I just bought Synergistic Research's new Tesla Accelerator speaker cables and Tesla Vortec interconnects from The Cable Company. I have tried many demo cables from The Cable Company over the past year. These were the first to give me that WOW factor I been looking for so long.
Does anyone have these cables and can you please post your impressions and comments? Thanks.
I have been to Synergistic and have known one of their golden ears, Elliot, since I spent my entire early separation check from the service on a pair of Maggie 3.0s. 20 plus years ago, come to think of it. So perhaps I can shed a little light on their operation, and indeed smaller boutigue businesses in general, as many boutique businesses are my customers. Because of the small quantity sold, there are generally only a couple of people totally knowledgeable about the product and everything it does, generally the owner and a righthand man. The other people are hired to do things the owner can't or won't.. ie accounting, reception, shipping, repair, mfr, qa etc. There is no room in the profit margin for a battery of customer service specialists that can speak to lifelong audiophiles coherently, with experience behind them. Call many of the high end mfrs, and you get the president, who is the one with the vision afterall, and in high end hifi, generally the lead designer, Conrad Johnson, Hales, Ayre, etc. They good thing about this is that you get right to the source if they are available, something that would never happen with say, Sony. You will never talk to anybody that had anything remotely to do with the design and theory at a large company The bad news is if there is a trade show, a web to design, checks to sign, or any other president duty to do, then you cannot talk to the driving force. And although the price is high for these and other cables, we are talking handmade, burnt-in, tweaked and re-tweaked and listening and re=listening. Synergistic has, for the size of the operation a very respectable listening room, with all kinds of components to substitute. Nobody but Elliot and Ted probably know everything about the cables, which is at least one more person than many small companies have. There may be more, but those are both savvy, golden eared audio guys. I have found email often works best at smaller companies, the presidents will almost always get back with you.
Now let me tell you what most impressed me. I borrowed a pair of speaker wires, for free, from them. No credit card required, no check, nothing. Because of some type of impedence mismatch or oscillation problem with the amps, my amps blew up.... $75,000 amps. When I called the dealer, he immediately freaked, "what did you do, did you move the wires with the amps on?, did you short the wires, etc. " trying to pass blame from minute one. When I called Elliot at Synergistic, he just said that he would help where he could, didn't know why those wires would do that, but of course, if there was a problem caused by Synergistic, they would take care of it. Now as it turned out, it was just internal fuses, and amps going into oscillation, depending on the design of the cable, can happen. But how many people who let you BORROW a cable tell you they will do what's right with a 75000 dollar pair of anything? In my experience, only Synergistic. Did I ultimately buy the cables? No, in my system and how I used them, I found a different set a better match. After a long trial, and some waffling I might add. Maybe if I had them set it up completely with Synergistic, it would have been the better choice. That is the recommended configuration from them. I have used Synergistic for many apps over the years, and their balanced Relspec cable is da bomb. But because of that response, anytime I want a new cable, I know who I am calling first. Every time. The guy who says "we'll make it right".
Let me get this straight. If the light is out the active shielding is out. Not just the light out with it still active shielded.
So I think I was right then by having my ead power conditioner turn off all my active shielding when my processor triggers it off.
If some are claiming the active shielding works best when on a week straight then I would rather lose a slight bit of performance and allow my ead power condioner to turn them off after each use.So maybe they may slightly lack in performance by turning on and off with each use but at least I know they will last my life time
When augmenting tesla for my side surrounds its obviously not smart to upgrade till maybe 2040. Therefore, my Ead will turn them off when not in use! I'm glad I put that to rest for myself before easter weekend!
Pardon my little soapbox... I dont understand why companies spend lots of money on advertising to draw customers to their products , but dont have qualified personnel to answer customer questions.
Tvad, "done" means the active shield will no longer work and Synergistic will have to install a new one. I've heard they do last for years. I have mine plugged in for over a year now, no problem at all. ;-)
Ozzy, Synergistic may be busy trying to get there new 2008 products prepared. Keep calling and ask for Eliott.
Ozzy, Sorry I have not been available lately-I've been sequestered working on the new website. Normally I take two to three hours of calls per day from audiophiles and they usually need to get off because I've talked BOTH their ears off! I will be in the office tomorrow and available from 12 noon through 5 p.m. PST should you wish to talk.
