No matter what type of hi-fi component currently makes a splash, whether it is headphones or network-based storage systems, shortly after they have popped up, the respective companies have added the required cables to their portfolio. No wonder that even Cardas Audio now is offering high-quality network cables. And they have, to my understanding, a unique selling point.

In his review on the Cardas Audio Clear Headphone Cable, Bert Seidenstücker mentioned that the conductors were made from "Cardas copper." In other words, Cardas manufactures its copper and silver conductors by themselves. The reason for this was, according to the Cardas cable specialists, that in the mid-80's industrial copper was easily available and cheaply priced, thanks to mass production techniques such as the resistance annealing process. Very pure and ultra-soft copper, however, was simply not available. Some cable companies side-tracked to foreign manufacturers, but their products showed big variations in quality, despite being sold at astronomical prices. Therefore the Cardas people were forced to produce the required conductors by themselves. For quite a long time they remained their sole and most discriminating customer. Meanwhile, Cardas furnishes product to a substantial number of the audio cable manufacturers. Of course, Cardas isn't soliciting around with its customer list, but I'm pretty sure that the primary material of some of the reviewed cables here at HiFi Statement originates from Cardas. And it is by no means a diminution when a company puts into practice its ideal cable geometries with the best materials available.

Furthermore, Cardas states that the most frequently requested copper quality is the so-called "Grade 1 (Ultra)," in which the conductors are purified and annealed after each drawing process under a hydrogen atmosphere. A special coating guarantees that the copper does not harden or oxidize between the processing steps. In addition, the surface of the conductors gets diamond-polished after each drawing in a special custom-built appliance. The conductors used by Cardas for their own cables are sheathed with urethane to achieve a long-term protection from oxidation. As primary material for the conductor, production copper ingots of the highest quality with a zero recycling proportion are being used. I know of no other manufacturer whose cables are being made with such a vertical range of production as with Cardas.

The Cardas Clear Network comes with eight solid-core conductors made from Cardas Ultra-Pure Copper, with a cross-section of about 0.2 square millimeters, jacketed in skin-foamed polyethylene and arranged in shielded pairs, each pair with its own drain wire. The four pairs are wrapped firstly in a foil shield, and then secondly in a braided shield. The outer jacket is formed by a soft, flexible thermoplastic rubber. Incidentally, it is no wonder that the solidly-made Ethernet connectors may look familiar to German readers:  the RJ45 connectors provided by the German company Telegärtner are also used by Audioquest for their top-range cable models Vodka and Diamond. Even for the Audioquest Carbon, which is available bulk from a reel, the connectors from the prestigious German manufacturer are offered as an option. Currently my digital audio system includes a Carbon of approximately 15 meter length, which connects the router to the Melco NAS, and a Diamond, which connects the Melco to the Auralic Aries Femto.