This is the BEST video about LOUDSPEAKER CABLES that you will see all year

👉🏻 This episode is brought to you by Patreon:
/ johndarko
🎥 Camera: Jana Dagdagan
🎬 Editor: Jana Dagdagan
✂ An EXTENDED CUT of this video can be found on Patreon:
/ johndarko
This is the FIFTH in a series of videos showing off American-made hi-fi gear. Each of these videos was funded by Darko.Audio Patreon supporters with zero financial contribution from the manufacturer.
👉🏻 As seen in this video...
Cardas Clear Beyond:
www.cardas.com/clear_beyond_sp...
🎵 Song IDs? Playlists of all music heard in this video - and other videos - can be found on PATREON: / johndarko
📺 More in the 'American Made' series...
American Made #1: Audio Research I/50
darko.audio/2021/11/american-...
American Made #2: AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt
darko.audio/2022/01/american-...
American Made #3: Magnepan LRS
darko.audio/2022/02/american-...
American Made #4: Schiit Tyr
darko.audio/2022/04/american-...
🛋 My listening room in 2022:
darko.audio/darkos-listening-...
#audiophile #cables #americanmade
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[@DarkoAudio]

PLEASE READ *before commenting*! 1) Got a question? Please ask it of the Darko.Audio KZbin community (and not me) as I'm off making the NEXT video 2) All comments here are moderated by a third party: instagram.com/p/CTWcokaszpW/ 3) Polite comments that advance the conversation are most welcome (but no URLs, racist/sexist remarks or conspiracy theories, please)

[@murphman76]

What the high-end cable industry really needs is a legitimate neutral 3rd party researcher to conduct blindfold tests among audiophile and non-audiophile listeners. There could be a very good reason why this (to my knowledge) has never been done.

[@elasmojones]

shtap, you're making too much sense.

[@JurMalafi]

Like the man said he didn't have a system that could resolve the difference between cables. Some people no matter the system cannot discriminate the difference between cables. What I find laughable from the all knowing 900IQ engineer types is they have not experienced how some of these "High End" cables completely ruin the sound of a system. Especially the silver coated copper cables, do you like your hysteresis much? There is difference in cables but many are the same, what is important is that when there is a difference there can be a preference and that is all. These hand built cables that sound the same as every other cable CAN make your system look really cool...how much is that worth? Cardas Golden 5C speaker wire, MIT M750 shotgun, Kimber 8TC speaker cables will all give you a choice between using a coat hanger, sound king 12 guage, electrical cord try it out! Call the cable company and borrow some cables from their library. Because the loud and ignorant dominate this argument due to the lack of "academic research studies" there is never a conversation how cables are more likely and how they degrade the sound of your system. HOW can people who have never heard the difference between cables select the cables to compare? All those clever engineer types with superior intellects simply chose wires by their price! Did they learn that in school? "Cold forge it"...versus solder, step one. I will end my rant there. Good Day! :)

[@g.m.3979]

I have used cables from Siltech, Ansuz, Furutech, Oyaide for years. As a joke I ordered copied power cables from Odin2 and Valhalla from China. I was shocked at how good they sounded. I then sold my stock of the famous brand cables. I think the manufacturers have ripped us all off with their fantasy prices

[@tomorrow-man]

Call me suprised a video about cables that was enjoyable and I could not stop watching. Love the Cardas company - quirky, fun and you can see their love for the product. Last but not least Jana is a bloody good videographer - well done Team Darko

[@polroger90]

I've seen three of these Jana led "On Location" manufacturer tour videos so far... (Magnepan/Schiit/Cardas) and I think they are excellent! Please continue to keep this type (series) of videos coming. They are a good addition to your more regular review style videos.

