{"id":4618,"date":"2015-03-04T11:30:30","date_gmt":"2015-03-04T11:30:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kleinnovations.com\/?p=4618"},"modified":"2015-03-05T22:54:30","modified_gmt":"2015-03-05T22:54:30","slug":"klei-gzero20-ic-review-by-steve-reeve-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/kleinnovations.com\/bartime\/klei-gzero20-ic-review-by-steve-reeve-news\/","title":{"rendered":"KLEI gZero20 IC Review by Steve Reeve"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">Yes, this is yet another review of the most recent \u201cTop Of The Line\u201d (TOTL) Interconnect from Keith Louis Eichmann (aka KL) of <b><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/kleinnovations.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">KLEInnovations(KLEI)<\/a><\/span><\/b>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">You might recall the <strong>KLEI gZero6 ICs<\/strong> reviewed here last June and then the <strong>KLEI gZero10 ICs<\/strong> also reviewed here in October. <\/p>\n<ul lang=\"EN-US\" style=\"font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI','Cambria', 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #441E1F; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; text-align: justify;\">\n<li>Both reviews stated these interconnects were, at the time of the review, their \u201cTop Of The Line!\u201d<\/b><\/li>\n<li>So I guess you can\u2019t accuse Mr. Eichmann of sitting on his laurels.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">KL was kind enough to send for review a 1 meter pair of <strong>KLEI gZero20 ICs<\/strong> that had already undergone the requisite 300+ hours of burn-in. But even with that laborious task taken care of, it would still take three days for them to settle in.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">Unlike KL\u2019s previous interconnect cables, where each successive model has a higher performing Harmony RCA plug, the <strong>KLEI gZero20 ICs<\/strong> utilizes the same RCA plugs as the KLEI gZero10 IC. Therefore, any improvements attained are a direct result of refinements in the in the gZero Architecture.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">Settling-in time aside, it took just 20 minutes after their initial installation for the <strong>KLEI gZero20 ICs<\/strong> to reveal the distinguishing features of these cables.<\/p>\n<ul lang=\"EN-US\" style=\"font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI','Cambria', 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #441E1F; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; text-align: justify;\">\n<li>Their initial presentation of clarity, control, dexterity, dynamics, spatial image, upper frequency extension and bass extension of these interconnects was exemplary and they sounded just a little better than the well used KLEI gZero10 ICs they had just replaced.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">However, during that settling in period I did observe a little upper frequency harshness and slight distortion on a couple of 24 bit\/192 kHz violin tracks and on VIVALDI\u2019s <em><strong>Recitative and Aria from Cantata RV 679<\/strong><\/em>, there were a couple of times when <em><strong>Tone Wik\u2019s<\/strong><\/em> superb soprano vocal was very shrill. But at the beginning of the third day both of these anomalies had abated and the <strong>KLEI gZero20 ICs<\/strong> were now sounding very nice indeed.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">Since I did not perform a complete burn-in I am unable to comment on what sonic transformations are likely to take place.<\/p>\n<ul lang=\"EN-US\" style=\"font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI','Cambria', 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #441E1F; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; text-align: justify;\">\n<li>However, If I recall correctly, during the burn-in period of the KLEI gZero10 IC\u2019s I was initially a little \u201cunderwhelmed\u201d and wondered if they would ever \u201clive up to their TOTL billing\u201d. But that was rectified by about the 220 hour mark.<\/li>\n<li>So I would caution purchasers to expect a similar experience while burning in the <strong>KLEI gZero20 ICs<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\"><strong>With the KLEI gZero20 ICs settled in nicely<\/strong> it was time to put them through their paces. Assessing how much better the KLEI gZero10 IC is, when compared to the KLEI gZero6 IC was a relatively easy task.<\/p>\n<ul lang=\"EN-US\" style=\"font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI','Cambria', 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #441E1F; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; text-align: justify;\">\n<li>Since, for each of the various metrics, such as <em><strong>dynamic response, clarity, image, bass performance, etc<\/strong><\/em> the improvements were clearly audible and could be observed on most, if not all of the audition tracks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">But assessing the comparative differences between the <strong>KLEI gZero10 ICs<\/strong> and the <strong>KLEI gZero20 ICs<\/strong> was not quite so clear cut.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">This is a common occurrence among most audio components, in that, as you approach the upper echelon in the model range, the sonic improvements from one model to the next becomes more subtle for a larger capital outlay &#8211; a point that some, myself included, categorize as <em><strong>Diminishing Returns<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">In the case of these two cables, their tonal presentation, spatial imaging and dynamic response was indicative of their lineage, with the <strong>KLEI gZero20 ICs<\/strong> having a slightly <em><strong>warmer<\/strong><\/em> presentation, with a little more <em><strong>body<\/strong><\/em> across the board and a spatial image that resulted in a more <em><strong>believable<\/strong><\/em> ambience.