Clear AES/EBU

Cardas · Clear Digital

A reference 110 Ω AES/EBU cable built from Clear's Matched Propagation conductors and terminated with Cardas CG XLRs; Cardas calls Matched Propagation a game changer for digital transmission.

Price is for one hand-terminated cable.

Clear AES/EBU uses the same three 25.5 AWG Matched Propagation conductors as Clear Interconnect — Litz bundles of 41 to 39 AWG strands around Kevlar cores, in ultra-thin extruded PTFE — in an equilateral triad on anti-static air tubes, with the geometry set to meet the 110 Ω AES/EBU standard.

Cardas describes it as more open and more dynamic, with a completely neutral tonal balance: a reference-level AES/EBU cable that compromises nothing. It is terminated with Cardas CG XLRs in Bandon, Oregon.

Key technologies

• Matched Propagation Technology. US Patent 7,674,973: the propagation rate of the conductor is matched to that of the dielectric through the conductor's internal geometry, so the signal is not smeared in time.
• Ultra Pure Cardas Copper. Grade 1, 99.9999% pure oxygen-free copper, drawn and annealed slowly through silver dies, then given a single poly-nylon coat to prevent oxidation and crosstalk between strands.
• Golden Ratio scaled Litz conductors. Multi-stranded conductors in which each layer of strands steps up in size by 1:1.618 from the centre outward, a Cardas patent that controls strand resonance.
• Made in Bandon, Oregon. Every Cardas cable is built and hand terminated at the Cardas factory on the southern Oregon coast, and carries a transferable lifetime warranty.

Choosing length and terminations

• Use AES/EBU where both components have XLR digital sockets; it is not interchangeable with 75 Ω S/PDIF.
• Measure component-to-component along the real path and round up; digital cables are not fussy about an extra half metre, and Cardas suggests 1.5 m as a good S/PDIF length.
• Longer than 5 m? Cardas prices custom lengths by formula — call us for a quote.