[@kenwebster5053]

The purity of copper depends solely on the refining process. Copper ores are mined from the natural environment, typically as a mixture of metal sulphides, oxides and sometimes carbonates if your lucky. These are mixed with other minerals such as talc, Chlorite & other rocks such as shales etc. The mine usually crushes the ore to a powder & concentrates it to separate the metal bearing ore form non metal minerals. The metal concentrate is mostly copper, lead, Zinc, Silver, Gold etc along with some contaminates. This is transported to a refinery/smelter. My dad was chief electrical engineer at ER&S (Southern copper) Port Kembla They had a reputation for about the worlds most pure copper back in the day (closed now). They used an electrolytic process to plate out the copper to purity. So no, the mine is not the reason for copper purity. That's entirely down to the refinery. It's complicated because the concentrate could contain anything & it's composition is variable & the refinery needs to test & respond to the variability to maintain purity. They collect & analyse a lot of data over time, learning how best to respond. That's called engineering.

[@ramencurry6672]

True but pristine high quality audio is so easily conducted that even un pure copper is fine especially for short length cables.

[@a0r0a7]

​@@ramencurry6672absolutely correct, well said.

[@timhall3160]

This is how SOTA happens: fanatical attention to detail at every step, design choices based on experience and conviction, and long term dedication. Not every innovation necessarily improves sound, but this is how progress happens. Kudos to Cardas for a masterclass in professional devotion.

[@traildoggy]

Kid: "The neighbors asked me to turn it down." Audiophile Dad: - Beams With Pride...

[@groovesick]

Jana‘s way of filming is special. It’s hyper polished yet - despite looking like a high class marketing real - she manages to portray everything with a great deal of authenticity by leaving us with an intimate portrayal of the people involved. Great work! Thank you for this.

[@georgelewis3047]

the room is "not acoustically perfect" hilarious understatement!

[@Double-Exposure]

Ok, one more thing, just finished the video and I swear I never spent more than $50 on any cable but this absolutely made me want to buy cables from this wonderful company - and I think I'd still feel good about a purchase even if I couldn't hear a difference.

[@rufust.firefly9796]

That's what they are counting on.

[@wa2368]

yeah right

[@ready4audio805]

Great job Jana, you are a true artist! Hope you expand to full blown docs, you have a magic touch. Can also see now why cables cost so much, regardless whether you think it’s worth it. Many do apparently.✌️

[@dihydrotestosterone]

Thanks for showing us the human side of the company! Remember that Cardas is one of the originator of the high-end cable industry. There's so many cables companies nowadays with pseudo science .... 🙋👍

[@qddk9545]

This seems to be a very heavy weight contender in the industry 🙂. Nail polish, high heeled shoes, endless miles of water hoses and low hanging fruits - what more could you want? ... Maybe some serious talk about the products, and why they are supposed to be good.

[@fracek72]

That was so different from any other high-tech audio documentaries. You manage to show us the real people standing behind this product. Refreshing and just Brilliant!

[@SanderE39]

I have no love for expensive cables and see no use for them, BUT I loved this documentary. The way it’s been filmed, framed and cut is incredible and It really brings out the love and craftsmanship inside this company. Even though I don’t think I will ever buy their product(or be able to) I think this whole film really put a great spotlight on the people and their passion for this product. After this I do have respect for what they do. If possible I would love to see more of this high quality content, thank you for making this.

[@justinwalsh5521]

I know very little about speaker cables, I’m a cable agnostic (hard to have an opinion on high priced cables with no experience) but this video was incredible, and Cardas really seems like a neat company to work for. Love all the attention to detail. What a video!

[@sjohie]

I don't really buy into the whole premium cable "thing" upto this price point, but I do understand proper materials and manufacturing skills cost more money, then amazon charges for their basics stuff. And it's always enjoyable to see professionals care about their job and products. Lovely video.

[@dannyb3663]

This is FASCINATING. I never knew you could do so much to cable, to make it so expensive.

