Well, after a couple of days in my system I can confirm that both the Absolute Harmony and the gZero10 deliver what the KLE Innovations web site promises.
The Absolute Harmony sounded better than the Pure Harmony on my DIY IC's right off the bat, providing more details, improved clarity, better control across the board and even better image focus.
- There was a little harshness initially, but that abated after approximately 24 hours.
The gZero10 IC initially sounded just as good as my well broken-in gZero6 IC's, but with a slight diminished lower register. After just over 63 hours of use, the bass has recovered and this IC demonstrates even better control of not only the lower register, but across the entire frequency range. Again, details and clarity showed improvements and some tracks exhibit a wider and deeper image with more space. In addition, these IC's present more warmth and an additional smoothness, especially when playing classical music, since I find the upper register of violins can often sound quite shrill, but with these IC's it is significantly smoother, without sacrificing any detail.
Both of these products have performed better in a shorter timeframe than the other KLEI products I own, or have tried.
- the Absolute Harmony only took a few hours to shed their initial harshness.
- the gZero10 has already surpassed the performance of my existing gZero6 and sounds more natural in their presentation.
In short - their performance is crisper and more vibrant combined with a very natural presentation.
Do they offer as much of an improvement as previous KLEI products I've used or are they entering the world of diminishing returns?
The problem with this question is that it may only be valid if, like me, you already own their TOTL Pure Harmony or gZero6 IC. But once you try them it then becomes very difficult to stuff this genie back into the bottle :-)
If you don't own KLEI products, then you are missing out on some wonderful improvements in your system's performance.
How good are they? - I've had the opportunity to compare the gZero6 on a friends (higher resolving) system and we both agreed they sounded better than his more expensive named-brand silver balanced XLR cables. The gZero10's would undoubtedly provide even better performance improvements.
As with anything in audiophila - it all depends on your own personal beliefs pertaining to the impact of cables and connectors may have on a system, together with any budgetary constraints.
Bottom line - all their products work - extremely well!
- checkout their product line-up
But without a doubt - these are by far their best products to date:-)