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">And thus, we enter the world of <em><strong>Ethereal Awareness<\/strong><\/em>, ie those qualities we attribute to audio equipment that are related more to <em><strong>feelings<\/strong><\/em>, as opposed to some form of <em><strong>metric quantification<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">In reality, those <em><strong>feelings<\/strong><\/em> are simply a product of the cable\u2019s metric performance, but since humans cannot always put their finger on exactly what is different in a performance, we have a tendency to express those improvements in a more abstract manner.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">However, with a cable the calibre of the <strong>KLEI gZero20 ICs<\/strong>, its performance is so articulate that it really does sound as though it is conveying &#8211; <em><strong>Reality<\/strong><\/em>!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\"><strong>How does one assess Reality?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">I find there are few tracks recorded in the studio that I can use to assess realism, since some studios can be <em><strong>acoustically challenged<\/strong><\/em>, in which case it is then in the realm of the sound engineer to work their magic. To gauge reality I mostly turn to classical music, mainly because&#8230;<\/p>\n<ul lang=\"EN-US\" style=\"font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI','Cambria', 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #441E1F; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; text-align: justify;\">\n<li>the tracks I tend to use for audition purposes are recorded in some type of concert hall, which provides an abundance of the all important \u201cvenue acoustics\u201d and&#8230; <\/li>\n<li>they are often recorded by what some consider to be the most pure form of recording &#8211; two solitary microphones &#8211; and a smattering of anal sound engineers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">It was while listening to some of these classical tracks that I became aware of just how good the <strong>KLEI gZero20 ICs<\/strong> really are. Basically, every well recorded classical track exhibited a level of ambience that was simply not present with the KLEI gZero10 ICs. You also get to experience significantly more space that surrounds the performers on those tracks recorded by much smaller ensembles.<\/p>\n<ul lang=\"EN-US\" style=\"font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI','Cambria', 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #441E1F; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; text-align: justify;\">\n<li>However on some such recordings, you also get to enjoy the more unpleasant realities of live venue recordings<\/li>\n<li>eg. the trucks passing by the venue in the background were now far more apparent and very detailed<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\"><strong>The price one pays for Reality \ud83d\ude42 <\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">Three new CD\u2019s I had recently purchased from MA Recordings, which, due to their meticulous attention to detail in sound engineering and exquisite matching of venue to musical temperament, highlighted the very best ambient and spacious qualities that the <strong>KLEI gZero20 ICs<\/strong> are capable of conveying. These albums contain some exquisite and varied musical performances &#8211; give them a listen, you won\u2019t be disappointed:<\/p>\n<ul lang=\"EN-US\" style=\"font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI','Cambria', 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #441E1F; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; text-align: justify;\">\n<li><strong>Window Mirror, by Miroslav Tadic<\/strong> &#8211; classical guitar with a new flavour<\/li>\n<li><strong>Tonos Y Tonados, by Ensemble La Chimera<\/strong> &#8211; a very different ensemble presentation<\/li>\n<li><strong>Buenos Aires Madrigal, by La Chimera-Furio Zanasi-Ximena Biondo<\/strong> &#8211; Tango inspired delights<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\"><strong>How did they perform with Analogue components?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">Since I have always believed the analogue side of my system possesses a slightly higher level of resolution I was expecting a level of improvement commensurate with what I had observed in previous reviews of interconnects in the KLEI gZero product line.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\"><strong>However, it seems my analogue rig decided differently&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">It appeared as though the <strong>KLEI gZero20 ICs<\/strong> had pulled out all the stops and really rose to the occasion<\/p>\n<ul lang=\"EN-US\" style=\"font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI','Cambria', 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #441E1F; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; text-align: justify;\">\n<li>With digital playback, I had only been able to discern small improvements between the various metrics of the two interconnects, but with the analogue playback the improvements in dynamics, clarity, high-end extension and imaging were significantly better.