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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
bill_k
883 posts
 
From the review it appears that KLE has a nice sounding plug, but I find their response to Steve's inquiry about their impedance very puzzling to say the least. Regardless of their linearity at high frequencies, how can a single plug design "easily match" three different impedance values? A given plug has only one characteristic impedance.
williewonka OP
3,072 posts
 
Bill - since I'm no expert I cannot readily address your concerns. I have
however passed on your post to KLEI for comment.

From what I have read in various articles on the subject, there is an issue of
internal cable "reflections" that can arise in digital cable use,
when the impedance of the connector is lower than that of the cable. This
can degrade transmission.

KLEI did share the findings of one reviewer that specifically tried them on a
75ohm cable as a digital interconnect and found them superior to a very
good interconnect purpose built for digital applications.

One key design point of the Copper Harmony is their small neutral
conductor, which contributes greatly to their enhanced performance (at
least in analogue applications).

Perhaps this also is responsible for their very good performance as a
connector in digital applications, in that the small neutral pin may reduce
those internal reflections to levels that are no longer an issue, which might
make them well suited for use with 50, 75 and 110 ohm cables?

I will post their response as soon as I have it
bigshutterbug
379 posts
 
I got the opportunity to hear the new Copper Harmony RCA ends myself this past week, in comparison to the standard copper Bullet connectors. Your review is spot on, and I agree with you all around on your assesment. Much faster, more attack, better extension and energy in the upper highs, and tighter bass. Midrange is a bit more open as well, in comparison to the copper Bullets. Still retains the same excellent focus as Mr. Eichmann's previous Bullet ends. Keith has a real winner with these, and the price is extremely reasonable.
williewonka OP
3,072 posts
 
BigS - it's always nice to hear someone else had a similar experience :-)

Cheers
williewonka OP
3,072 posts
 
Bill - I received a reply from KLEI that contained the following explanation..

- The overall impedance of a "digital path" (e.g. the digital devices + the cable + the connectors) is determined by whichever of those individual components has the lowest impedance.

- if the overall impedance is lower than the value that the "digital path" is specifically designed for (i.e. 50, 75 or 100 ohms) the signal can become degraded

- Conventional RCA's often have an impedance less than the cable or the component - which reduces the overall impedance of the "digital path" to that of the RCA, often resulting in transmission issues

- Due to it's advanced design, the Copper Harmony has an impedance greater than 100 ohms, making it a very good choice for use on digital cables having an impedance of 50, 75 or 100 ohms, since it will not reduce the overall impedance within that "digital path" to a value less than the cable it is attached to.

Also, due to the high conductivity rating of the materials used for the conductors in the Copper Harmony, jitter will be significantly reduced.

This makes the Copper Harmony RCA an excellent choice for digital applications.

I did find other RCA`s that are designed specifically for use on 75 ohm cable, but none for 50 or 100 ohm.

I hope this answers your question
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