Synergistic Research - NEW Element Cables

Welcome Mr. Snake Oil. After 52 years at it you'd think a person would have something better to contribute than another "snake oil" inanity.

I've had more than 52 years experience. If you were as smart as you think you are you would not advertise yourself as Mr. Snake Oil. It makes you look quite foolish, IMHO.

My experience goes back to the 50's. Too long a story to relate here. And irrelevant, actually. What is relevant is the discussion.

The world was once thought to be flat. This illusion lasted for a very long time. Until it was supplanted. Just because something is widely accepted does not make it true and does not make what is not widely accepted or understood ipso facto untrue -- and fair game for contempt and derision. A recent example of this in the audio business are resonator bowls. Franck Tchang was not greeted with open arms when he invented them. Yet today they are widely recognized as very effective room treatment devices to the extent that they have been copied by 2 well-known companies.

I am not in the audio business.

IMHO.

I note you have been quite candid about your eagerness to spread Snake Oil over various products on Audiogon forums. Without the popular IMHO at the end.

Bjesien, I understand. If I sent you a photo of the wires behind (and in front of) my system you would see something that audiophiles rarely exhibit in public. A mess. I run IC's and PC's in series. All over the place. One day I may put it up on Virtual Systems. I'm sure a lot of people would get a good laugh out of it.

For me the sound is the most important thing. Not the aesthetics. I am lucky that this is in a private room dedicated to my music, library and computer. So I don't have to worry about the missus. In fact, the transformation of my system in recent months has made the unslightly wires disappear for her. Complaints have given way to the comment "good" accompanied by a lovely dance.

Do you mean you could not get the Vibratron into a position that provided a satisfying sound -- regardless of what kind of music you were playing?

Fiddler,
With all due respect, my posts have been respectful to a fault. If there is any "bashing" going on it is coming from others who choose a tone that is less than respectful. An evaluation of the experience of various posters is a moot point. We need only stick to the issues at hand.

I do not challenge Audiofeil's experience. I challenge the tone of his posts. I believe everyone here deserves respect. If one cannot give respect then one cannot expect to always receive it in return. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you -- the Good Book says.

The issues I have raised and the fact they have been answered by a combination of deafening silence by some and vitriol by others is proof enough that I have ample experience -- certainly enough to raise more than one pair of eyebrows here.

Bacardi,
You got it.

Joeyboynj,
The Stereo Times review is a typical review/ad. The reviewer quotes lengthy passages from the SR site instead of embedding a link. It all adds up to "the new reference" -- until a newer reference comes along to supplant it. All of a sudden, the hyperbole describing the old reference will be forgotten, just like the last time.

I note the reviewer states: "My first experience with a Synergistic Research (herein SR) product was the groundbreaking A/C Master Coupler back in 1995." The ground-breaking Master Coupler was the reference. Its brochure makes it sound like the new Element series.

How black can the background get? How deep and wide can the sound stage get? How much detail can the product reveal? How transparent and dynamic can it be? How much credibility do manufacturers and reviewers have?

First SR created all those extra wires that drives people up the wall trying to find a way to keep them all plugged in and keep them all organized -- and clean. Do you realize how many wires are going all over the place with a fully loomed SR system with each wire and component attached to at least one adapter (MPC)? No wonder why you never see a Virtual System with an SR loom. Do you have any idea what a gawd-awful mess that would look like? Did you notice that you see pretty back-lit photos of each wire on the SR site but they never show you a photo of what this wiring mess looks like in a real fully-loomed SR system? OK, then they invented an expensive box to plug all the MPC wires into -- which means the resale value of your expensive adapters (MPCs) just went to zero. But you can up-trade if you are willing to lose nearly all the value of your older equipment while spending twice as much on your next SR purchase as you spent on your last SR purchase. A bargoon.

Ted_d,
The breath of fresh air does not always apply with all Stereo Times reviews and it certainly does not apply here -- despite your implication that my quote is a blanket endorsement, which it is not. I like Clement Perry's reviews. This review was not a Clement Perry review.

Photos of the inside of Jack Bybee's Stealth power conditioner are available for viewing but I have not seen any photos of the inside of your PowerCell. I have heard that one customer opened up the PowerCell and was shocked with the contents. Would you kindly post photos of the inside of all your versions of the PowerCell so we can see what is inside so that we can compare them? It would be useful to have more than manufacturers' ad copy and reviewers' kind words with which to judge these expensive products.