<\/li>\n<li>But the bass extension and bass control displayed only a marginal level of improvement over that which I had observed on the digital side<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">I found this observation to be surprising, since up to this point, the difference in resolution capabilities between the DAC and the phono stage with each of the prior KLEI gZero interconnect cable auditions had been pretty consistent i.e. the phono stage was always just a little better than my DAC. Suggesting that the performance ceiling of my components had not been reached. On applying some additional thought to this observation, I can only conclude&#8230;<\/p>\n<ul lang=\"EN-US\" style=\"font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI','Cambria', 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #441E1F; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; text-align: justify;\">\n<li>the performance level of the DAC had finally hit its ceiling<\/li>\n<li>whereas the phono stage was clearly quite capable of so much more<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">This begs the question&#8230; <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\"><strong>What is the performance ceiling of the KLEI gZero20 ICs?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">Prior to the evaluation I had purchased a new phono cartridge, but unfortunately, it had been delayed by Canada Customs, so it didn\u2019t arrive until after I had started the analogue review process. The new cartridge had all the promise of performing significantly better than my older cartridge&#8230;<\/p>\n<ul lang=\"EN-US\" style=\"font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI','Cambria', 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #441E1F; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; text-align: justify;\">\n<li>sporting a \u201cNude mounted\u201d, Contact Line &#8211; &#8220;Optimized Contour&#8221; diamond stylus on a single crystal Ruby Cantilever<\/li>\n<li>as opposed to my older cartridge which has a basic spherical diamond mounted onto an aluminum cantilever<\/li>\n<li>this should result in improvements in high-end detailing, clarity and faster dynamic response<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">Now you would be forgiven for thinking tonal differences between two cartridges might \u201ccolour\u201d my assessment of certain qualities of the <strong>KLEI gZero20 ICs<\/strong>, however&#8230;<\/p>\n<ul lang=\"EN-US\" style=\"font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI','Cambria', 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #441E1F; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; text-align: justify;\">\n<li>both cartridges are the venerable Denon DL 103 moving coil cartridge,<\/li>\n<li>the newer cartridge having a modified cantilever installed by Soundsmith, a leader in the art of \u201ccartridge modifications\u201d <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">So, what I was hoping for, on installing the new cartridge, was an extension of those details conveyed with the older cartridge, with few, if any changes in tonal qualities. Well, the new cartridge did not disappoint. <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">But more importantly, the <strong>KLEI gZero20 ICs<\/strong> effortlessly conveyed the remarkable details the new cartridge was able to extract from my vinyl. The one outstanding quality of the <strong>KLEI gZero20 ICs<\/strong> that was now far more noticeable, was their incredible &#8211; <em><strong>SPEED!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<ul lang=\"EN-US\" style=\"font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI','Cambria', 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #441E1F; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; text-align: justify;\">\n<li>By that, I am referring to the ability of a cable to convey a more complete waveform, which translates to realism.<\/li>\n<li>it\u2019s not only their ability to convey those instantaneous peaks of percussion instruments, which I tend to refer to as dynamic response.<\/li>\n<li>it\u2019s their ability to convey a warmer more, full bodied presentation.<\/li>\n<li>particularly of those instruments who\u2019s voice lies in the upper frequencies of the musical spectrum, which can often sound quite thin, shrill or harsh, i.e. with a less competent interconnect.<\/li>\n<li>but with the <strong>KLEI gZero20 ICs<\/strong>, those instruments took on more pleasing quality having more body that more faithfully represents the actual instruments being played &#8211; right there in YOUR listening room.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\"><strong>After a couple of weeks of full-time duty<\/strong> on the phono stage, these interconnects just seemed to get even better. Perhaps the improvements were due to an extended settling in period, or perhaps they require a little more burn-in than suggested on the KLE Innovations web site.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">Factoring in the <strong>300 hours burn-in<\/strong> already undertaken by KL and the additional time on my system, I think I would probably recommend a <strong>burn-in period between 350-400 hours<\/strong> in order for them to reach their full potential.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">There were a couple of \u201cstandout albums\u201d where I felt the KLEI gZero20 Interconnect Cables meticulously conveyed &#8220;the soul\u201d of the performance&#8230;<\/p>\n<ul lang=\"EN-US\" style=\"font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI','Cambria', 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #441E1F; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; text-align: justify;\">\n<li><strong>Nostalgia, by Annie Lennox<\/strong> &#8211; For me, this is Annie at her finest and her best album ever. A friend listening very casually simply commented <em><strong>this is soul<\/strong><\/em>. Her delicate vocal inflections are superbly conveyed \u2013 with <em><strong>feeling<\/strong><\/em>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Yes, by Jason Mraz<\/strong> &#8211; I liked this album from the very first play and it is now one of favourites. It&#8217;s production is simple, its sound engineering is clean and detailed and its content is most engaging, but the bonus? &#8211; Jason&#8217;s soul shines through on every track &#8211; even when playing the CD version which came with the vinyl.