Time for a final update from me. I had a good blow of the two alto pieces last night. Similar comments to what I've said about the other pieces, so instead of commenting especially about the altos, I'll summarise, in no particular order.
Workmanship is superb.
The pieces are easy to play, very responsible, flexible.
The ligs are superb. I also did some comparisons with cloth ligs and the Marc Jean I have for the tenor PPT. I never expected to be saying this, but there's a marked difference in sound between the Absolute ligs and the cloth ones. More overtones, less muted. Very little difference, if any, between the Absolute and the Marc Jean. The ligs fit well, grip the reed well and also tighten quickly and positively compared to a cloth or two screw.
Caps are really well made, strong. Some problems with fit and whether you can have cap and lig on the mouthpiece at the same time. But it may be that I had the wrong caps on the mouthpieces.
The resin pieces are warm, neutral, will probably work well for beginners, but have the flexibility to be used at top level. For me the material is better than hard rubber. They're great for smooth, smoochy ballade playing. Also clean and pure for classical.
The SS pieces are louder, brighter and much more aggressive. They'll strip paint if you want - or play quietly and smoothly. Despite being paint strippers, they remain easy to control, reasonably flexible. The finish is superb and if you want bling with an aggressive, dirty sound it's all there.
Prices are very good for a mouthpiece or lig of this quality.
I didn't try different reeds, just used what I was using on my other mouthpieces. I guess experimenting may bring some improvements. But even without that they were great.
Highly recommended, but ymmv.