[@pearceclayton8614]

Great video John. There is more to life than just nameless factories in Asia. This is a human story at the end of the day. If people have the money, the high end kit and want to make sure they are not losing anything in between, then why not? To the critics below. If you don't like high end stuff, nobody is forcing you to buy it. I was sceptical about equipment stands once, until my ex bought a Quadrasphere rack (hardly high end), but the difference from going from Habitat perforated metal to something very rigid shows that small change can make large differences in the signal chain for even moderate equipment. To use a woodworkers analogy, one degree non square over 100 yards and you'll be off by 5.2 feet at the other end. And finally to the coat hanger guy below - why not stick a sewing needle in a large piece of cardboard and play your vinyl? It works as a pickup, amp and transducer, but would you want to?

[@MrMightymind]

Add another one to the impressed list. Great video,people, company, story etc. Jana smashed it! More like this please John (& team).

[@anthonymoore1175]

That’s the best KZbin video I’ve seen in a long time. Well done and well done Cardas

[@paulpavlou9294]

Good to hear that Cardas cables isn't about the bottom line, but more about the people and culture in which they work. This obviously helps in the final outcome of the product. I think after watching this my next hi-end cables will be Cardas cables. Very entertaining and well produced video. Thanks.

[@hamidrezahabibi8111]

I do thank John Darko and his team for making such a fun video about my favorite audio cable manufacturer CARDAS AUDIO which I had the honor to exclusively distribute it in my country Iran with my late father in the ‘90s. It’s a fantastic cable company. I bow down in respect 🫡 to the great George Cardas. 🌞🎶💎✨👍

[@regwhittome]

Everything about this video is joyful.

[@IHearEverythingDude]

Good work as always. Please Darko and Jana make more of that. Its always interesting to see companies from the inside. Keep it up.

[@peace-yv4qd]

My pair of Iridium interconnects stopped working so I contacted Cardas and they sent me an RA number. From start to finish it took about a week to receive them back in a nice box with the cables enclosed in a heavy duty bag and wrapped with Four Leaf Clover St Patrick's Day wrapping paper. And a note saying my cables enjoyed visiting their hometown except the part with the soldering iron which they didn't care for. Interesting company.

[@jesuscostantino2925]

Jana’s docs continue to be among the best audio shows going.

[@shitsandwich1983]

i live in oregon and had no idea cardas was made here! beer, pool, cars, audio and high heels?! these are my kinda people. i'm definitely going to visit someday. excellent video jana and darko.

[@mgsee]

This is the BEST video about LOUDSPEAKER CABLES I've seen, and beautifully produced by Jana also 😊

[@GermanRedrum]

As Ray Kimble of Kimber Kable responded when someone asked him why his 'Kables' cost so much, he said "Because people pay me for them." There are so many hypotheses out there on audio/video cables its mind numbing. Everyone has their own reason why there's are amazing. It's an endless rabbit hole of research.

[@adrinathegreat3095]

It's an electrical path from the amp to the speakers, the posts on the amp would only be soldered in, and that's good enough from the amp stage to the electrical speaker connections. Look how thin the voice coils are on speakers, any cable larger than this is over kill, unless you are running a system flat out for hours at a time, in which case they may get warm, but so does the voice coil in the speaker.

[@westenbergerstephan5955]

Wonderful!!! These people produce an awesome product on one hand. More importantly, they run a Family Business where the employee is truely the most important part of the company and not the share holder! I do wish there we're more companies out there like this. All the best for their business and their wonderful (work) relationship amongst themselves! 👍👏

[@lordw9609]

100%

[@pisaberkeley9491]

but they don't make their cables... they buy cables from manufacturers here (usa) and there (china) and do cutting/terminating/packaging/adding 10x profit

[@petergoose8164]

Through exhaustive research my team has shown the real impediment to a perfect audio experience is cerumen (earwax). Therefore I have put out an exclusive range of cleaning buds made from virgin cotton grown in a secret location and picked under a full moon. We take extra care to ensure the printing on them does not detract from their performance. Under controlled listening tests discriminating users have attested to the improvement in sound these provide.

[@Freedom89984]

🤣👍🏼

[@jyharris]

What?