The life expectancy for LED's is dependent on many factors including voltage and operating temperature. When used in the Active Shielding circuit they are operating under ideal circumstances and should last 75,000 hours or more before needing to be replaced. For the record I had a pair of Alpha Sterling Active and Alpha Quad Active IC's and SC's in my home office system from the original X Series circa 2001 that were on continuously from 11. 01 through 11.06 without incident-nearly 50,000 hours. We have less then a 1% failure rate on LED's after an initial 100 hour period going back to the original X Series when LED's first appeared on our cables in 2001. If the LED"s are going to burn out they normally do so during the first 100 hours of life; after that they are good for thousands and thousands of hours.
I recommend users leave their solid state powered Active Shielding on continuously with the following caveats. 1.If you are using the new valve powered Enigma power supply for Active Shielding turn it off when not listening for better tube life. 2. Turn Active Shielding off for 12 hours once per month to allow for a neutral bias to set. This simple act gives better performance by allowing cables to take the full charge from Active Shielding.
Yours in music, Ted Denney Lead Designer Synergistic Research Inc.
Well I talked to the Cable Company and Synergistic. Both said once the blue light goes out the active circuitry is done.Neither claimed to be sure how long the light would work. Both recommended to unplug the mini coupler when not in use to save the LED.
More importantly, I was quite surprised how little the guy who answered the phone at Synergistic knew about their products , so his opinion about the LED may not be valid. I asked to speak to someone else and he said know one else was there, to call back later. So, I called back later and was told to call back another day, couldnt tell me what day to call. Man, how do you guys get to talk to Ted, when I cant talk to more than maybe the Janitor? There cables are expensive, they need to do better in customer service before I spend anymore money with that company!
I'm auditioning the Tesla T3 pc starting on my Blue Circle BMPH integrated and now moving it to the PS Premier. On the Premier the holigraphic (3d) affect of the T3 has really taken affect unlike any pc I've had. On the Premier The T3 has also improved on the upper clarity and midrange detail of the system. It's done extremely well and I'll be ordering one. Highly recommended.
Ozzy - I am going through a similar dilemna with SR cords. FWIW, I put an Apex Tesla on my TUNER (CD player should be back from Alex today or tomorrow), a Hologram A on my amp (replacing Elrod Statement) and the Precision Reference between amp(VAC 300.1 phi) and Pre (replacing Nirvana SX Ltd) and I now have CD-quality sound coming out of my system, from the TUNER. I am impressed. The Nirvana cord images very well, but the Reference beats it in combination with the Apex - I now have spatial cues and a soundstage that regularly extends outside of my speakers, which I've never had before.
Experimentation will continue upon the return of my 3910. Will be trying Hologram D and Tesla Apex, replacing VD Genesis. While I'm expecting to lose some "sizzle" with these changes, I'm hoping to gain much better transparency, musicality, resolve and imaging. We'll see - none of these changes are permanent at this point(with the exception of the Apex Tesla on the tuner) - I am just doing some experimentation in preparation for receipt of an APL NWO 3.0 later this summer.
Hey Ozzy, Borrow a whole complement from The Cable Company. The next upgrade your should try is a Hologram D on your CDP. Than move to a T2 or T3 on your preamp and a Hologram A on your amp. If you can, try a Precision Reference interconnect between Pre and amp it complements the Apex nicely.
My new Synergistic Apex interconnect is between my Cary 306 SACD and my H-Cat Preamp.
I am using the Purist Dominus C balanced interconnect between my Preamp(H-Cat) and Amp (Pass Labs X350.5).
For power cords , I have the Purist Anniversary on my Cary 306 SACD , a Electraglide Epithany X on my H-Cat Preamp a VD Rev 2 power cord on my Pass Labs Amp and I also have a VD Rev 2 on my Hydra 8 (which is powering my Video system only)
I would like to try the Synergistic power cords but I am confused. Right now as I mentioned earlier, I have a Purist Anniversary power cord on my Cary SACD and a Electraglide Epithany X on the H-Cat Preamp.
I was thinking of moving the Purist Anniversary to my Preamp and trying a Synergistic Tesla D on my Cary SACD. Or, should I leave the Purist Anniversary on my Cary SACD and get a Synergistic Tesla A for my Preamp?