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">I think the word <em><strong>Beguiling<\/strong><\/em> sums up the performance of the <strong>KLEI gZero20 ICs<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\"><strong>Seducing you track by track&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\"><strong>Oblivious of the time&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\"><strong>What better way to spend a cold winter evening!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\"><strong>What is the price one pays for Reality?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">The <strong>KLEI gZero20 ICs<\/strong> are priced at AUD$1999 for a 1 meter pair<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">Not chump change by any stretch of the imagination, but more affordable than many interconnects that can only aspire to attain this level of performance.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\"><strong>CONCLUSION<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">I had mentioned the term <em><strong>Diminishing Returns<\/strong><\/em> above, since early on in the review process (i.e. on my digital rig), it seemed as though this might be the case i..e. the <strong>KLEI gZero20 ICs<\/strong> only appeared <em><strong>marginally better<\/strong><\/em> than the KLEI gZero10 ICs, for a significantly larger investment. However, auditioning the cables on my analogue rig has changed my opinion, I guess you could say&#8230;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\"><strong>My concerns of <em><strong>Diminishing Returns<\/strong><\/em> have now&#8230; Diminished! \ud83d\ude42 <\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">I believe the <strong>KLEI gZero20 ICs<\/strong> are capable of conveying extremely high levels of resolution and should be considered by all. Why?<\/p>\n<ul lang=\"EN-US\" style=\"font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI','Cambria', 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #441E1F; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; text-align: justify;\">\n<li>The KLEI <strong>gZero20 ICs<\/strong> are extremely good at what they do<\/li>\n<li>by far, the best in the current KLEI gZero Product Line!<\/li>\n<li>They will continue to excel with your subsequent component upgrades<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">Yes, their price puts them into a different <em><strong>snack bracket<\/strong><\/em> for many readers, so it begs the question&#8230;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\"><strong>Are they worth it?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">If you had asked me that question a few years ago, I would have said&#8230;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\"><strong>Are you crazy? &#8211; it\u2019s just a piece of wire!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">However, my subsequent <em><strong>acquisition of knowledge<\/strong><\/em> and exposure to the KLEI product line has changed my mind in so many ways&#8230;<\/p>\n<ul lang=\"EN-US\" style=\"font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI','Cambria', 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #441E1F; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; text-align: justify;\">\n<li>Cables ARE components! ie. ALL CABLES!<\/li>\n<li>With similar research and development approaches &#8211; it\u2019s taken KL over 30 years to get to this point<\/li>\n<li>As complicated in design and manufacture as components in many cases<\/li>\n<li>With the ability to affect the performance of your entire system.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">For some, deciding between the <strong>KLEI gZero20 ICs<\/strong> or the <strong>KLEI gZero10 ICs<\/strong> will be a no-brainer, one way or the other. For others, cables make no difference, it\u2019s all mumbo-jumbo sprinkled with fairy dust. But there are those readers for whom, it becomes a bit like deciding which car to choose?<\/p>\n<ul lang=\"EN-US\" style=\"font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI','Cambria', 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #441E1F; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; text-align: justify;\">\n<li>a $240,000 Ferrari, or a $140,000 Porsche&#8230;  both are insanely quick, both have impeccable performance metrics, but only one will give them that extra &#8230;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\"><strong>Sense of Exhilaration!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\"><strong>Your Choice!<\/strong>, but I do urge you to try at least one of the <strong>KLEI gZero Product Line<\/strong> \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\"><strong>gZero\u2122Architecture Addendum<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">There is growing chatter on the web pertaining to KL\u2019s <em><strong>gZero\u2122architecture<\/strong><\/em>. However, not all the chatter was positive&#8230;<\/p>\n<ul lang=\"EN-US\" style=\"font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI','Cambria', 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #441E1F; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; text-align: justify;\">\n<li>There were several posts that denounced KL\u2019s description of his <em><strong>gZero\u2122architecture<\/strong><\/em> on the KLEInnovations website as just more marketing mumbo-jumbo liberally sprinkled with Fairy Dust.<\/li>\n<li>Some were of the opinion the description was contrived, to the point of being incomprehensible.