[@OPTIMUS6LTR]

ive remortgaged my home where can i buy these

[@julz9329]

What a georgeos and heartwarming documentary. I wish there would be more stuff like this out there. Thanks you so much!

[@paulnovitt8557]

Jana, I have been a Cardas Cable customer for many years. Thank you for the detailed video about the process used to make Cardas Clear Speaker Cables.

[@dixonkim8659]

I don't comment much on KZbin but I have to say that I was so amazed at how good, warm and touching this video was all at the same time. I especially love how Jana caught the overall human connection in producing high end audio gear. I can tell Cardas Audio is a family.

[@jacobewert]

These videos are fantastic. So nice to see the human side of niche manufacturing in America--skilled and dedicated workers, and conscientious business owners working together to create quality products. Great work, keep it up!

[@christopherdoolan925]

Congrats Jana! A milestone for the channel.

[@viktoryandrolf]

After watching this video, I'm only going to buy hi-end audio equipment from companies run by middle aged men with nail polish.

[@taidee]

This is a seriously great series, I love to see how it's made and the passion the makers have towards manufacturing the products. It gives a far better understanding of what it takes and therefore why cost is at the level that it happens to be in for that particular product.

[@camphabenero]

WOW love this video - America needs more companies like this back.

[@dizzycow3726]

One helluva video! Great capture of the the humanity behind the product. Truly informative.

[@playbackamusicloversjourne8620]

Jana has a nack for bringing out the human side of a story and letting the people shine through. I enjoyed this - thanks.

[@Sammy-wz9jy]

Love the video, Thank you for putting these together. I love seeing the care that goes into the products and the CRAZY dedicated people that put themselves into the products they are building.

[@frankbrannigan2916]

I truly love that the first stop on the tour was there home. Absolutely amazing and loving family environment. Great job.

[@2ChannelListening]

I really appreciated the humanity of this video. A humble audio accessory company with a passion to produce something unique. I would (and have) buy Cardas cables just for the sake of all the nice folks they employ stateside. As for those hating on her reference to using the Judd's - man, you guys are the reason people are turned off by audiophiles - you insist that only the music *You Approve* is the only acceptable reference material. Get over it and enjoy whatever it is you like best. I love Buckethead and Copland! Thank you Jana and John for gifting this video to the community.

[@Phil_f8andbethere]

Nice video - really like the fact that you "get out of the way" and aren't trying to be the centre of attention, but just let the manufacturers speak.

[@Double-Exposure]

What a fantastic and interesting video. A docu gem on something that could have been so dry and boring. With all the beautiful b-roll and personal interviews, I feel it holds up as an interesting watch even to people not necessarily interested in hifi. Well done!!!

[@mortlach186]

I noticed at Cardas, that they're not fanatical about clean room like conditions when assembling cables(eating popcorn while working), and handling everything with bare hands.

[@alphaniner3770]

Indeed, while I liked the video a lot, handling wire with bare hands certainly is a flaw in the production process - this transfers a lot of (isolating) junk onto the wire, including DNA of the builder.

[@psyphonyxaudio]

This is such a 'feel good video' .. Love the Van Halen style accents on the items around the house. Very eclectic stylizing.

[@TheHollowedArtist]

This is really neat and all, and I get the conductivity and materials in cables can effect the noise or interference going through them, but knowing the markup on these kinds of cables makes it hard to justify buying them or even considering them over something half or even 80% of the price

[@epgawt]

It was an absolute joy watching this video, thx so much!! please keep on creating stuff like this.👍

[@claudiuswaldschutz9179]

Wow Jana, excellent work. Thanks to all patreons and John for making this possible

[@nicothe2nd.]

Quite surprisingly, there's absolutely no exaggeration in the title of this video.

[@beskimo2]

I just came around to watching this. Thank you for taking the time to interview and edit all the video and audio to make this video. I have always saw Cardas as a big name in cables since the 90s and glad we got to see a video put together so well for a family business that cares about what they are known for. I was actually planning on making a custom headphone cable and now I want to choose the cardas cables just to support the story I just saw. Thanks!

