Cardas Jumpers Clear (Fork)

Cardas Clear Spade Jumpers

Many dual-binding-post speakers come with small brass plates to link their two pairs of terminals. This is the often-overlooked link in the chain, and rarely its best one. Cardas Clear cable is only available in single-wire configuration, with no bi-wire version: to use it with such a speaker, the brand entrusts this bridging task to jumpers made from the same conductor as the cable.

The role of the jumper on dual binding posts

A bi-wire-compatible speaker has two pairs of terminals on the rear: one for the bass section, the other for the treble section, each connected to its half of the crossover. From the factory, two small brass plates link these pairs, so that a single cable powers the entire speaker. These are the plates replaced by Clear jumpers. As long as the connection remains single-wire, a bridge between the two pairs is necessary: without it, half of the spectrum remains silent. The original brass provides electrical continuity, but rarely much more. Replacing these plates with a jumper built with a proper conductor extends the cable to the final centimetre, where the signal enters the speakers.

The same conductor as Clear cable

Inside, these jumpers use the conductor from Clear cable, reduced to the length of a bridge between terminals. Cardas stacks its copper strands concentrically, in successive layers, with each strand receiving insulating enamel (a Litz-type construction) and wire gauges based on the proportions of the golden ratio. The copper is Grade 1, 99.9999% oxygen-free. The aim of this arrangement is to limit variations in copper behaviour from one frequency to another, from bass to treble, in order to keep the signal uniform across the entire range.

This construction has a practical consequence: for each polarity, the outside of one concentric conductor connects to the inside of the other, so the positive and negative strands remain joined and do not separate. On a jumper, this constraint causes no issue, since each speaker receives its complete pair anyway.

Clear cable is not made in a bi-wire version. Rather than splitting the conductors inside a single jacket, Cardas keeps a single cable throughout its length and assigns the bridging task to this jumper made from the same wire. The brand considers this combination to perform better than internal bi-wiring.

Forged spades without solder

The spade version terminates each end with a forged copper lug, pressed directly onto the conductor under very high pressure (approximately 10,000 psi, nearly 700 bar). The result is a seamless copper connection, without solder in the signal path. Cardas forges and assembles these parts in its workshop in Bandon, Oregon.

The spades slide under the nut of screw terminals and accept common terminal diameters, 6 or 9 mm depending on the version. The pair measures 254 mm, enough to link two pairs of terminals even when they are widely spaced. Sold as a pair, one jumper per speaker, they directly replace the original plates: loosen the terminals, remove the brass, install the jumper between the two pairs, then connect the Clear or Clear Light cable to one of them.

This spade termination requires binding posts that accept them. On a speaker with banana sockets only, the banana plug version of the same jumper is the one to consider.

Technical Specifications

Compatibility

• Designed for use with CLEAR or CLEAR LIGHT speaker cables

Construction

• Transparent conductors for speakers
• Multi-strand concentric conductors
• Superior performance compared to internal bi-wiring

Dimensions and Packaging

• Length: 254 mm
• Sold as a pair