Truly a good interconnect without the hype; value; locking RCAs work well.

Lower mid-band exaggeration but liveable.

I've been on a mission to find a good, low cost interconnect to use between my AA DAC and my Acurus DIA100 integrated amp. I originally bought the PBJs as a recommendation from stereophile. The cable has served me well but it left me longing for more transparency and air. Cables I've tried include Synergistic Reseach alpha sterling, MIT Term-2, Transparent MusicLink, and AQ's Diamondback and Viper. The most disappointing was the MusicLink; it completely lacked the inner detail and transparency I was looking for. It made my system sound rather stale and lifeless. By far, the Cardas Microtwin-Twinlink is the best sounding wire for the money. My main complaint is that the lower mid-bands tend to sound a little exaggerated. This may be a good thing for systems on the lean side but in my system, it sometimes makes my system sound a little too full. Overall its a very natural sounding cable except for the slight exaggeration in the lower mid-band. Not quite as good as my Golden Cross in my other system but has about 75% of the qualities at a fraction of the cost. It's not quite as open and airy as the Golden Cross but far better than all the cables I was directly comparing it against. A great value.

Similar Products Used:

Transparent MusicLink, MIT Terminator2s, Kimber PBJs, Synergistic Research Alpha Sterling, AQs Diamondback, Viper.

warm, smooth

somewhat loss of detail, decreased transparency, midbass bloat if in the wrong system

This review is for the 300B-Microtwin Interconnect. At its price, it is a very good cable. However, compared to the Golden Cross, it lacks a certain fullness/dimensionality, tending to sound somewhat flat in comparison. Also, while the Golden Cross has warmth with extremely little loss of detail, the Microtwin can seem somewhat bloated in the midbass with a decrease in detail (still slight, however). The Kimber PBJ is more detailed, more transparent, but will as a result, sound more bright in comparison to the Microtwin. If you are trying to rid your system of bright, digital nasties, this may just do the trick. If you have an already warm system, however, this may just be too much.

Similar Products Used:

Kimber PBJ, Cardas Golden Cross

naturaly balanced, sound is very musical and natural,

little less bass

hey, I can hear a very natural piano sound from my Jacintha CD's, that's better from my early cables I've used.
Overall, the music become very detail, high and mid frequency is very transparent and I enjoy that, but the bass is good (not excelence), but it detail too.
My sistem is:
Technics SU-V 60 integrated amp
Adcom GFA 545 Amp
a DIY preamp - a tube pre amp
Wharfedale Diamond V loudspeaker

Similar Products Used:

pitt mawitt audiophile cables, standard cables

An honest retailer, that I know buy all my audio equipment from, recomendedthe Cardas Microtwin cables for my Bryston 3b's with a Bryston .5b pre. I let her know that I wasn't completely happy with my Bryston setup. The sound seemed
somewhat rough and lacked depth. I was in the store looking for another setup
to replace it. She recomended I try the Cardas Microtwin cable before I did anything rash. I cautiously asked her how much they were, knowing full well
how expensive they get. I was relieved to find they were only about $150 a
pair. When I connected them up, one word came to mind: WOW! The sound
was noticably smoothed out and the bass was tighter and more pronounced.
I've now upgraded to Cardas Hexlink cables, and am a sound believer of the
Cardas line. There cables range from $150 to over a thousand, but rest assured, the best value for the money is the Microtwin. I've tried other cables,
'but have yet to find a cable that can smooth out the music as well as the
Cardas.

Quality cables at a price that will not make you cringe.

Haven't noticed any.

This review covers both the Cardas 300B Microlink Interconnects and Cardas Crosslink 15 Speaker Wire.

I recently auditioned a pair of the entry level Cardas Crosslink 15 and Harmonic Technologies - Precision-Link interconnects. Both were priced under $200 (Canadian) for a 3 metre pair.

I heard a definite difference between the two, but read on.

The Harmonic Technologies cables were "brighter" than the Cardas cables. The Cardas stuff was "smoother" and there was a noticeable difference in the bottom end between the two. I did not notice any imaging or sound stage improvements/differences from either set of cables over my Radio Shack cables (which sound too "dull" for my tastes). Also, did not notice any differences in detail between the two. I ended up buying the Cardas cables but did not pay full price.

I also bought some entry level Cardas Crosslink 15 speaker wire (listed at $9/ft. Did not pay full price for these either.) Again, I heard an improvement over my $1.00/ft 12 gauge braided copper speaker wire. This time I DID notice an imaging/instrument placement improvement.

My stand on this subject (paraphrased from the mouth of an acquaintance) is:

I believe a quality interconnect or speaker wire with good solid connectors is worth the money, if only for the fact that you obtain the peace of mind that comes with knowing that you are getting everything possible from your source components and amplifiers. One set of cables does not sound "better" than another although they may sound "different".

Onto the soapbox:

That being said, $600+ for two pieces of wire is simply kookoo. Actually $200 is kinda kookoo, but us audiophiles pay big bucks to inch ourselves closer to that "ultimate listening session" and the cable guys know it and are cashing in on it. Too bad, but life sucks, huh?. Free enterprise, supply and demand, etc. at it's worst.

All these threads on the newsgroups about "Is there a difference" should really be about "can YOU actually hear a difference?" I myself have exceptional hearing in all ranges. I recently tested perfect across the board at all frequencies. Maybe all the naysayers should get hearing tests before flaming the believers? I dunno, but I bet I'll get flamed for that comment.

Bottom line: Each listener should audition and choose the cables that "they" like.

BTW, if you don't hear a difference between cables and interconnects, don't spend the money on them. Very simple. Use your ears. If you listen to a new piece of equipment or cable and it makes your audio system sound more enjoyable to you, the only decision that you need to make is, is it worth the money to make me happy and how long will my wife not speak to me after buying the product?

Hopping off the soapbox and getting out the flame retardant underwear,

Chris

Similar Products Used:

Harmonic Technologies Precision Link interconnects, Radio Shack interconnects, Average 12 gauge twisted copper wire at $1/ft (Canadian)

I have always liked Cardas on my various video components as it still has detail but is SMOOTH and makes the bad audio thats on movies,etc. sound listenable,especially voices.If a little more detail and air are needed without the threadbear of other interconnects-try Magnan or Audioquest.As always system variable.

I think that is very difficalt to find a beter interconect in this price range. Highly recomended to everyone seking for smoth cable.