I originally purchased Accelerator IC's which replaced my old Valhalla's. In my system they were not hot, but they did take a long time before opening up and settling down. This seems to be the case for all Tesla cables I've tried-broken in at the factory or not. Expect between 72 and 96 hours for the real show to begin. Longer if the cables were not broken in first.
As to the pre to power amp connection, Precision Ref. was made for this application while Accelerator seems to be a system wide cable or a pre to power IC when you want to balance your system differently. This is where Acoustic Ref. or even Apex between CD and pre come into play. Matching different cables between source components and pre amps with a dedicated pre to power amp interconnect seems to be a corner stone in SR's system matching philosophy, with the new non active IC's following the same pattern.
Hey Ted, The Accelerator sounds best to me from Pre to amp with the Acoustic Reference on CDP. The next step up is the Precision Reference on pre to amp and Apex on CDP.
If you want a fast and slightly warm sound use all Accelerators. If you want very warm use all Acoustic Reference. If you want the most neutral sound use all Precision Reference. If you want everything go all Apex. Or you can combine the cables to get all the levels in between. That is what makes the Tesla line so great. Buy the best combo for your budget and listening preferences.
I found all of one type of Tesla is TOO much of a good thing. It's when you use combo's of these cables that work best. They all have different strenghts rather than one being better than the other.
Agree about the Enigma. Wow. The Accelerator speaker cables I'm demoing currently sound great; a little hot but way less veiled than even the AZ Satori (mid bass hump). I'm running Soundstring Alpha omega Pro balanced (5M) from pre-to-amp. I demo'd the Accelerator IC's there (1M, reconfig'd the system temporarily to accomodate 1M demos) a few months ago, before the Soundstrings, and loved them, but didn't like the Acoustic Refs (way too many changing models at SR) between pre and amp. Is the Accelerator more at at home there?
Reading SR's web site you may need to throw a Magnetic Tricon into the mix. It seems the Au79 plays the same role as their Apex flag ship as a dedicated source to pre amp cable with Magnetic Tricon filling in between pre and power amps just like Precision Reference. The Apex / Precision Reference combo worked wonders in my system with the two cables balancing each other perfectly.
Well I am trying out the AU79 and the MIT IC's along with the Acoustic Zen cables this week. Have no clue what I am doing ... tips on what features to listen for would be helpful!
I am upgrading from Audioquest Opal (single ended). All of the demo cables are better! The demo's are balanced) and are used betwen the DAC and pre amp.
Levinson transport Sonic Frontiers Mark 2 to Audio Research LS15 to Classe 2200 Power amp and Kef 104/2 speakers.
My initial impression is that the AU74 is warmer then the MIT's... Easy to live with. My description would match the web site.
I wrote down... the MIT's seem to have a bit more base extension and are clear.. also very easy to live with the MIT's.
Getting the impedance match was critical... they were awful at Medium impedance... Very nice at High impedance.... (This matches the Pre Amp spec as well)
The MIT's seem to be a bit more effecient then the Snynergistcs. eg... a click or two on the pre amp to match volumes.. (wild ass guess on the level mathces here)
This got me wondering if the impedance matching of the synergistics is not quite right for my gear?
New information out on the Synergistic site. It looks like they have some new interconnects the AU79 and the Magnetic Tricon without active shielding. Lots of info on the Enigma is now available as well.
Correct, the MPC should have the wire pointed down, assuming the ground pin is low side. I too tried it the other way on my demo Tesla Accelerator speaker cables and found the same collapse (or conversely, the same opening up).
I have on trial a one meter pair of the Tesla Apex interconnect.
Got to tell you guys, with all the postings on this thread, and after using it, I was not that impressed.
But...I have just discovered that proper orientation of the mini coupler AC plugs is critical to the performance. I had the mini coupler plugged into a 6 way power strip.
I recently read on the Synergistic Research web site that the Plugs must be up and down when plugged into a wall outlet.
Well, when I looked at the way mine were plugged into the power strip, sure enough, I had it reversed!
Once I reversed the plugs into the proper orientation, the sound stage widened and the frequency extremes sound glorious.
I use the T2 on my Quattros and I'll use a T2 on my Enigma. Ted at SR says this is the way to go. From my own listening tests the T2 added clarity and finesse to the sound of my system.
