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Cardas Clear USB

Cardas

Clear USB

$220 - $580

Cardas · Clear Digital

A musically neutral USB cable built with Matched Propagation conductors and optimised for constant transfer impedance, so it sounds the same at any usable length.

Price is for one hand-terminated cable.

Build your cable

Constant
transfer impedance
4
Matched Propagation conductors
USB A–B
standard termination
0.5–5 m
standard lengths, any length to order

Clear USB uses Matched Propagation Kevlar-core Litz conductors in an asymmetrical star quad: a shielded twisted pair for the signal, with the power conductors bound alongside in PFA tape and a final shield of aluminium/mylar, tin-plated copper and magnet wire under a TPR jacket.

Cardas optimised it for constant transfer impedance rather than a full-wave characteristic impedance, and describes it as musically neutral and the same at any usable length. Standard termination is USB A to B; some custom terminations are available.

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

  • USB A to B suits most DACs and streamers; tell us if your component needs USB C at either end and we will check with Cardas.
  • 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.
Specifications
Type USB 2.0 audio cable
Conductors 2 × 25.5 AWG + 2 × 21.5 AWG; Matched Propagation Kevlar-core Litz, extruded PTFE insulation
Geometry Asymmetrical star-quad: the signal pair is a shielded twisted pair, power and signal conductors bound in PFA tape; final shield of aluminium/mylar, tin-plated copper and magnet wire
Outside diameter 0.220 in (5.6 mm)
Terminations USB A to USB B; some custom terminations available
Lengths 0.5 m to 5 m standard (see selector); any length to order
Sold as Single cable

cardas.com · Specifications and pricing from the Cardas Spring 2025 Retail Catalog. Cable lengths are metric; Cardas builds any length to order.

Where it sits in the range

Cardas digital cables: Clear-range AES/EBU, S/PDIF coax, USB and Ethernet with Matched Propagation or Cardas copper conductors, plus the Parsec Digital coax.

We stock or demo select Cardas lines and can order anything in the catalog, from Iridium to Clear Beyond.

Plan your cabling with Pearl Audio

Pearl Audio is an authorized Cardas dealer in Portland, Oregon, a short drive from the Cardas factory in Bandon. We can measure your runs, recommend terminations for your components, and special-order custom lengths and connector options. Call (503) 222-2599 or email sales@pearlaudio.com.

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