[@buddyhume9297]

This was so awesome !! Jana this is beatiful work and I hope you and John do more content like this.

[@joelediger1728]

Aaah, the magic of speaker cables...

[@marcgoldin8937]

Well said.

[@cordonbloue]

And the cable haters bring it on. Its a passionate business, wich I love and support. No marketing monster, just crafted goods. Like jewelry for your system. Thank John and Jana for this piece.

[@christianmaloof399]

What a great video! Thank you so much for taking the time and effort. I have always had a lot of respect for Cardas, great to see their operation and Bandon is beautiful too. Great content.

[@cantgoslow]

Okay, I’ve watched this vid and the Wilson vid so far and they are the best ‘how it’s made’ vids I’ve ever seen. Manufactures should be paying good money for this high level of video- they cannot possibly look better and they should be over the moon about how great they appear!

[@skipgordon5382]

Appreciate the inside look at Cardas. I have many products from them and have been very pleased. Nice to see a real family business striving to continue what dad started. Excellent video job too.

[@spacejaime]

Amazing video of an iconic audio brand! I had my two channel high end system all wired up with Cardas - about 30 years ago. It made my Thiel speakers sing like no other cables.

[@thomaskiefer1270]

Jana, thank you for a freaking incredible video. Wow. Just so enjoyable and informative. What great people too at Cardas! You’re awesome Jana. Thanks John for showcasing her skill!

[@gusgusnft8231]

Depending on what you smoke, you will hear different sounds lol.

[@CaptainCrunch823]

This was very enjoyable to watch! Production value is off the charts and the “cast” was wonderful too!

[@m6j159]

Another brilliant collaboration video between you, John, and Jana. Wonderfully put together. I really like the values of Cardas, which came across loud and clear - great people at the top clearly equates to happy staff and beautifully made products. I'd like to work there! Thoroughly enjoyed that. Thanks Jana and John👍❤️👍

[@johnrobins795]

Just AWESOME...thank you Jana & John!!

[@Turboy65]

With the exception of cables made with a high precious metals content, even the most expensive and complex cables come out of the cable factory at a cost of dollars per foot, maybe 20 dollars per foot for the most complex types, at a guess. The costs to terminate the cables can involve several hours worth of employee labor, but when you're talking about a 10,000 dollar set of speaker cables, don't think for a moment that the profit margin on it is multiple thousands of dollars shared between the manufacturer and the dealer.

[@1luvoneworld]

INCREDIBLE! Thanks Darko team!

[@nickburak7518]

Warm fuzzy feelings of love and happiness! That's the second great company documentary video I've seen from you guys. Superb!

[@ewoutbuhler5217]

I fully respect the passion, the craftmanship, the comradery of this company, what a nice documentary about nice people. It's great that they can build their livelihood on customers willing to pay so extravagantly much more to squeeze the last drop of sound quality improvement out of their setup.

[@epi2045]

I agree with everything you said. The 2.5M spade/spade is $10,550.

[@mikepriest3340]

This was such a great watch. Thanks for making it!

[@luisrodrigonunezolguin7038]

What a good video, what an incredible company, my absolute congratulations and I think I enjoy my Cardas cables even more now.

[@Mr_Quimper]

When your boss is the office joker 😬

[@benoitdeshaies5407]

Epic reporting and story telling Jana. You are AMAZING!

[@grizcuz]

That was probably the most informative and entertaining short film I've ever seen about audio cables. I feel like I now understand why these things can be costly, when you add up all the raw materials and care and attention that goes into creating them, it's understandable why they do cost more than lesser products. Cardas looks like a fantastic place to work as well, they obviously care passionately about their company, the products and their employees. You don't get that in a lot of workplaces in my experience, in the 21st century, a lot of companies treat people like they are ultimately expendable and Cardas obviously don't. I sincerely hope they go from strength to strength, I'd much rather spend my money on a company that's getting everything right, not just constantly examining the bottom line.

