Cardas Audio Crosslink Speaker Cable - 1.5 Meter - Spade to Spade - Pair

Cardas Crosslink Brings Cardas Construction to Everyday Systems

Cardas describes Crosslink as a well-balanced speaker cable with great detail, made for entry and mid-level stereo and multichannel systems. Cardas makes it by hand in Bandon, Oregon. Its jacket is printed with a CL2 rating for in-wall use.

Crosslink uses a Star-Quad four-conductor layout, 4x14.5 AWG, with an air-tube core. Cardas solders on its GRS spades or CABE bananas, and Crosslink can be built as a single-wire or bi-wire cable. This 1.5-meter length is about 5 feet long.

Other length & termination options are available. Call us to discuss your needs.

Why Cardas Sizes Every Strand by the Golden Ratio

Cardas scales Crosslink's conductor gauge sizes to Golden Ratio proportions, 1:1.618. Its Cross-field construction reverses every other layer of strands. The four conductors are arranged in a Star-Quad around an air-tube core.

Slim Enough to Disappear Along a Baseboard

Cardas surrounds the four conductors with natural cotton filler and binds them in FEP tape, inside a PVC outer jacket. The finished cable measures 0.365 inches across, slim enough to run along a baseboard or inside a wall.

Who Is This Speaker Cable Best For?

• You want Cardas construction in an everyday system — Crosslink brings Golden Ratio strands and a Star-Quad layout to entry and mid-level systems
• Your cable has to run inside a wall — the jacket is printed with a CL2 rating for in-wall use
• You run a multichannel system — Cardas made Crosslink for both stereo and multichannel setups
• Your speakers have two pairs of binding posts — bi-wire versions let one run from the amplifier feed both pairs of posts
• Your speakers have one pair of binding posts — order a standard listing, not a bi-wire one. Bi-wire versions need two pairs of posts on each speaker, so the standard cable is your fit

How Does It Connect to Your System?

Turn the amplifier off. Connect the cable to your speakers first, then to your amplifier's speaker outputs, red to red and black to black. Do the same for the second speaker.

The Measuring Mistake That Leaves You Inches Short

Speaker cable is cut for one room. Measure the path the cable will really take, around furniture and along the baseboard. Then add a little slack. As Cardas puts it, "A cable that's just long enough usually turns out to be just not long enough." Keep the left and right runs the same length, as Cardas recommends, even when one speaker sits closer.

Which Connector Holds Up Best Over the Years?

Spades clamp under a binding post and hold tight. Bananas push straight in, so they connect fastest. Bare wire fits almost anything, but we suggest avoiding it. Bare copper oxidizes quickly, and Cardas notes that copper oxide is not a good conductor. If you use bare wire, re-strip the ends when the copper darkens.

Two Pairs of Binding Posts? Here's What That Means

A bi-wire cable has four connectors at the speaker end instead of two. It is made for speakers with two pairs of binding posts. Your speaker's manual shows which links to remove.

Tighten the connections, power up, and play something you know well.

When Is It Time to Upgrade?

Speaker cable often stays put for years, so it tends to be the last thing upgraded. Look again when something else changes. Moving from bookshelf speakers to floorstanders is the big one. In our experience, about nine in ten people who make that move keep their old speaker cable. A stronger amplifier, a longer run, or darkened ends are the other signs.

Pairs Well With

A speaker cable joins your amplifier to your speakers. These are the categories on either end of it.

• Floorstanding Speakers — the best time to rethink your speaker cable
• Bookshelf Speakers — the speaker end in a smaller room
• Integrated Amplifiers — the amplifier end in most stereo systems
• Stereo Amplifiers — the amplifier end when you run separates

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Crosslink go inside a wall?

Yes. Cardas prints the jacket with a CL2 rating for in-wall use. Check your local code for what your installation needs.

Which end goes to the amplifier?

Cardas suggests installing its cables as if they are directional, so the signal flows the same way the text reads on the jacket. Turn the amplifier off, and connect the speakers first.

What warranty does Cardas give?

Cardas backs its cables with a lifetime warranty covering bad or intermittent internal connections, shorts and loose connectors.

Is there a step up?

Cardas Iridium is the next step, a 2x11.5 AWG twisted pair in Cardas's Grade 1 copper.

See It in Action

Audio Advisor visits Cardas in Bandon, Oregon, to show the solder-free compression forging Cardas uses on its forged speaker cable terminations.

Need a Different Length or Connector?

The most popular configurations are shown on this page. If your system requires a different length or termination, call our audio experts. We’ll help you choose the right configuration and arrange a custom cable for your system.

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Learn More

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