December 6, 2007

• Cardas Golden Reference, Part 3

  I see that audio publications are coming out with their "Best Of 2007" lists.  I just shake my head.  I've tried many of those "winners," and many just will not work in your system.  Many of the preamps, for example, simply have too much gain.  You'll get blasted out of the room, even with the volume knob at MIN.  Many of the CD players have absolutely terrible ergonomics.  Trust me, after two months, the CD player will annoy the crap out of you, and you'll be looking for something else.  Many of the amps run hotter than a space heater.  No go.  Many of the speakers are butt ugly.  You and your spouse will not want those monstrosities taking up residence in your living room! 
  
  As I look back at this year, I just can't find much to recommend.  Nothing makes my list. 
  
  One product that comes close, though, is the Audio Physic New Spark:
  
  It takes up very little space, is single-wire, comes in several nice finishes, and flat-out is faithful to the recording and upstream equipment.  The New Spark simply tells it like it is, and that's a wonderful, wonderful thing.  It won't screw up what you feed it.  And it's very flexible, as far as placement possibilities go.  They can be toed-in or faced straight ahead.  They can be placed against the back wall, or brought out into the room. 
  
  Drawbacks?  The New Spark is not magnetically shielded.  There's a large port on the rear, into which children will place objects.  Its stability is only so-so.  But most of all, the New Spark is rather sensitive, which will only exacerbate the problem of sound being too loud, even when the preamp's volume control is at or near MIN.
  
  Easy to overlook is Cardas' Golden Reference powercord:
  
  It comes in a plastic bag, which, while inexpensive and effective, is easy to dismiss.  Yet, I find that infinitely more efficient than Nordost's wasteful wooden boxes.  Furthermore, like other Golden Reference products, the powercord has a dull black outer jacket -- so not sexy.  
  
  Not too long ago, Cardas wisely switched to these IEC plugs:
  
  Unlike the original round IEC plugs, these (I think they're sourced from Furutech) will fit in tighter quarters.  But for now, I've got the GR PC on the Cable Cooker: 
  
  When I get enough samples of these GR PCs, I'll let you know how they burn-in, and how they perform.
  
  I don't need to beat a dead horse, but with each passing year, pop music just gets worse and worse.  But by far, the most enjoyable new song this year is Erasure's "Sunday Girl."  A good system should make you feel like Snoopy, when he's rapidly moving his feet, thus making him happily float above the ground.  "Sunday Girl" comes from the album, Light At The End Of The World.  On this album, Erasure returns to the form that made them so loved in the 80s.  But why must we rely on old artists to make music's "Best Of" lists?
  

  • 1:23 pm
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