I don't normally post updates this quickly, but these cables deserve this
one.
Going through my albums I came across Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield and
thought I'd give it a whirl.
What came next left me totally GOB-SMACKED!!!
The reproduction of this fortress of multi-tracking was absolutely superb.
If you don't know this album, its a single artist that has multi-tracked over
and over to replicate almost an orchestral piece using more modern day
instruments that include both acoustic and electric instrumentation.
The net result is a cocophony of sound that can sound jumbled and
distorted on the best of systems. But this was something special :-)
The clarity of using these IC's cut through the confusion and presented a
crystal clear image that was very deep and just as wide and extremely well
controlled.
The dynamics were as crisp as a pane of glass shattering.
These cables were always completely in control of the extremely low
frequency bass lines of both guitar and synthesizers.
Side one culminates in the striking of tubular bells (of course) but it was as
though I was in a belfry - crystal clear, dynamic and with a smooth decay
full of texture.
These IC's are without a doubt extremely good
Hope you find this feedback useful :-) |
UPDATE - due to naming conflicts with another company the range is now called KLEI gZero2/3/6 &10.
The word "Essence" is no longer used
Regards |
Yping - I also was a little sceptical about how much better the gZero10 could be, since the gZero 6 was already very good, but the proof really was in listening.
Most of my Orchestral tracks (not all) have a larger image and more space around the various instruments. It is so much more natural sounding and on tracks recorded in large venues the sense of space is very large.
On one album I have with a cello soloist the natural venue acoustics fill the entire listening room and reflected sounds appear to be coming from behind, so it's as though you are there right in the venue
On other albums you can hear the vocalist swallowing just before they start to sing and once they do sing you can hear every tiny nuance in their vocal performance and the sound is very realistic.
I really have not heard anything this good.
Having said that - and for fear of repeating myself - ALL of your cables, power cables and speaker cables included need to be very high quality in order to allow this cable to perform to this level of detail. But once they are, you will hear details like never before. Using the gzero10's on a really high resolution system should be even more revealing.
As I went through the albums in my collection some revealed amazing improvements in details, while others were not as revealing, simply because the details were never captured.
Case in point - my Doobie Brothers album was as good as it's going to get, literally no change in the sound when using the gZero6, but my Beatles album was amazingly detailed and the image so much bigger than when using the gZero6.
So you really can't assess these cables by listening to only a couple of albums since it depends on how detailed the recording was at that time.
Most of my albums sound better, but the degree of the improvements varies from one album to another.
My own DIY cables are not quite as good as the gZero10 and lack a degree of realism and some extremely fine high frequency details - they also do not yet have the clarity, which proved that you just can't add the Absolute Harmony to existing cables and get the same results.
Hope this helps |
LateBoomer - unfortunately I have not tried the Silver Revelation, so I cannot offer an opinion on how it compares.
I am a big fan of DH Labs products, but in this case I would choose KLEI products
The entire KLEI gZero lineup is a totally different design. The architecture of the actual cable is quite unique (hand wound) and it's architecture eliminates induced noise, EMI and RFI.
It also keeps the neutral line at zero volts, which prevents contamination of the neutral side of any attached component allowing it to perform to its optimum abilities.
They have also formulated their own proprietary alloys for conductors, which have better conductivity than pure Silver.
The gZero10 competes with and often beats the very best interconnects from many top brands.
I compared the gZero3 to a $1200 Balanced Silver interconnect from a well respected cable manufacturer and both my friend and I thought the gZero3 was better.
Comparing price only, the gZero6 would be a comparable product to the Silver Revelation. But my money would still be on the gZero6.
If you provide some details on your system (including all cables) I might able to provide some more detailed feedback
Have you read the reviews on the KLEI web site? - they may offer some valuable insight.
Hope you find this useful |
Lateboomer - be sure to let us know what you think of them
And remember to let them burn in for the recommended 300 hours before forming any opinions - they need it.
I hope you'll be as impressed as I am |
Lateboomer - I've received emails stating their gzero line uses both copper and silver conductors - their rca's use KLEI PureSilver and KLEI PureCopper - both of which are high tech alloys
They are very guarded about the actual details
Hope this helps |
Lateboomer - I have silver cables also and the gZero6 are better - but the gZero10's are exceptional.
