Warm, Detailed, Soundstages well, Accurate

Does not work well with all equipment

Although I have owned the Pro 9s for quite awhile, I figured that it was time to write a review on my observations. During this time period, I have changed quite a few pieces of equipment in my system, and what I have discovered is that the Pro 9s do not work well with all equipment. At one point, I had the Pro 9s hooked up to an Adcom GTP600 processor, and the wire sounded great and made the Adcom sound warm and lush. Recently, I upgraded my processor to a Tag Mclaren AV32R which is already a warm sounding piece of equipment and the sound became so warm that the same wire became very compressed. On my center channel, I replaced another warm sounding cable with Pure Silver Sound Sextets, and things sound very detailed and lush on the Tag Mclaren but it did not work well with either copper wire used with the processor except with the TMC Yellow Label Interconnects. In purchasing cables for your system, you have to really understand the characteristics of your equipment or you can easily ruin a high resolution system with incompatible wires. Is the wire the problem, no but not all wires work with every system. If your system is on the bright side, add a set of Pro 9s and you will have a wonderful lush sounding and accurate system. However, if most of your components are warm be carefull with the Pro 9 it may make your components sound congested. Make no mistake the Pro 9 is a great warm sounding copper wire and will do wonders for many systems, just know your eqiupment before purchasing.

Bryston 9B ST THX
Tag Mclaren AV32R
B&W Nautilus 804
B&W Nautilus HTM1
PS Audio P300 Power Plant
Sony DVP-7700 CD/DVD Transport
Pure Silver Sound Quartet Interconnects
Pure Silver Sound Sextet Speaker Cables
TMC Yellow Label Interconnects
TMC White Label Interconnects
TMC Gold Label Reference Speaker Cables
Silver Audio Hyacinth Interconnects
Harmonic Technology Pro AC11 Power Cord
Synergistic Research AC Master Coupler
Vibrapods and Sound Anchors

Similar Products Used:

Transparent Music Wave Plus, Monster Cable. TMC

Listen to these cables before buying anything else, regardless of price. I don't think there's anything better on the market.

The product name is actually Harmonic Technology, but it seems one can't correct ones mistakes once posted. These cables are an absolute steal at the prices asked by JimWang and Robert Lee. In my system they out performed cables like SPM, Siltech, Nirvana SL and Transparent Ultra. These cables opened my system up like nothing else. They just sounded right. The connectors are also excellent locking types I find better than WBT. Do yourself a favor and audition these cables before buying those kilobuck wires, you just might save yourself enough money to go on a little vacation. Or to buy lots of software. Don't take my word for it, listen and judge for yourself. Their website can be found at Harmonictech.com.

I just wired my whole system with Harmonic Technology cables. I have the Pro-Silway between amp and pre, the Truth-Link between CD and pre, and Pro-9 Plus Bi-wire speaker cable and Pro-AC11 CL-3 power cords. I've had this stuff less than a week and so far I'm very impressed, and things can only get better. Just prior to buying the HT cables I had been trying out JPS Labs Superconductors. I had my whole system wired with their stuff as well, except no power cords. The JPS cables added a kind of interesting 3D effect but there was a dramatic loss of detail from my original XLO cable. After 2 or 3 weeks of listening while the cable broke in I found the JPS Labs growing more irritating and I promptly returned them. They were an obvious missmatch for my system. I didn't try that many cables in my system but I did do a lot of research and that's how I stumbled across Harmonic Technolgies. These cables have transformed my system and made the music flow so fluidly with incredible depth and detail that the component change I was considering is not even an option any more.
My equipment:
Sugden CD player
Audio Research LS3 pre
Aragon 4004MkII amp
Magnum Dynalab FT11 tuner
Teac V770 tape deck
Castle Winchester speakers

I make it a practice to never purchase replacement audio equipment until I get a SIGNIFICANT improvement in performance. By this, I don't just mean discernable (let alone simply measureable), I mean a jump in quality so obvious that I would be reluctant to give up the new piece and return to the old stuff. For this reason I still use a McIntosh Amp that's about 12 years old, etc. I've been using some old Monster cable for even longer than that, since none ofthe new stuff made that much of a diference in my system -- until now. When I read about the Harmonic Technology patent, the theory made sense to me. I decided to try out a pair, under the stipulation that I could return the new cables if I didn't agree they were a significant improvement. I had a little hassle with HT overf spade size, and had to return them for a fix. But when I finally got the HT's hooked up, the sonic performance was IMMEDIATELY, SHOCKINGLY and OBVIOUSLY GREAT. Case closed. I decided to keep them within about 60 seconds and I can't get over how great my system sounds now ( after 3 weeks). I highly recommend that you try these one-of-a-kind technology speaker cables, and judge for yourself. I'm convinced. Rating: 5++++

I totally agree with Bill B. about the HT cables in response to Len claiming a 50% loss of output. The HT Truth-Links replaced Tara Master Gen 2 and the cheapest Audiodyne silver cables and there was absolutely no loss of output. If anything there was more output due to increased tranparency and bass. The treble is all there. If anything they were somewhat brighter than the excellent Audiodyne's. There must be something wrong with Len's layout. I have tested many cables and unless there hooked improperly there is no output loss only different sounding output. I have the 11 guage HT speaker cable for my midrange cable and was immediately impressed with their tranparency. The HT Truth-links are at least as good as any I've had in my complicated (tri-wired, bi-amped,5 interconnects), exotic tube system.