Freemand, Leica_man, Johnthomas and any other, What power cord are you using on your Quattro or had used if you dont have it now? I was wondering if the T2 would be a good choice.
If they are rated at 100,000 as far as the lead lights then expect them to start burning out around 10 to 12 years or so. Theres almost 9,000 hours in a year. I have come across some used first gen active cables for sale that where said the lead light was out. So the first generation active will have their 100,000 hours in a couple years so I wonder if more of those are starting to burn out??
I like the lights and plan on keeping several of my x2 in my home theater for years as the tesla is not cost effective on everything but the more important channels and such. I will be bumming if or when they start burning out.
I just received my second pair of Tesla acoustic ref and will be putting those in this weekend. I am excited and will pass my thoughts.
Yes, turn it on and leave them on. They were designed that way. If you leave them alone you should hear a smoothness that sets into the cable. I've had mine on 24/7 for several years now. ;)
Joeyboynj, do you think the power couplers need to be always plugged in for top performance. My EAD ac master 8000 has a trigger on it that my processor turns on and have the EAD modified with 18 total outlets. So I have 9 bottom outlets that allows me to plug up to 9 power adapters for the synergistic cables.
That allows me to turn on and off with the ead trigger the active shielding and its lights between every listening session.
So my cables would be getting fresh ac juice everytime I listen. You have noticed that it actually gets better over a process of about 7 days? Perhaps, my ead turning them off and on may be not the best thing?????
I've been using accelerator speaker cables (which are awesome), and just got some accelerators interconnects yesterday. Installed the IC's between the amp/preamp last night and they blew me away! I know they take a few days for to settle in but just after a couple hours they're already sounded incredible. I've tried quite a few cables (including some very pricey gold cables) in this position but the improvements were always minor to moderate and not worth it to me. Not these accelerators - quiet, detailed, extended, and 3D like no other cable I've tried. I only listened to it after a couple hours, so curious to see how they sound in a couple days.
I think I'm hooked on Tesla's now and I want more. Where to go next? source/preamp interconnects? Power cables?
Assuming you live in the US you do have options even if your Kimber Select dealer does not provide them. See the link and call SR. I did not have a dealer in my back yard so I called The Cable Company but your options may be different.
Leica-man, what is the Tesla challenge? I'm not able to pit the Kimber Select against the Tesla here. Any help and comments will be much appreciated. Thanks.
Dynguy - Rick, You have to keep them conneced all the time and dont disconnect them. I have mine connected over a year and they do not burn out. You should hear almost the best sound in three days charging. They actually get fully charged and sound best in about a week. The sound colapes if you disconnect. Also, charge the shields while on the fridge you wont hurt them. If you have any questions call Synergistic directly and they will be more than happy to explain whats going on.
Shsohis, Regarding relative performance, I had an all Valhalla system and the Accelerator IC's killed the Valhalla IC's and the Precision Reference SC's killed the Valhalla SC's. Both the Tesla cables cost a fraction of my old Nordost cables.
If you are thinking Kimber perhaps you should take the Tesla Challenge and compare the two before putting down your hard earned money.
Dynguy, LED's are rated for 100,000 of hours so I would not worry.
To everyone else I have been away (lost in PC Audio comparisons). I'll let you know my impressions of the Enigma and PowerCell when they arrive.
I received my T2 and T3 Power Cords on Thursday. My question is am I supposed to unplug the Mini Power Coupler when not in use? The little blue light on the cord indicating that the MPC is plugged-in and turned on is always on. Won't the light burn out if on 24/7 or you think not? Not a big deal but I am curious. There was zero documentation in regards to these cords in the box (but those black boxes are pretty). So I don't know if I am to unplug the MPC when not in use.
I bought a Shunyata adaptor so I can run-in the cables thru my refrigerator cord. I will run in each cable for a week each and report back.
I am saving up for the Kimber KS3035 or even the KS3038 and now this.... the Teslas! Has anyone made a side/side comparison and would like to advise me? All my interconnects are the Kimber KS1030.
Leica_man, the question that Johnthomas is asking is what Synergistic product 1. the new power conditioner (Powercell) OR 2. the Enigma has a greater effect on the sound. I think he wants to know if you had to choose one, what would it be and why.