Blah,
We are talking about build quality here. Have you ever heard of build quality before? This may have been mentioned once or twice on the forums although it may have eluded you. But if you did read these posts, did you add your blahhhhs to them, as well? If not, there is opportunity in THEM THAR HILLS !!!

You may want to read a recent post about the Nordost Qx4 that was cracked open to reveal ... precious little inside -- an overprices milled steel marvel. From the report I heard about the SR PowerCell being cracked open to reveal ... precious little inside -- an overpriced black box marvel. Inquiring minds may want to know when highly esteemed companies are indulging in such practices -- charging outrageous prices for parts that cost a pittance. Sophisticated design and marketing. If you do not have an inquiring mind you can just ignore all this. NO PROBLEM !!!

Blah,
In my world it is always noted when a maker intentionally overbuilds to hide precious little inside -- and who then overcharges for the great "build quality" illusion.

A lot of high end audio is about clever marketing that is created in order to hoodwink people. Please note the Nordost Qx4 with silver tank-like repackaging of the QRT Quantum Symphony Pro. The Pro was packaged quite modestly yet does a wonderful job -- some say better that the tank-like Qx4 that costs many times the modest pro. The build quality of the Qx4 does absolutely nothing to enhance the quality of the sound. It was built that way to create a marketing illusion -- not because the box does anything -- except sell the product.

Please note the Synergistic Research PowerCell with black tank-like packaging that, according to reports, does absolutely nothing to enhance the quality of the sound. It was built that way to create a marketing illusion -- not because the box does anything -- except sell the product. Please note that Jack Bybee did not build a big black or silver tank to hide anything inside his Stealth.

I find it interesting that you do a Google search and find photos of the inside of the Bybee Stealth but you will never find a single photo of the inside of the Qx4 or the PowerCell.

For those with deep pockets this may add up to nothing more than a big yawn. Because, if the latest version of the PowerCell does not meet expectations, or if the Qx4 does not match the Pro, then who cares. They can be sold off at a loss -- who cares -- and replaced by another expensive product. Who cares.

Audioman58,

I also sold off all my SR cables -- and never looked back. And I am glad to be rid of that tangle of MPC wires that made things so difficult to get a handle on behind my components.

Davea33,

The active shielding is an expensive and entangling problem that other cable makers have solved -- while providing superior SQ.

Hasse,

David Elrod cables.

Joeyboynj,

Thanks for your informative post. If you have been designated as the moderator kindly make a full disclosure.

Joeyboynj,

By the way, have you auditioned David Elrod cables?

Joeyboynj,

The article you are referring to by Robert S. Youman states, "Most importantly, over all sound quality surpasses every other wire offering that I have auditioned in my system." I wonder why he does not mention the name of even one other wire "offering" he is comparing the CTS to.

I have an innate suspicion of reviews. It is well known that the so-called audio review network is corrupted by advertisers. And it is also well-known that Ted Denney is not shy about hyping every new product that he brings out. You may remember that the Master Coupler was God's gift to the audio world. And, in the past, he has never been shy about trying to suppress any "overly" negative comments on Audiogon about his products.

All this goes a long way to explaining the Synergistic Research buyer-fatigue comments one read on the forums. Wait till the next line of SR cables comes out -- with superlatives heaped upon superlatives. The steady flow of CTS offerings on Audiogon will increase. So, caveat emptor.

Talking about reviews, here are excerpts of Brian Damkroger's The Absolute Sound review that appears on the Synergistic Research site. Here is the link:

http://www.synergisticresearch.com/reviews/ac-master-coupler/

"How big a difference [do these power cords make]?... To put it in perspective, the difference is akin to replacing an undistinguished MOSFET stereo amp with a pair of absolutely top-flight mono tube amps — or replacing a midfi direct-drive turntable with a well set up Linn, Sota, or VPI. To say I was unprepared for the difference these power cords made would be a big, big understatement ... The differences wrought in my system by the additions of these power cords were positive, dramatic, and immediately apparent. However, unlike some immediate, drastic changes, the differences brought about by the cords didn't wear on me with time. In fact, the more I listened to my system with [these power cords] in place, the more difficult I found it to believe I had tolerated my system without them. Whenever I removed [them] from my systems, I found myself shaking my head and wondering, "Have I been listening to this?"

