As always, opinions will be all over the map. I happen to have had exactly the same experience as Bombaywalla with the Heros - bloated, slow, fuzzy - like stuffing cotton in your ears. I also had the same experience with Red Dawn - a little thin, but not waif thin. Moving up to the SPM reference is a BIG change in performance and body over the Red Dawn - in my opinion, that's where Nordost gets interesting... below, the products have some thinness that in some systems will be too noticeable. Then again, I replaced my SPM refs with Analysis Plus Crystal ovals for much less money, and get most of the same performance - just a little less extension high and low, but better pace and musicality.
Personally, I didn't find a Kimber Kable I liked until I hit the Select line (1010, 1011 - copper, and the cheapest of that line). I found their "lower end" or "heritage" series interconnects a rag-tag bunch.
Try a Signal Cable Analog 2 before you decide the Hero is the next David. You might find the Signal Cable betters the Hero, and for half the price. Then again, you may not!
I also pursue the "synergy" approach. Sometimes a component's coloration will make for a more pleasing sound. Bombaywalla leans toward neutrality and non-coloration, which is also valid - indeed, as I have found, that is often where I wind up most satisfied after trying to "steer" my system with particular components. But I will say, it's just as hard to try to achieve neutrality, because the flaws are evident in every component, and hardly anything that claims neutrality and non-coloration really is. Everything has a particular sound, just some are more noticeable than others.
In a way, I think shooting for neutrality is the same process as "steering for synergy" by using more colored components. Both are a merry-go-round. It's just how long you have to stay on it before you're satisfied, or dizzy - that differs for everyone, depending on your gear, your preferences, your luck, and how good your research is (ie. try to think out purchases rather than shotgunning.)
Personally, I didn't find a Kimber Kable I liked until I hit the Select line (1010, 1011 - copper, and the cheapest of that line). I found their "lower end" or "heritage" series interconnects a rag-tag bunch.
Try a Signal Cable Analog 2 before you decide the Hero is the next David. You might find the Signal Cable betters the Hero, and for half the price. Then again, you may not!
I also pursue the "synergy" approach. Sometimes a component's coloration will make for a more pleasing sound. Bombaywalla leans toward neutrality and non-coloration, which is also valid - indeed, as I have found, that is often where I wind up most satisfied after trying to "steer" my system with particular components. But I will say, it's just as hard to try to achieve neutrality, because the flaws are evident in every component, and hardly anything that claims neutrality and non-coloration really is. Everything has a particular sound, just some are more noticeable than others.
In a way, I think shooting for neutrality is the same process as "steering for synergy" by using more colored components. Both are a merry-go-round. It's just how long you have to stay on it before you're satisfied, or dizzy - that differs for everyone, depending on your gear, your preferences, your luck, and how good your research is (ie. try to think out purchases rather than shotgunning.)