anyone upgrade their RCA connectors on Cardas RCA cables?
I just got a nice set of Cardas Iridium RCAs and I am liking what I am hearing. I’ve been using Mogami 2549 wire for the past 15+ years, and the signal quality improved on many levels each time I upgraded to a better RCA connector in combination with the 2549 shot gunned terminated wire. I finally ended up with a combination of KELI Copper Harmony RCA pairs and some Furutech 126g RCA pairs with the 2549 and used them with great results for many years. Now that I’ve consolidated my main source and amp separates to a great sounding Atoll IN200 evo, I’ve ended up with some extra RCA cables with the above listed terminators. Have people seen better results going to a higher quality RCA connector with Cardas wire? I would most likely try swapping the the KELI Copper Harmony first from one of my 2549 extra pairs given it is all copper with a silver plate over it vs. the Cardas GRMO which is non-magnetic, eutectic brass, rhodium over silver plate and brass cover with gold plate. TIA.
@decooney -thanks! btw, 10 mOhms cable-connector bond resistance is a lot.. typ. I see ~10uOhms..100uOhms in my lab! "Cardas will state they have cables that measure the same and sound different" - haven’t seen two cables, even the same model, measuring exactly the same in 40 years! LOL design/manufacturing reality is harsh, there is no ways to find two (even same model/brand) amps/pre-amps/speakers/etc sounding the same.. tube amp changes sound every hour.. listeners age as well! LOL |
Ya know it's a really good point on both fronts. I have been listening to my tube amps at 2hrs vs 6hrs over the past 4+ years, and question myself sometimes if its the changes in the tube amps for different reasons, or my hearing changing more as I get older in the same day listening session. Strangely enough, listening on a late Sunday night after a nice long weekend, can sound amazing for whatever reasons, less static in the air -or- less static in the brain after some nice relaxation and rest. I just hope I can maintain hearing long enough to still enjoy it. Cheers :) |
I would highly advise against it. I wanted to change the terminations on my Cardas Quad 5C speaker cables. The wire used by Cardas, is coated with a varnish/shellac coating, that is a btch to get off, in order facilitate soldering. I tried melting it off it with my soldering iron, which only made a gummy mess. I finally bought a solder pot. It worked, but made a mess of the cables ends. Better to keep the original connectors, and use Caig pro Gold, or another good contact cleaner. I don't think much would be gained using a different connector anyway. mg16 |
