Clear Beyond Phono X2

Cardas · Clear Beyond

Cardas's secret-menu phono cable: a dual run of Clear Beyond Interconnect, with eight Matched Propagation conductors and multiple shields, from a single 5-pin DIN tonearm plug to Cardas SRCAs.

Price is for one complete phono cable (both channels).

Clear Beyond Phono X2 began as a one-off: a pair of Clear Beyond Interconnects prepared for a 5-pin DIN tonearm in an extreme analog system shown at Munich High End. Word spread, and the dual phono is now a catalog item. Each channel gets its own full Clear Beyond run — four 26.5 AWG Matched Propagation conductors with ultra-fine 47 to 39 AWG strands, air-tube suspension and a composite shield — for eight conductors in all.

A single run of Clear Beyond is already a top phono cable; some vinyl systems benefit from a dual run, which is simple when the turntable has RCA outputs but normally impossible from a DIN arm. X2 solves that. Standard termination is a Cardas S-DIN to SRCA; R-DIN and SME 90° DIN are available to order.

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.
• Air-tube suspension. Anti-static LDPE air tubes and carbon-impregnated PTFE tape hold the conductors in air; a second layer of tubes 1.618 times larger suspends the composite shield away from the signal path.
• 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

• Check your tonearm: most have a 5-pin DIN socket under the arm base (straight DIN), some exit sideways and need a 90° DIN, and others have RCA sockets on the plinth.
• Cardas builds a 90° R-DIN or SME-style 90° DIN to order at no extra charge in most cases; tell us the arm model and we will specify it.
• 1 m to 1.25 m suits a phono stage on the same shelf; measure the real path to a stage on another rack and round up to the next quarter metre.
• Longer than 2.75 m? Cardas prices custom lengths by formula — call us for a quote.