Synergistic PHT... any other PHT heads here?

See my characteristically long, detailed and thorough review. Also check out the pics on my System page https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8367
Notice one Green Dream and one Black Widow both on the Koetsu, with another Green Dream on the arm tube. Also 2 ECT on the tone arm base, as well as another ECT on the motor. Move them around, listen, and you will be able to fine tune to what you want.

Purple Haze, Blue Velvet, went back. GD are deeper and more liquid, BW a bit more dynamic and neutral, together they are the bomb. 

ECT and HFT are more of the same. They all improve image, focus, inner detail, dynamics, all the good stuff, across the board. The biggest difference being the PHT definitely do have "flavors" while ECT and HFT are more neutral and balanced in effect.

Based on your reaction to just one PHT, when you get a set of ECT and a couple sets of HFT, HFT Speaker kits, etc, your jaw will drop, your mouth will gape, and you will be in need of a hanky or bowl or cup or something to catch the drool.

@millercarbon I knew I could count on you! I’m fixin to read your review now!

@millercarboni just put the green dream on with the widow. It’s pretty insane. I’m listening to the David Grisman Quintet and they are all over my room. Eyes closed and your there. I love these little tweaks. I’m contemplating a fancy table mat. I have really good isolation for my table but my mat is cheap sandwich cork air mat from PATHE wings. 

Are you guys smoking the PHTs or what?

Wait till you try the HFT Speaker Kit. Same deal as HFT, soundstage just keeps getting better, speakers disappear more and more. Does not seem to matter which or what order, ECT or HFT, walls or speakers, you can even do one Speaker Kit putting half as many on each speaker, then come back and add another kit later. Which is what I did. Amazing stuff.

@millercarbon ok I’m hooked, what should be my next step. I have chemical treatments from @whostolethebatmobile on my cables and chassis already, so probably not ECT. But what kind of hft’s should I get. 
I’m on a budget so step by step 

Okay so being budget minded first off tweaks like these are way more cost effective than component upgrades. Then trying to squeeze the most out of the tweaks... ECT and all the HFT versions are really very comparable. Also it really doesn't matter what you've done, they'll work just as much magic regardless. So what I would do is call and talk to Betty at highend-electronics.com and tell her just what you said, looking to get more Synergistic magic but gradually in a way that makes sense. 

What you're looking for, they have done specials on Synergistic and may be doing some again. Try and find out. They've done things like buy two get one free, buy one thing get another. That's how I got my Blue fuses, they were a freebie with ECT or HFT, and the darn Blue fuse was so good I kept buying more HFT just to get the fuse! 

Now Orange is the new Blue but you get the idea. Can't go wrong with any of those, they are all very good value for money. But if you can get one free with the other that is definitely the way to go. So call and ask. Never hurts to ask.

I'll have what you guys are having.

Ordered the Black/Green combo. Tried both separately with a small but discernable difference. 


Then put Black Widow on the headshell and the Green Dream on the arm near the pivot point. 


Much more wide open soundstage. Petty's Wildflowers and the Rest vinyl was huge and enveloping. M83s "Raconte-moi in histoire" was tight and deep. Yuko Mabuchi's first album was just sublime and her piano hung in the air in front of me  


I'm not sure these are worth the $200, but they do make a difference. 

That's the combination I like the best too. Black Widow is more dynamic and open, Green Dream is more liquid and smooth. Both throw a better stage and they combine together beautifully. I have one or two ECT on the tone arm base as well.

@millercarbon do you also put the black in the head shell  and the green dream on the arm? 

Tried them different places, separately and together. Wound up with one Black Beauty and one Green Dream right on top of the Koetsu. My Origin Live Conqueror arm has holes in the head shell that line up perfectly to put one PHT in each hole. Their locations are clearly pictured on my System page. https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8367 There's a second Green Dream on the arm tube. Picture #15 shows its location, as well as the 2 ECT on the arm base.  

These were all moved around a little in the beginning. They were tried on the counterweight, and on the arm directly above the pivot, and a couple other places. It sounds like a lot of work but really it went fast because it was so fascinating to do. First of all because its kind of amazing these things do anything at all! But then to be able to hear a slightly different sound from almost any change, crazy! I would move, listen, move, listen, only listening a minute each time.  

ECT went the same. Those could probably be used right on the arm or even on the cartridge, but they are a lot more massive, never tried. PHT are so light that after checking and realizing they are like .05g or something like that, I quit checking VTF and that saved a lot of time.  

If you try HFT, those are very similar in sound and also in the way moving them even a small amount makes a difference. Especially with things like cymbals, an inch or two up or down can change the balance from shimmer to sizzle. Not a huge amount, not like a tone control, more like tube rolling, just enough to fine tune.

I drank the cool aid some years ago having at least 20 HFT's. Well worthwhile.
Mixed results with the fuses.
I've got two PHT's bought on sale. Only using one purple it's effect is minor but positive to my ears. Guys, I appreciate knowing I can instal the second one too. It will be fun to listen.
For those curious to try they feature a 30 day return at no charge.

Millercarbon, thanks for the tips appreciate that.

If you do try a PHT, it would be a good idea to have a disinterested and uninformed person with good ears audition the system, with vs without the PHT. But don’t tell the other person what you are doing. That’s called a single-blind trial. It helps to eliminate your own inevitable bias from having purchased the PHT and having read all this and other blather about the PHT on-line.

Also, if you are going to stick the PHT on your headshell, make sure you compensate for the resulting change in VTF as you evaluate the results.

Yes, I took acid once. Experienced the exact same thing.

With acid, VTF is moot.

So, I decided to move both the Green and the Black onto the headshell and corrected for TF. Put on an original pressing of Rush - Grace Under Pressure.

Much more constrained and limited soundstage. So I placed the Green back by the pivot and things returned to the new normal.