It is with great pleasure that the Los Angeles and Orange County Audio Society, the world’s largest, awards its 27th Founders Award to George Cardas. The Founders Award is the highest honor the Society annually bestows in our industry on those extraordinary individuals who have advanced audio and audiophile enjoyment worldwide.
From telephone lines, to racing fuel, to high-end audio, George Cardas has always sought to innovate and leave each industry better than when he arrived.
George Cardas worked for General Telephone in the 1960s doing transmission line design. In 1969, he left to pursue a career in racing. Over the next few years, he had many inventions relating to engine design and automotive racing fuels. In 1977, Cardas returned to the telecommunications field, managing the conversion of electro-mechanical switching telephone offices over to digital switching.
After the telephone company's conversion to digital, he applied his knowledge and experience to the world of high fidelity sound, with inventions in the areas of transmission lines, cables connectors, microphones, electronics, and loudspeakers. Cardas' cable designs incorporated Litz conductors, in which each strand in a multi-strand conductor is insulated. These conductors were composed of multiple gauges (AWG) of copper wire, with each successive gauge having a 1:1.618 ratio between itself and the next.
For this use of the Golden Ratio, George was awarded Patent 4628151 on the use of Golden Ratio in conductor strand cross-section progression. And developed a unique process for producing the ultra pure copper and silver which he shares with the industry today.
Now, over 30 years later, Cardas Audio is based in Bandon, Oregon, located on the Southern Oregon Coast. George’s cable designs continue to inspire and delight audiophiles throughout the world.
Recently honored by the City of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles and Orange County Audio Society now celebrates its 27th year serving top audiophiles in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. The largest audio society in the world with over 2700 members, the non-profit organization provides up to 14 major events per year in Greater Los Angeles and showcases and promotes the very best in great gear and recordings worldwide. Though the majority of members hail from Southern California, the Society boasts members from 14 states and nine countries.
The Society’s Board of Directors awards the Founder’s Award annually to those professionals in the high end who continue to advance fine musical reproduction in the home and distinguish themselves as the best in their profession.
- The 2019 Founders Award went to Andrew Jones, VP and Chief Speaker Designer for ELAC
- The 2018 Founders Award went to Michael Fremer, Editor of Analogplanet.com and a Senior Contributing Editor at Stereophile Magazine.
- The 2017 Founders Award went to John Grado, President of Grado Labs.
- The 2016 Founder’s Award went to Bob Carver, President of Bob Carver Audio.
- The 2015 Founder’s Award went to Harry Weisfeld, founder of VPI Industries.
- The 2014 Founder’s Award went to Chad Kassem, President of Acoustic Sounds.
- The 2013 Founder’s Award went to Robert Harley, Editor-in-Chief of The Absolute Sound.
- The 2012 Founder’s Award went to Tim de Paravicini, President of E.A.R. of Great Britain.
- The 2011 Founder’s Award went to Richard Vandersteen, President of Vandersteen Audio.
- The 2010 Founder’s Award went to Keith Johnson, Executive Producer of Reference Recordings,
- and the 2009 Founder’s Award went to EveAnna Manley, President of Manley Labs.
Other previous winners include Harry Pearson, founder of The Absolute Sound, Dave Clark, Managing Editor of Positive Feedback, Dennis Had, founder of Cary Audio, David W. Robinson, Editor-in-Chief of Positive Feedback, and Ray Kimber, President of Kimber Kable, and our most-honored member.
The Founder’s Award will be awarded at the 27th Annual Gala and Awards Ceremony in George Cardas’ honor in Los Angeles on December 6, 2020. The trophy that will be awarded to George Cardas is specially produced by the same company that created the Oscar for The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
