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Copper®Harmony RCA Plug - a new breed

I was contacted by KLE Innovations recently to review their entry level RCA connector (plug).

I have no idea why - Maybe due to a blog that I maintain?

Anyhow - I was a little skeptical that the Copper Harmony RCA Plug could significantly better my existing Silver Bullet RCA's, since they share (i.e. visually) very similar design principals.

So I set about planning a testing strategy based on about 30 tracks that, over the years, I have used for auditioning various audio components, who's purchase I was considering.

Well, I didn't even have to wait for the Copper Harmony RCA Plug to burn-in to realize they are something extremely special.

Anyhow - to cut to the chase - the Copper Harmony RCA Plug delivers an exceptional performance which improved upon details, dynamics, imaging, etc... of the Silver Bullet RCA's that I own.

Now, I have not compared the Copper Harmony RCA Plug directly to RCA's that conform to a more "conventional" RCA design, mainly because my Silver Bullet RCA's had already demonstrated their superiority.

So - the Copper®Harmony RCA Plug resolves to a very high level of performance and it is very very quick - perfect for just about any duty in the realm of audio - including their use on digital cables!

Because of their ability to allow the flow of extremely small "micro details" in an audio signal, I believe they would also be ideally suited for use on those turntables that employ a one piece wiring harness - especially when using moving coil cart's.

So if you are interested in the complete review please go to http://www.image99.net/blog/

If you would like more information from KLE Innovations then use the following

o Website – www.KLEinnovations.com (nearly ready)

o Email - KLEinnovations@clubtelco.com

Please note - I have no affiliation with KLE Innovations and was not paid to participate in the review.

I am just very impressed with what I consider to be a stellar product and feel it would be beneficial to share my experience with the members.

Regards...
williewonka
sbrownnw
652 posts
 
Ok, after some really careful listening, I realized the following:

- I don't know how the KLEI Copper Harmony RCAs are creating such a large (tall and wide) soundstage, but I don't like it. It is either a combination on how the larger soundstage acts in my room (primary and secondary reflections?) or the subdued sound from the all copper RCA connectors (see below), or both.
- I don't think I like copper chassis RCA connectors (or just the KLEI Copper Harmony connectors). They are very clear and resolving but my music and other sources lost their midrange focus and punch.

As a musician for 15 years I've really missed what I had before. I realize how good the Mogami 2549 cable is with 3 different wiring combinations. I picked my Audio Refinement gear for its tube like sound and I think my previous cable configuration really helped with that tube like strong midrange punch and focus. It was not a narrowly focused soundstage, instead, it just sounded right to me.

With this all said, I wonder if there is another RCA connector I should try, or should I just go back to my Neutrik Pro-Fi RCA connectors which get great reviews? I think I am going to stay in the $15 - $20 / pair range and the only other one I see is the Onix 70024 copper chassis gold plated RCA. But does the Onix bring the same subdued lack of midrange punch and focus similar to the KLEI Copper Harmony? Can anyone chime in on this?

TIA!
yping
330 posts
 
Thanking about it a little more, I would say that the KLEI Copper Harmony plugs, and any RCA plug, cannot deliver more than the Source can output but IME the Copper Harmony plugs allow more of the Source signal output through... that is more micro harmonics, stage, PRAT, timbre, decay, etc, which is the Source's musical reproduction :)

Sbrownnw, have you contacted Douglas Connection... what did they have to say!
yping
330 posts
 
Have you discussed this with Douglas Connection. What have they suggested, especially regarding your components?

Perhaps it's an attribute of the Mogami 2549 cable...

Perhaps Williewonka can have help. I believe that he has mentioned in his write-ups that he a musician of alot of years also :)

Sorry, I don't think I can help any further although I can say that I like the Copper Harmony plugs very much, at least on my own DIY ICs :)
yping
330 posts
 
Other questions are ...

How many hours burn-in have the cables had? I know the Copper Harmony plugs require more than a 100 hrs burn-in...

Have you contacted Douglas Connection and what do they Douglas Connection suggest?

Perhaps the Mogami 2549 wire is not that good?

From my experience the KLEI Copper Harmony plugs have a very good and focused mid-range, once run in :)
sbrownnw
652 posts
 
I have given the new cable set over 200 hours. For some sources with certain media, the cable set sounds great. For other sources with other media, the cable set sounds unacceptable. Overall, I just don't think this cable set is a good match for my system and my media. I have read similar experiences with the fist generation bullet RCAs...

Yes, I did talk to DouglasConnection. He has a great deal of Mogami 2549 experience and always does a continuity check for phase and as a quality check (center pin to center pin and ground to ground). The Mogami wire has very high quality control, as it is used in pro studios plus DIY and other high-end audio equipment manufacturers, so I highly doubt the 2549 is bad. I did switch the cable leads and they all sound like I described in the first paragraph. Doug does not any experience with the KLEI RCAs nor did I and my cable build was the first set. He has wired up many, many different cable configs with exceptional results.

I'm going to sell these at very good prices and go with some Mogami 2549 with either Neutrik Pro-Fi or Furutech 126(g) RCAs. Please PM if anyone is interested in these cables. I'm sure they sound great on other systems, just not mine all the time. I have 2 four foot pairs and 4 three foot pairs with the shielding floated at one end with a directional mark and black cable mesh for each pair for a very professional looking setup.
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