Hey Rick, I went through The Cable Co as well-great choice and opportunity to find exactly which cables compliment your system in a way that makes music to "your" ears. As to your choices bravo and you may want to read my system description-I used to have the more expensive Anaconda 2 power cords throughout my system and recently ungraded to all Tesla power cords. The differences were startling.
In addition to the Tesla power cords I would ask the CC about the new upcoming SR Tesla power conditioner. I heard it at CES and it did exactly what their IC's, SC's, and Power Cords do. That is to say it improved sound staging, layering, low frequency extension and control, and added air with transparent smoothness. I'm sure The Cable Co will allow you to compare the two units before making your final decision. I'm eager to try one myself but at the point I expect great things; SR seems to be batting a 1000 these days.
This has been an interesting thread. I have never owed a conditioner nor upgraded Power Cables. I am going to give it a try.
I ordered a Hydra 6 with Python Helix and I have ordered a T2 and T3 to try on my Preamp, Amp and CDP. I will play with these two cables to see how it goes. If it goes well I may also borrow a Precision AC.
I am using a very low budget IC on my Rega Saturn. I would also like to try out the Acoustic Reference which would be a huge step up from my current IC. I want to borrow a Nordost Tyr to compare form the Cable Company.
Speaker Cables and ICs from Preamp to Amp are Nordost Blue Heaven. This may be the next to be upgraded. Probably IC's first.
I am really excited to try my first Hydra 6 and updated Power Cords. I almost went with the Hydra 8 but I hope the 6 will be a good choice.
Should I burn-in the cable to be used on the CDP or Preamp on my AMP for a few days? It seams the cable to the CDP would take a very long time to burn in.
I will let you know my thoughts on the T2 and T3 as well as my first conditioner. Cables should be here next week but the Hydra is back-ordered for two weeks so I have some time to wait. Bummer.
Also, a shameless plug and I have no relationship to the Cable Company but they were outstanding with helping me with the T2 and T3. I am looking to a long relationship with them.
Hi Joeyboynj, Funny coincidence, only a few days ago I have added to my system comments that I have "fallen" for the Tricon Analog phono cable from the Tesla series, allow me to just copy that here (by the way, the audition was done with a dealer's demo cable, so I guess it had been well broken-in)
Another quest finished. I have been auditioning a Synergistic Research Tricon Analog phono cable for two days now and without doubt it will stay in the system. A leap forward in respect of micro-dynamics to the point of enhancing understanding of artistic expressiveness. Now, don't roll your eyes yet, I know that's a mighty mouthful of a statement. One point in case, then: Stan Getz's finely layered vibrato on "O Grande Amor" (Getz/Gilberto) shone with full genius where it had been "only" superb before. Also, the proverbial re-discovery of a number of records that appeared not so bland as I thought they were (e.g. Subharmonic "In Dub"). Finally, another fetish of mine: impeccable soundscape with anything from one-man-with-a-guitar (e.g. Michael Chapman "Window") to not-so-easy orchestral works (e.g. CSO/Georg Solti "Stravinsky - Le Sacre du Printemps"). Cable that I had used in the analog rig before and had available to compare with: Audioplan Super X-wire, Kimber KS 1010, Cicable AC5SR and AMR IC-77, admittedly all less expensive than the Tricon. However, the Tricon is without the slightest doubt also better than the imho overly hyped and rather more expensive Silent Wire NF-32 I had on trial once. All of the above applicable to and witnessed in my own system, of course.
Istanbulu, Have you gone 100% Tesla yet? I did and it's very interesting- with all Tesla IC's, SC's and now PC's in my system the incremental jumps my system had been taking as I re-cabled it with Tesla suddenly took a HUGE leap forward.
To experiment I removed the T2 from my pre-amp and replaced it with my much more expensive Anaconda 2 (a cable I have loved for some time now) and the sound field collapsed. I am not certain if this would happen in a mixed system of different cables but in my all Tesla system the effect was dramatic. I then removed my Hologram A from my amplifier and replaced it with an Anaconda 2 and again the sound field collapsed. There is a HUGE synergy that takes place when all cables are Tesla and I'm certain this contributed to what the reviewer over at 6 Moons heard in his system.
I can't wait to get an Enigma and the SR line conditioner- Synergistic Research has raised the bar to a level that will leave the competition scrambling to catch up for years to come!
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