[@craigcoughlin1834]

These videos are invaluable. With all of the pearl clutching over the value of "high end cables" there's surely value in supporting an independent company that believes in treating its employees like human beings and takes pride in the product it creates.

[@appearnowappearlater]

Did I see a Cardas usb cable going to a printer?!?! 👍🏼 Awesome, awesome video.

[@Infidelio]

The soundstage on those documents must be amazing.

[@rippedgeek]

Absolutely loved this video and will have Cardas Audio right at the very top of my list for my next set of speaker cables.

[@SomeSortOfCephalopod]

$10,000 cables and their test process is probing it with an off brand multimeter. Wild.

[@MidFiMan]

Well, if all he is doing is measuring for continuity he could do it with a $10 multimeter without fail. The resolution for measuring capacitance would be another story altogether.

[@Nikita-P]

How this video is shot and edited, is amazing. Like I watched some Netflix Documentary or How It's Made, but better. *looks at his speaker cables in disdain*

This was really top-notch! Amazing! Congrats!

[@mimofi]

Great video.. I really enjoy these, when you do the deep dive on a company. Great work!

[@paulm944]

Great video Jana. Cool to learn about the people as well as the technology. Thanks!

[@williambuhler1537]

Really excellent job making this video! I have a fairly mild amount of interest in stereo cables and what makes a difference (that I could hear - and afford), but I watched this with great pleasure all the way through. The composition, sound, camera angles, editing…all that stuff was very well executed. And I loved looking at that beautiful copper, and all the steps. Of course, the thing that makes it excellent are all the people - how they are happy in their work, where and with who they work. A great story about what makes business great… a story - and the assortment of characters, quirks, and talents, all lovingly engaged in making a great product that people love. Congratulations!

[@angelorasmijn7306]

Great video. Good to see a company who understands that’s about people. And I love the comments. It’s always the same with cables! 😂😂😂

[@robertpage8927]

Sooooo Cool, Thanks for sharing this Mr. Darko

[@yellow_noise3]

Thanks Jana amd John!

[@noelbarnes]

Beautiful work Jana!

[@estonianpunk]

What a great job, Jana!

[@gordiefrench5342]

Thank Darko and cardas as this was the most interesting video So much that I am goggle cardas to see these cables Great job everyone

[@eric.brooks]

"You're paying for the engineering. You're paying for the materials. You're paying for the cost of production." ... You're also paying for someone's next pair of Louboutin shoes 😂 Nicely made video overall, though. Buying some Cardas Solder, since that's all I can afford

[@gundamvf1]

just remember manufacturer doubles cost when they sell to the retailer, retailer doubles cost when they sell to consumer... i have seen brand A invoice before and confirmed this... 1/4 of what you pay is manufacturer profit, 1/2 is dealer profit,s. At least with cardas they are paying north American salaries, rent, taxes etc as opposed to brand A which mostly manufactures in China, not that theres anything wrong with that.

[@thomasward00]

@@gundamvf1 You can make good cables in the US or Europe cheaper than Cardis......

[@Jaykay586]

Jana, you know how to tell a great story :), thank you!

[@allanellis5827]

That was great! Thanks a lot.

[@tomhirschel8524]

What a great film. Well done " JJ", Jana & John. Long may you run......

[@francissicnarf2510]

One of the best video ever I love the company now but unfortunately can't afford then ... thanks to be so passionate!

[@jusjash]

Photographers will always appreciate this cable biz. See that great photo or video, IT IS NOT just the cost of lens n camera ....IT IS expertise n time. That was eye opening.

[@Egofileo1]

Spectacular. Thanks for the video !

[@MrRockydee07]

This is neat and brings memories back I worked at Raychen Corp in Menlo Park California 28 years , We had our wire and cable division we made every type of wire possible and I did the crooslinking of the wire .

[@thebostonaudiophile]

Outstanding video. Thanks 🙏