I think I posted in an earlier post the even the gZero3 bettered some very expensive Silver XLR Interconnects.
If the silver is used in the right place i.e. in the signal conductor, then the neutral only needs to be copper - making it out of silver is a waste of money - trust me - I have tried both methods and now my home brew cables have solid silver signal wires and copper neutral wires
I hope that alleviates your fears |
SG - you appear to be as fond of Pure Note and Sonic Precision product's as I am of KLE Innovations products - which is nice to see.
Yes - I do like their products very much and believe the fellow Agoners should know about them - just as in my previous "plugs" of products from Van Den Hul, Denon, Schiit, Gershman Acoustic, Stager Sound Systems, DH Labs, Furutech and numerous products that tweaked the heck out of my Turntable.
"plug" - you betcha - I'll give a product a plug, but only if it "performs" - just as you do, but I can assure you I have no affiliation to KLE Innovations - since geography makes is a little difficult - I am located in Canada and they are in Australia.
Also in my defense - I am not shamelessly "plugging" my own products - as a couple of other members seem to do - and we all know who they are :-)
As for "the last cable you buy" - well that's down to individual preferences - I know of people that have settled for cables that are far less capable and I now people that will chase "cable nirvana" until their last breath :-)
Anyhow - just thought I'd clarify my position on "product endorsements" :-)
Keep up the posts - especially the reviews on great perofrming products as you have in the past.
Regards :-) |
Yping, also when KLEI comes out with the gZero12 - the gZero10 will no
longer be the best and some may rush out and buy them :-)
And before you ask - I am simply projecting forwards based on the fact that
a few months ago the gZero6 was their best offering :-)
I know nothing of KLEI future products other than they do have some in
development that might possibly include balanced IC's and power cables.
So keep an eye out for them.
I'm sure they'll be exceptionally good also :-) |
Yping - I've only developed my "keen ear" in the last few years.
That process required lots of listening to many varied tracks. Over that time
I have singled out tracks that are excellent for discerning changes in the
various "metrics"
E.g....
- bass depth and control - Nellie Furtado and pipe organ music
- image depth/width - classical music on the Tacet label
- details/clarity - Mike Oldfiedld's Tubular Bells
- dynamics - Steve Wind wood and Stevie Wonder
Once you have some tracks you are very familiar with you can then
establish a "baseline" for your system. Then when something
changes it's fairly easy to hear those changes.
You get the drift :-)
Anyhow - I'm very glad you also found the gZero10 to be an excellent
performer. They do bring out a very natural and full sound with lots of body
and a clarity that reveals some incredible details, imaging and venue
presence.
I've been impressed with 3, 6 and 10 IC's - all very adept performers and
suited to several budget levels.
I also own the gZero2 and gZero6 speaker cables - again, both extremely
adept performers. I think they were more impressive than the IC's in some
respects, in that they control the speakers incredibly well and provide an
extremely deep bass that also has some incredible details that other
speaker cables are just not capable of providing.
I use the gZero2 SC's on my home theatre system since it has a subwoofer
and the gzero6 SC's on my audio system. The major difference for me was
the extended bass on the 6's.
The gZero architecture and design philosophy makes a lot of sense I.e.
- protect the signal conductor from noise
- keep the neutral conductor at "zero volts" and noise free!
- use high quality conductor material of the "optimum size"
If you do that throughout your system then all you are getting is pure music
If you look at many other IC's the neutral conductor and the signal
conductor run parallel to each other - which means the signal conductor
induces noise into the neutral line (it doesn't take much), which in turn
polutes the neutral side of the attached components, affecting their overall
operation.
So by installing gZero products in your system you are not only getting the
best transmission of the audio signal, but also getting the best
performance out of your individual components.
The really interesting thing is - these cables work on components of all
performance abilities - e.g. my $500 DAC + gZero cables outperform DACs
costing considerably more.
