Review: Quantum Resonance Technology Symphony Tweak
Category: Accessories
Happy Thanksgiving A'goners. I hope you didn't overdo it as I did. I don't know if it's correct to call this a 'tweak' but let me say this first: I believe this device is going to give a lot of high-end cable manufacturers fits and ulcers and render their claims moot. Overstatement? Read on. I can't quite get my head around how this works but I think I can say that this suppresses or shunts REI and EMI to such a degree that a level of clarity is achieved that has to heard to be believed. I came across this device at the VTV show in Arcaida, Ca., last weekend. I bought the ElectroClear module first. It's a simple device that looks like a common adaptor that plugs into an outlet or powerstrip and has an effective range of 10'. The level of clarity it provides is stunning. Even dvds look more detailed and natural. And all of this for $30 (show price). The next day I ordered the Symphony device which is several orders of magnitude better and well worth the $250 retail price.
Here's how it sounds to me:
David Poe : "Love is Red" 'You're the Bomb' has some great drum work and this product allows you to follow each distinct drum in the kit, allowing you to distinguish what is hit across the soundstage. Initial strike and the 'roundness' and tuning of each drum is clearly heard. Cymbals sparkle and decay most naturally and the guitar work is sublime.
Limoney Snicket's soundtrack: My favorite recording of late, just plain tickles my ears. You can hear the 'bite' of the bow as it strikes across the cello strings, followed by the varying pull of the bow and the earthy decay. With reed instruments you hear the rush of air folowed by the chuffing as it ends. The tricky, eccentric score, is clearly articulated, defined and so easy to follow. All this heightened clearness and deail is not in the least distracting. It's like seeing something in the gestalt manner but, instead, you're hearing eveything at once, as a whole, and it all makes sense as you hear the interplay of the orchestra.
Pais Combo: "Motiffs" and "Attraction": I've played the hell out of these two for the last 6 months or so and I thought I knew them. Wrong. There are some very subltle backing vocals, a few word here, there that I hadn't heard before. Softly spoken, not sung. I swear I can tell (I believe) if some of the sublte guitar strumming is being done with the base of the fingers or the nails. It's eerie.
Juan-Carlos Formell: "Cemeteries & Desire": a great, natural recording of a man and his guitar. My neighbors, who know my system and my tastes, thought I had somone playing in my apartment. 'nuff said.
The only comparison I can make is using Herbie's Grungebuster2 CD mat. What it does for mechanical and microphonic damping (and what a great job it does), Quantum's Symphony does for EMI and RFI suppression, only on a level several magnitudes greater. If you want a clear and articulate listening experience, then this might be your cup of tea. No one part of the music dominates the others: bass, midrange and treble are a cohesive whole as they are all equally enhanced.
I hope I covered all the bases. If not, check out www.quantumqrt.com. Ask for Bill and he'll explain it a lot better than I did. On an aside, as I've seen here, let me assure you that I am not affiliated in any way with this company or it's product. I just believe in this enough to share it with you.