I have audit the Pro-Silway, TruthLink and the Pro-9. I have to admit that they are good cable at the price they are commanding. But they are far from the best. In fact, I agree with Mr Leonard saying that the cable is not musical and I feel that the cable is dry and boring. No doubt that it sound detail and dynamic. This is some form of false information to your ear cos' there is emphasis over the upper treble and they have no 'air' or extension excluding the silway. The silway is fine but it is again dry sounding and pretty lean in sound (good for warm tube amp). Overall, all the cables are not as exciting as other manufacturer. For Mr RIVA, the silway is far better then the Truthlink.But careful audition is required as it may made your system dry and boring.

I am currently using the double run Audioquest Dragon bi-wire, and all AQ Diamond. CD to pre is Kimber KTAG. I think the Audioquest are better cables than the HT. If anyone view this section, I think that the Cardas cable (Golden cross) can also out perform the HT. Sorry to all HT owner, I am only reporting the truth.

At this stage, the truthlink and Pro9 worth 2 star and the silway 3 star.

To Sam B. and WP, who responded to my post of March 31, these words of clarification. The pre/amp connected to a source with Tara Decade interconnect produced a volume that was represented by a digital value on the pre/amp, e.g. a "20". To match that volume using the HT Truth-Link interconnect for the same musical material, I had to set the volume to a value of 30-35. This proved necessary on every kind of material (music). Others present in the room specifically to hear auditioning of the HT cables noticed and remarked about this uptake in gain to match volumes. Same result, i.e., higher value to match volume, was needed with XLO reference interconnect which, interestingly enough, replicates many of the HT's sonic effects. Audition a Decade interconnect for comparison to get the picture.

Just a collection of our personal experiences after trying out over in Singapore as opposed to the previous Singaporean poster.
Seems that in our system the Pro-Silway is better than the Audioquest
Diamond. Do compare again....Pro-Silway is real value for money anyway ;-)

----Start of HT cables personal trials correspondences-----------

Hi Peter,
IMO, the TruthLink is quite capable of the deepest bass, it
went deeper than the Aural Symphonics 5i I had, that was already
well-known for its low frequencies extension. However, as you mention,
its soundstage is not as wide and open as other cables, and it lacks
resolution and extension in the high extremities.
However, to offset for that shortcoming, what you get is a a very lush
and textured midrange, so that if you have a solid state amplifier like
mine, the truthlink can give the very nice tubey-like vocals to your
solid state amplifier. I have also tried the TruthLink at Richard's
shop and it also had the same effect on Tube equipment, that is it
imparted more lushness and texture to both vocals and strings,or any
sounds which have complex harmonics combination.
I have at the moment a Silway between the CD and the pre-amp and a
TruthLink between the pre and power, and it's already giving quite fabulous
results for this combination (did not work so well the other way,
ie copper than silver, 'cos the copper robbed the music
of the treble details before it gets to the silver).
Not having tried and compared a silver-silver HT set-up to a silver-copper one,
I wonder which combo is better....'cos sometimes having a pure
silver system may be too "bright and sparkling" to some ears.
I also tried comparing the HT speaker cables (only copper bi-wired available)
to Nirvana's ones in Richards shops. Compared to the HT, Nirvana sounded
quite sterile, and did not go as deep as the HT speaker cables. I did not
have any Pro-Silway in that set-up (all were either loaned out, or bought
by Peter and myself), so the speaker cables were tested with TS Lim's
interconnects.
Anyway, I would like to recommend that you all try out the HT power cord
on your power amplifier. While it did not suit my digital stuff (I prefered
the Aural Symphonics Expresso), the HT power cord made an immense difference
to my power amp,all the air instruments(including voice) stood out and bass went
even deeper and became more alive. I was surprised by the life-like representation
of a trombone-saxophone that exploded out from my speaker when previously it
was so timid sounding. My Celestion Kingston speakers which I had previously thought
was bass shy to only 65 Hz, suddenly had lots of nice bass which was previously missing
(I all along attributed to that speakers shortcoming). The Kingston now sounds as though it can go to 40 Hz now ;-).