So, are you going to get the 10's? :-) |
Lateboomer - so glad the gZero line worked for you. They may not be for everyone, we all have different tastes, but from what you, Yping and myself have observed, the KLE Innovations gear does seem to excel in our systems. Perhaps you could list your components for other members to review? I think the science is solid, so they should deliver a comparable performance on tube systems also. You might be interested in the following link, which I also posted on Yping's Absolute Harmony Thread ... The Significance of Cable ArchitecturesHappy Listening :-) |
yPing - did you audition the 10's in your system?
I've auditioned the 10's in mine and they sound really nice, but they are a little pricey for my taste, so I've opted to stay with the 6's - for now :-)
My hi-fi budget is limited and I have another item to upgrade first
It's all about balance :-) |
Yping - the 10's are definitely better than the 6's in my system and probably more so if they are used with higher resolution components.
My problem is - I a bit too pragmatic and frugal for this hobby.
- I DIY most stuff because it saves me $$$.
- my system is modestly priced.
- however it performs way above it's price point
- mainly due to my cabling choices
Right now the 10's are a little "to rich" for my wallet (and mindset), but if I should elect to upgrade my components there may be a solid case for the 10's in the future.
Right now the 6's are performing very well and sticking with them affords me the opportunity to upgrade my phono cartridge, which is something I've been wanting to do for a while.
If the 6's fail to convey the level of performance I am expecting from the cartridge upgrade I might just opt for the 10's.
But to be honest - I think the 6's have a LOT more left in them
Regards... |
Yping, if you opt for the 10's and want another use for the gZero6's - try them as a digital link!
I got to thinking about what KL had said about using the Copper Harmony for this purpose.
The issue with using normal RCA for spdif is their impedance is generally lower than that of the cable which results in degradation of the digital signal.
If you use an RCA with an impedance greater than the cables impedance then there is no problem.
I had tried the Copper Harmony on a 75 ohm cable ant they worked extremely well.
So this morning I thought I'd try the gZero6 on my $70 DVD with a spdif output.
The results - A-m-a-z-i-n-g !!!
They are definitly better than my Van den Hul "The Name" 75 ohm cables
Give it a whirl if you have components with spdif
I think you will be pleasantly surprised
However - I think the gzero2 IC will be just as effective for digital purposes - I don't think you need to use something as expensive as the gZero6's :-)
Regards |
Yping, many of todays analogue IC's are capable of delivering digital content - since the quality of the copper used is extremely high, but the impedance of RCA's they employ tends to be the issue.
My VDH "The NAME" is just one of several IC's that can perform double duties.
But - to the consumer, it sounds better if a company has a purpose built "Digital Interconnect"
The KLEI Harmony RCA'a all have an impedance greater than 110 ohms, so they will work very well on the 50, 75 and 110 ohm cables used for digital IC's - so I'm told by KLE Innovations.
Granted - the Harmony RCA's do not "match" the impedance of the cable, but it appears using them for digital duty does not impede the cable's performance as would a more conventional RCA.
The KLEI gZero IC's also appear to have sufficient screening ability so as to prevent noise from degrading the digital signal, so it stands to reason they would be able to perform as a digital IC.
There maybe some members that will disagree with this, but all I can say is that I and others have tried the RCA's on "digital cable" and using the standard IC's for digital links and found they work - extremely well!
Proof of the pudding is in the listening :-)
Regards ... |
Yping, what I can say for sure - since I have tried it...
The gZero6 works extremely well as a digital interconnect.
The Copper Harmony, when installed on my digital IC, worked better than the impedance matched RCA's that came with it - probably due to the pure copper used in the contacts of the Copper Harmony
However - since all LAN cables are currently made from copper - I am "speculating" that the gZero6 might be a little overkill for use as a digital IC and that perhaps the gZero2 with the Copper Harmony RCA's would be a better candidate for Digital IC use (from a cost & operational perspective) and still be able to outperform many of todays top digital IC's
Why spend more than you need to!
BUT, since I have not tried the gZero2 for this purpose I cannot confirm whether or not this is the case.
Regards... |
Yping - just tested the gZero6 and gZero10 on my DVD player's S/PDIF into the dac and I can honestly say I heard no difference whatsoever.
This leads me to believe even more that the gZero2 or gZero3 would suffice for digital duty
They are both extremely capable IC's - so why spend more on the 6 or the 10, when there is no perceivable difference?