<\/li>\n<li>And one poster was clearly of the opinion that <em><strong>Mr Eichmann<\/strong><\/em> knows NOT of what he writes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">I, on the other hand, tend give the benefit of the doubt to a person with over 30 years\u2019 experience in the audio industry and who has been responsible for some pretty innovative products, before I go casting aspersions!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">So, with my curiosity in tow, I began investigate what was written. But what unfolded was something quite alien to my own understanding of electronics principles, even with my background in electrical engineering and my years of hobby electronics under my belt.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\"><strong>The Epiphany<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">The diagram below helped me comprehend exactly what gZero is all about&#8230;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a class=\"thickbox\" id=\"set-post-thumbnail\" title=\"The Epiphany\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/kleinnovations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/SteveReeve-Circuit.png\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">As I studied this diagram it became quite apparent that the job of the interconnect is to provide an electrical connection in two separate and very distinct ways:<\/p>\n<ul lang=\"EN-US\" style=\"font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI','Cambria', 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #441E1F; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; text-align: justify;\">\n<li>Only the signal conductor (RED), conveys the musical signal<\/li>\n<li>Whereas the neutral conductor (BLACK) simply links the neutral (or ground side) of the two circuits<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">The neutral therefore, is NOT the return path for the Signal as many folk believe, but in stark contrast to the signal conductor, should always carry the same potential value as the neutral (or ground side) of the two connected circuits&#8230;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\"><strong>Which would be? You Got It&#8230; ZERO VOLTS.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\"><strong>or to coin KL\u2019s vernacular&#8230; gZero, Voila!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\">Now, for the sake of brevity, I am not going to delve into the issues pertaining to EMI and RFI in cables in this review , but I would encourage you to read <b><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.image99.net\/blog\/files\/a8fe12e6b9c434f03264a1a90f441ff7-62.html\" target=\"_blank\">The Significance of Cable Architectures<\/a><\/span><\/b>, that attempts to provide some insights, i.e. in layman\u2019s terms, of some of the more common issues that may be encountered.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\"><strong>My System<\/strong> <\/p>\n<ul lang=\"EN-US\" style=\"font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI','Cambria', 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #441E1F; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; text-align: justify;\">\n<li>Custom turntable with Denon DL103(modified) phono cartridge on and Audiomods Arm with one piece silver litz cable + KLEI Absolute\u00aeHarmony RCA plugs<\/li>\n<li>Simaudio MOON LP5.3 RS phono stage<\/li>\n<li>Schiit Bifrost USB DAC with UBER analogue upgrade and Version 2 USB interface Upgrade<\/li>\n<li>NAIM 5i integrated amp (with passive pre-section)<\/li>\n<li>Gerchman Acoustics Sonogram speakers<\/li>\n<li>KLEI gZero6 SCs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: #441e1f;\"><b>A highly recommended product<\/b> \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Khmer UI', 'Cambria','Calibri','sans-serif'; color: black;\"><b><a href=\"http:\/\/www.image99.net\/blog\/files\/a809262aaaed0c57a9ee817add7869f9-64.html\" target=\"_blank\">Read More &gt;&gt;<\/a><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>\n<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>\n<o:RelyOnVML\/>\n<o:AllowPNG\/>\n<\/o:OfficeDocumentSettings>\n<\/xml><![endif]--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Yes, this is yet another review of the most recent \u201cTop Of The Line\u201d (TOTL) Interconnect from Keith Louis Eichmann (aka KL) of KLEInnovations(KLEI). You might recall the KLEI gZero6 ICs reviewed here last June and then the KLEI gZero10 ICs also reviewed here in October. Both reviews stated these interconnects were, at the time &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":4642,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/kleinnovations.com\/bartime\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4618","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/kleinnovations.com\/bartime\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/kleinnovations.com\/bartime\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kleinnovations.com\/bartime\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kleinnovations.com\/bartime\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4618"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/kleinnovations.com\/bartime\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4618\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4634,"href":"http:\/\/kleinnovations.com\/bartime\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4618\/revisions\/4634"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kleinnovations.com\/bartime\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4642"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/kleinnovations.com\/bartime\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kleinnovations.com\/bartime\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kleinnovations.com\/bartime\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}