-----Original Message-----
From: Peter Ng Tiang Hui [mailto:PeterNg@sp.edu.sg]
Sent: Monday, April 05, 1999 1:30 PM
To: Johari Yip
Cc: black@pacific.net.sg; ryap@comp.nus.edu.sg; ang@ermsg.com;
seahss@singnet.com.sg
Subject: Re: Harmonic Tech's Interconnects


>>The TruthLink is not capable of the deepest bass or the highest highs. The
>>soundstage is quite a bit narrower and less open than the Nirvana's.
---------------------------------------------------------------
From Peter Ng Tiang Hui [PeterNg@sp.edu.sg]....
I traded in my Nirvana's for the Silway last week. Replaced the AT
Diamond, between the CD player and the pre-amp, with the Silway. (Already
had Silway between the pre-amp and amp.) The bass became even tighter,
more like live bass, though it sounded less weighty. Perhaps looser bass
causes the bass to sound more weighty. However, bass was still deep and
this makes me feel that the Silway is reproducing bass more accurately.
Resolution and transparency have gone up a bit and the imaging was sharper.
However, the soundstage with the Diamond seems to be wider, which was a
surprise to me. The Diamond gives a warmer sound, like a sense of ambiance
to the music. The Diamond/Silway combination was very musical too. Yet to
put back my Diamond again and at this point cannot tell which combination I
prefer. However, I am quite sure the Silway is the most transparent and
resolving interconnects that I have tried in my system. It's like
listening through a passive attenuator with dynamics! The Silway in fact
seems to improve dynamics. It actually can't as it is a passive device,
but I reckon it gives that illusion by its inter-note silence and its high
resolution.

The TruthLink's midrange is fantastic (could be attributable to its
limitations in the frequency extremes) but I can't live with its
limitaions in other areas. My feeling is that if the other components in
the chain are neutral and 'noiseless', a system with Silways is the way to
go. Cheers,
peter
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
To: "'Peter Ng Tiang Hui'" , "'Fong'"

cc: seahss@singnet.com.sg, "Roland Yap Hock Chuan [Ryap@Iscs.Nus.Edu.Sg]
(E-mail)"
Subject: RE: How's your HT Silver cables....
Hi,
In my case, I preferred the PreSilway between CD and pre,
and TruthLink between Pre and Power, it didn't have the magic
the other way around, because the TruthLink robbed away the
details when it is placed between the CD and Pre. I think the
connection between CD and Pre is more important in my system,
because it is nearer the source. The HT power-cord didn't work
so well as the Expresso on my digital sources(transport,518,DAC)
but was magical in the power-amp, it transformed the sound
of my amplifier to rather like a tube-amp, airy and textured.
In your case, maybe it's the Diamond that's the anaemic cable,
because you said you did not like it when it's placed between
the CD and Pre, which I think is a more sensitive link than
between the Pre and Power, as it is closer to the source and
more susceptible to greater initial losses. Mind you, I am
using a passive pre-amp, and I preferred the ProSilway to be
between my CD and pre than between Pre and Power, so it could
not have been my pre-amplifer causing the difference because
it neither adds or subtracts to the sound, being a passive device.

-----Original Message-----
From: Peter Ng Tiang Hui [mailto:PeterNg@sp.edu.sg]
Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 1999 9:44 AM
Cc: seahss@singnet.com.sg
Subject: Re: How's your HT Silver cables....


Had been using AudioTruth Diamond between CD and Pre-amp and Pro Silway
between pre-amp and amp. Yesterday, switched them around and didn't quite
work, sounds became leaner and bass was a bit anaemic. I think a major
shortcoming of the Silway is a lack of bass weight, although it does go
deep. I guess you got to switch your cables around to find the best match
for your system. I have a feeling that 2 pairs of the Silway might make a
system too hifi-ish. A pair of TruthLink is perhaps a good antidote for
the super resolution of the Silway. Too much resolution tends to make a
system sound hifi-ish. Would like to try two prs of Silway in my system
though. Could I borrow yours?

HT power cable versus Expresso : Expresso seems more open and spacious and
with a darker background (Expresso being silver-plated cables and the
results quite typical) but the HT makes the mids a little richer and the
images a little bigger. The HT has a bit of the characteristic of the
TruthLink and the Expresso that of the Silway. Strange isn't it?
Eventually, it goes down to system matching. Kind of like the HT power
cord though. Might buy it for playing around with if pricing is right.
Cheers,

peter


From: black@pacific.net.sg (Fong) on 27/03/99 12:54

To: "Peter Ng Tiang Hui" , seahss@singnet.com.sg
cc:


On Sat, 27 Mar 1999 12:47:13 +0800, you wrote:

>Hi Fong,
>
>Initial impressions are that the silver cables has a wide bandwidth and a
>very big soundstage. Not sure whether it's larger than the Nirvana's.
>Transparency/resolution is very high and bass is fast and well defined.
>Nirvana is warmer but not as transparent. Gripes are a leaner midrange -
>maybe I was used to the warmer sound of the Nirvana or the seemily richer
>mids of the Truthlink - and bass which is not as weighty than the
>Nirvana's. After about a week, the mentioned gripes don't seem to be that
>obvious now. perhaps my ears have run in viv-a-vis the cables.
Definitely
>prefer this to the Truthlink which has an enchanting midrange. Pls
forward
>this to Richard. Cheers,
>
>peter
>
>
>

I have not tried HT interconnects and the 5 star rating is for the Pro-9 Plus speaker cables which is the best speaker cables I've ever tried. In regards to the 50% loss output, it must either be a really thin conductor or a defective cable. But given the amount of possible audible differences in cables, I would lean toward the latter. I've only encountered <30% output with one interconnect and that is the Esoteric Musica 500. In any case, people seem to have different opinions on which interconnect model is better sounding. Have someone compared the Truth Link with the Pro-Silway?