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Cardas Clear Cygnus Phono

Cardas

Clear Cygnus Phono

$530 - $1,293

Cardas · Clear Cygnus

Flagship-derived Matched Propagation conductors in a shielded star quad, at the price most analog systems can justify: organic, dynamic and neutral, with rich analog detail.

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

Build your cable

4 × 25.5 AWG
Cardas Litz conductors, Golden Ratio stranding
Star-quad
four-conductor geometry
9.8 mm
outside diameter
0.5–2.75 m
standard lengths, any length to order

Clear Cygnus Phono borrows the star-quad geometry and air-tube suspension of the flagship Clear Beyond Phono, with four 25.5 AWG Matched Propagation conductors insulated in a double layer of PTFE tape; the composite shield rides on its own layer of larger air tubes.

Cardas calls it very organic and dynamic, keeping the Cardas sound with a neutral tonal balance and rich analog detail, and says it works in almost any analog system. Standard terminations are a Cardas S-DIN to GRMO RCA or RCA to RCA; a CG XLR phono-stage end is a $200 upgrade.

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.
Specifications
Type Phono (tonearm) cable, both channels
Conductors 4 × 25.5 AWG; Matched Propagation Kevlar-core Litz, double-layer PTFE tape insulation
Geometry Star-quad, four conductors with anti-static LDPE air tubes bound in carbon-impregnated PTFE tape; outer PTFE air tubes scaled 1.618× suspend the composite shield of tinned copper and magnet wire
Outside diameter 0.384 in (9.8 mm)
Tonearm end Straight 5-pin DIN (Cardas S-DIN) or RCA pair (turntable with RCA outputs); Cardas R-DIN (90°) and SME 90° DIN to order
Phono stage end RCA pair — Cardas GRMO or XLR pair — Cardas CG XLR upgrade
Lengths 0.5 m to 2.75 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 phono cables run from Iridium to Clear Beyond Phono X2; all are built with a straight 5-pin DIN or RCAs at the tonearm and Cardas RCAs at the phono stage, with R-DIN (90°) and SME 90° DIN available to order.

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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