principle Cardas calls Matched Propagation Conductors.

The idea is narrow and specific. A signal does not travel every path through a cable at the same speed, and a signal arriving fractionally spread in time is smeared. Clear is constructed so that it does not.

Design and Materials

Matched Propagation Conductors

George Cardas's approach here is to size and arrange the conductors so signal travels each of them at the same rate. Where conductors differ in length or gauge within a bundle, the same event arrives at the far end at slightly different moments.

What that costs is resolution rather than tone. Detail that depends on precise timing — the leading edge of a note, the decay of a room — is what smears first, which is why a cable argument that sounds abstract shows up as a loss of clarity.

Terminations Fixed at Manufacture

Cardas terminates Clear with its own SRCA plugs, the top of its connector range, and the terminations are fixed when the cable is built. That is deliberate: a soldered joint made under factory conditions is better than a field-fitted one.

It also means the choice is made once, at purchase. Establish what your turntable presents at the arm end before ordering, because a Clear cannot be re-terminated afterward without going back to Cardas.

Choosing Length and Termination

Clear comes in a choice of lengths and terminations, and Cardas fits its SRCA plugs at manufacture. Neither decision can be revisited later without going back to Cardas, so both are worth settling carefully.

Work out the real path behind your rack before choosing a length — cable follows corners, not straight lines. Where you fall between two, take the longer: slack costs nothing, and tension acts directly on the turntable.

What Reviewers Are Saying

Garrett Hongo reviewed the Clear phono cable for SoundStage! in February 2012: "Cardas has a winner in the Clear phono cable. With most LPs, mono or stereo, and with three different cartridges, I found the Clear's dominant trait to be a gorgeous clarity – the cable completely deserves its name."

Who Is It Best For?

• Your turntable and cartridge justify it — this is the top of the Cardas phono range and priced accordingly
• You care about timing rather than tone — matched propagation addresses smear, not coloration
• You have already upgraded the obvious things — a cable is the last link, not the first
• You want factory terminations — Cardas SRCA plugs, soldered at manufacture
• You are unsure which termination you need — settle that first, against the options in tonearm cables; a Clear cannot be re-terminated later

How Does It Connect?

Power everything down. Attach the arm end first, then the phono stage, then run the ground wire to the phono stage's ground post. Dress the cable so no part of it bears against the plinth, then leave it alone before forming a view.

Pairs Well With

What most owners of a cable at this level already have.

• Phono cartridges — the source of the signal this cable carries
• Phono preamplifiers — where the cable ends up
• Tonearms — the other end of the connection
• Cartridge alignment tools — worth a check whenever the arm is disturbed

Frequently Asked Questions

Which length should I choose?

Measure the actual route behind the rack and round up. A phono cable under tension pulls on the plinth, which matters most on precisely the turntables this cable suits.

Which termination do I need?

Match what your turntable presents at the arm end. Cardas fixes the terminations at manufacture, so this decision is made once.

What are Matched Propagation Conductors?

Conductors sized and arranged so signal travels each at the same rate, so the whole signal arrives together rather than fractionally spread in time.

Do I need a ground connection?

Yes. Attach the ground wire to the phono stage's ground post before drawing any conclusion about hum — a floating ground is the usual explanation.

Is there a less expensive Cardas phono cable?

There are several, built to different constructions. The full range is in tonearm cables.

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