Cardas Audio Parsec Speaker Cable - 4.0 Meter - Banana to Banana - Pair

Cardas Parsec Pairs Classic Cardas Midrange With Quick Bass

Cardas describes Parsec as a superb balance of characteristics: classic Cardas midrange, quick bass, rich harmonics and a naturally extended top octave. It evolved from Cardas's Quadlink and mixes old and new technology from the company's flagship cables.

Cardas makes it by hand in Bandon, Oregon. Parsec is a 4x15.5 AWG Star-Quad cable that works with virtually any speaker, including bi-wire speakers. Cardas solders on its CGMS spades or CABE bananas. This 4.0-meter length is about 13 feet long.

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

The Kevlar Core Hiding Inside Parsec

Parsec's conductors wrap a braided Kevlar core. Cardas uses its Grade 1, 99.9999% pure oxygen-free copper, with a clear coating on every strand that Cardas says prevents oxidation. The company says its copper is mined in the Southwest USA and processed in the Northeast.

Each Litz conductor is built from many fine strands, each with its own coating. The smallest wires sit at the center, and each layer grows in size at the Golden Ratio, 1:1.618, Cardas says. Its Cross-field construction reverses every other layer.

Why Cardas Wraps Each Conductor in Air

Cardas builds Parsec around a nylon air-tube core surrounded by anti-static fibers. Each of the four conductors sits in a PTFE air tube, and the group is bound together in FEP tape inside a flexible TPR jacket. The finished cable measures 0.500 inches across.

The CGMS spade is milled from high-purity billet copper and plated in silver and rhodium. Cardas makes it in 6.35mm and 9mm sizes, with a slight 13-degree angle, and fits it by hand.

Who Is This Speaker Cable Best For?

• You want the classic Cardas midrange — Cardas built Parsec around it, with quick bass and an extended top octave
• You want one cable for almost any speaker — Cardas says Parsec works great with virtually any speaker
• Your speakers have two pairs of binding posts — bi-wire versions let one run from the amplifier feed both pairs of posts
• You want flagship ideas at a lower step — Parsec mixes old and new technology from Cardas's flagship cables
• 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 Parsec be bi-wired?

Yes. Cardas builds Parsec as a single-wire or bi-wire cable. Each listing's title says which it is.

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.

Does it need to break in?

Cardas says break-in takes at most 200 hours, and usually about half that. Playing music through the cable is the best way to do it.

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 Clear Sky X4 is the next step and the start of Cardas's Clear line, with Matched Propagation conductors.

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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