Of course - this may not be the case if you are using extremely high-end gear.
Anyhow - hope that answers your question
Regards |
UPDATE NOTICE...
Yping, just to confirm my thoughts from the last post - I tried a silver/
copper DIY hybrid IC that I have - which uses the Silver Harmony RCA's.
Once again I could not tell the difference between my cable, the gZero6 and
the gZero10 when used as a digital IC
However, there is a distinct difference between all three cables when used
as an analogue IC.
I also used a higher quality DVD player just to ensure there were fewer
resolution related issues.
There may be improvements to be had by using the Silver Harmony over
the Copper Harmony on DIY cables, as stated in the review you posted. But
I cannot say for sure if moving up to the Pure Harmony or Absolute
Harmony is warranted based on these observations
But as the reviewer stated, there is a certain level of comfort in using the
very best RCA available.
But when it comes to KLEI cables I think the gZero3 would be more than
sufficient for duty as an excellent digital link. But again, there's that
personal comfort level from using the very best cable available :-)
This certainly satisfies my curiosity :-)
Regards... |
Yping, on my system the first DVD source I tried the S/PDIF performed to a lower level than my USB. However the second DVD source I tried I could tell no difference between USB or S/PDIF
Which is best? -I think it depends on each individual USB implmentation. The first USB interfaces in DACs where simply not good. This has improved tremendously and the latest from Schiit is extremely good.
Also, I have put effort into ensuring my USB interface performs to it's best ability by using a split USB data/power cable and seperate USB power supply, so it performs to the highest level possible - I think.
Without taking the approach above, a simpler USB implementation is more likely to suffer from issues pertaining to both the stability of the USB power supply and the noise pollution present in many conventional USB cable designs - whereas adopting a S/PDIF approach immediately eliminates the USB's power related issues.
Incorporating a USB-S/PDIF converter is one way to improve on the USB interface if you prefer - personally, I do not think introducing one into my particular implementation would be of any benefit, but I could be wrong.
Re: digital jitter and analogue noise - I wouldn't say either issue is "easier to overcome", since there are different issues with each digital interface and on the analogue side, other than noise, you always have that ethereal "component/cable synergy" to consider.
I think we are getting more knowledgeable in both realms and will one day nail the perfect solution - having said that - I'm still working on my turntable after 34 years :-)
Re: HDMI - I use it for my A/V system only, no experience with this on my audio system.
Re: 12s - no experience with this.
Regards |
Maxima95 - I have tried the 3's, the 6 and the 10's. I currently own the 6's and have the 10's on loan.
The 6's are very good indeed. The 10's have a little deeper and wider image with more space around the instruments/voices. The bass is a little deeper,but just as well controlled without bloating. Their dynamic response is a little crisper and there is a little more clarity - in short, a little more realistic.
How much better the 10's can get depends on the components and other audio cables and powercables you have in your system
I have extremely good power cables and I also have the gZero6 speaker cables which made a huge difference to my systems ability to highlight the improvements the 10's can achieve.
Right now I am not conteplating the purchase of the 10's because I have the 6's + other upgrades to complete.
Perhaps if you could list your existing cables and components I could offer an opinion as to which IC might offer the best bang for the buck.
If Budget permits, what might be an alternate option is to opt for the 6's right now with a view to upgrading your speaker cables to the gZero6 SC's in the near future - having the gZero cables either side of my amp improved my systems performance considerably.
Hope this helps |
Maxima95 - since Lateboomer has identified his components and mine are identified in my "system" link (see link at end of this post) I guess they act as a reasonable "benchmark".
So, if your components are of the same resolution capability as Lateboomers, then I might suggest you opt for the gZero10.
But, If your components are of a similar calibre as my own then I would probably recommend you opt for the gZero6
I still think you might want to consider either the gZero3 or the gZero6 speaker cables. The main difference between these two cables is the gZero6 extends the depth of the bass and exerts more control of the bass for more low frequency texture with faster dynamics and clarity across the board.
Will both IC's perform well in both systems? - you betchya! - but my view is - there's no point putting an F1 engine in a Hyundai.
Regards... |
