KLE Innovations zFLOW Cables: REVIEW
An Update.... I took a trip to an audio store today... - the purpose was to audition a Hegal H160 Integrated amp - I took down a CD of my most telling tracks - I listened intently for almost 2 hours - just me in the store, so no incidental background noise. - the system comprised of a $12k CD transport, the Hegal amp and a pair of $9000 Focus speakers - all connected by some pretty impressive looking (and pricey) esoteric cables costing several thousand dollars. To my point - I have one album that creates a lot of problems in that it causes many systems to fail miserably in their attempts to recreate a really cohesive image. The issue appears to be with the venue reverberations which results in a very muddled image. With the gzero IC's and speaker cables the effect was not as bad as with many other cables and I found that as I approached the TOTL products the effect diminished considerably. The gZero20 IC + gZero6 SC were the first to conquer the effects of this album and present an image that not only sounded amazing from a details perspective - but everything was finally in the right place. The zFLOWS go one step further with more amazing clarity and details :-) My little excursion today brought this point home - here I was listening to a system probably close to of $30k - but it suffered from a very muddled image on this particular album. I returned home and listened to the same track on my $12+ system and discovered my ears had not been deceiving me :-) I realize that a store is not always the best place to audition products, but this store had a very nice setup with absorption panels that appeared to be correctly placed. Anyhow - just some more feedback on the merits of KLE Innovations products :-) Regards... |
Jafant - These cables have just been released and as such there has been little time to compare them to any other manufacturers cables in a side-by-side comparison. But in the past I have assessed other models in the gZero line-up to be superior to some products from the following companies ... e.g. - Kimber Kable (IC) - Cardas (SC) - Purist Audio (SC) - Tara Labs (IC and SC) - Stager Sound Systems (IC) - Van den Hul (IC and SC) - DH Labs (IC) Also, here are some observations from another gZero owner .... http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/cables/messages/16/167504.html The improvements between one gZero model to the next in the product lineup were not "marginal". Hearing the zFLOW cables in my system, compared to the gZero20 IC and gZero6SC cables, one might consider them to be in the realm of "diminishing returns", but they do improve over time and the realism they convey is outstanding. However, I DO NOT BELIEVE my system is capable of resolving to a level that would allow the zFLOW cables to demonstrate just how good they really are. For people considering these cables - how do you choose?... The gZero3 IC or gZero6 IC and gZero2 SC are perhaps the best "bang for the buck" for someone who may consider trying KLEI products for the first time. The gZero20 IC and gZero6 SC is a superb combination for systems like my own, having (what I believe to be) mid level resolution capabilities. And the zFLOW products are best suited to systems capable of even higher resolution than my own. But then - I'm very pragmatic, but for others participating in this hobby/obsession - that seldom counts :-) Having said that - when I purchased the gZero6 SC's, I moved the gZero2 SC's onto the L/R channels of my 15 year old Denon AV receiver - the improvements were immediate and very dramatic A veritable WIN WIN :-) Hope that helps |
Yping - I consider my system to be approaching it's resolution limits (especially with the zFLOW cables installed) and for that reason alone I have decided not to purchase the zFLOW cables at this time. But I do think the zFLOW cables would provide even more benefit if the system they were installed in had components that offer a higher resolution capabilities than my own. From an upgrade perspective I would have to analyze which of my existing components would need to be upgraded in order to get the most out of the zFLOW. But my suspicion is that all of the existing components have a similar resolution capability and as such, all of them would require upgrading. This is something I am not prepared to undertake in the short term. At this point in time, I am extremely happy with the sound of my system and feel that I need some time to assess exactly what is "missing" (if anything) when compared to higher resolving systems - and taking into account the improvements the zFLOW demonstrated when installed in my system. I may simply end up buying the zFLOW22 and zFLOW33 cables at some point in the future, but I also feel there may be other cables in that product range yet to come, which may yield even bigger dividends. So for now I'll bide my time and let patience rule the day. The gZero cables and Harmony RCA products I have used to date have transformed my system from mediocre to amazing and the zFLOW cables have demonstrated there is even more improvements to be had. When I read the review by Stefano Bertoncello (posted on the KLE Innovations website) and factor in the abilities I believe systems like his are capable of - I think I still have a way to go :-) For members out there considering some cable upgrades, I would highly recommend the zFLOW products. You can see details of my system by clicking on the "System" link below, which may assist you as a poosible "point of reference". The last two years have been a bit of a whirlwind WRT the many cables and RCA plugs's I have tried - so now it's time to sit back for a while and simply "digest" Hope that makes sense :-) |