To say that [they] moved my system toward the absolute sound is true, but doesn't really capture the magnitude or sense of that movement. Suppose, for example, that you went from having one penny to having two. One way to describe this is to say that you went from 99 cents short of a dollar to 98 cents short, not a big change with respect to the dollar. However, another way to describe the change is to say that you doubled your wealth — a big change from where you were. The absolute sound is a long way out there ... But oh what those things do for a system! The only way to capture [their] impact is to concentrate on the doubling of wealth, to describe the differences themselves.

These differences, in decreasing order of apparent magnitude, were an increase in the dimensionally of individual instruments in the soundstage; an opening up of the soundstage, or increase in air between individual instruments; replacement of the smog between images in the soundstage with crystal clear air; an increase in the sharpness of the leading edge of transients, both spatially and temporally; and increase in bass extension and precision; and a decrease in high-frequency garbage.

Although all of these changes are inter-related, first I'll try to describe each individually and give examples I noted during my listening sessions. The most immediate and noticeable effect of [these power cords] was an increase in the dimensionally [sic] and body of individual images. This was most apparent with vocals, solo instruments, or small groups ... the vocals took on palpable dimensionally [sic] and body, whereas with the standard cords in place, they were somewhat twodimensional [sic], layered on the front edge of the soundfield [sic] ... With [these power cords], the voices became three-dimensional, surrounded by a cushion of air ...

... In this case, the added dimensionally [sic]seems to result from an increase in inner detail — intricacies of the sound of the air moving through the horn give it size and presence ... With [these power cords] in place, subtle shifts in the instruments’ position are clearly evident as such. With the standard cords in place, the shifts are barely perceptible, and then only as changes in tonal character. With record after record, the added dimensionally [sic] and detail were nothing short of dramatic.

[These power cords] also opened up the soundstage. I don’t mean to say that the outer boundaries of the soundstage moved outward — they did, particularly in terms of depth — but that’s not what I’m getting at here. The difference was more an increased perception of separation between, or distinction of, individual images in the soundstage. With [these power cords], the image centers weren't significantly farther apart, but the edges, of the images and spaces between them were now real, distinct, and three-dimensional ... this resulted in the instruments having more body, and the space between becoming more obvious as a separate entity, filled with the mixed resonance and decay of not only the solo instrument, but also the surrounding instruments and hall ... Here, the combination of dimensionally [sic], detail, and the soundstage opening made some of the denser passages seem more like individual instruments combined, rather than simply a canned, congealed sound.

The heightened awareness of the space added a bit of the charged excitement of a live performance. On multi-miked rock, the empty space between images was just that — – empty, really empty. Further, the emptiness had a clarity and sharpness that made it apparent that, with the standard cords, the space had actually been filled with a cloudy film. This is the third wonder wrought by [these power cords], the removal of not a veil or film over the soundstage, but rather the greasy, cloudy, grungy matrix that the images were suspended in. I know, I know — your system doesn’t suspend images in a grungy matrix. Well, neither did mine, until [these power cords] showed me what the soundstage could be like without the grungy matrix! ... imagine ... crystal clear air, like a window you have to touch to make sure it’s there, or for we westerners, a crisp, clear morning at about 8,500 feet when you’d swear you could see someone in Kansas if they stood on their roof.

This clarity is further augmented, or more likely supported, by the fourth difference I attributed to [these power cords] — an increase in the sharpness of the leading edge of transients. This increase had two aspects. The first is temporal, meaning that the transients sound faster. The second is spatial, in that transients seem to arise from a more specific, and rigidly fixed, point in space. One of the major shortfalls of recorded music is an incorrect handling of transients. It's easy to identify a live band down the hall, around the corner, and at the other end of a bar. One rim shot is all it takes. Why? I think a big part of it has to do with transient performance. Maybe it's micro-dynamics, maybe absolute rise time, or maybe phase coherence at the leading edge of the transient ...

Additionally present, however, was a significant increase in bass extension, definition, and power ... which brings me to the last effect of [these popwer cords], a reduction in high frequency garbage ... To me, the decrease in grunge was most apparent in the increased clarity, dimensionally [sic], and body ... For whatever reason, [these power cords] allow a system to better preserve the fine detail and phase integrity of a signal, simultaneously reducing spurious noise that results from either external sources or internal interactions.

The result is a huge — I repeat, huge — leap forward in the realism of the sound coming out of a system. The difference between, say, the sharper ring and decay of an Ovation guitar and the deeper body and resonance of a Martin take on a new level of prominence. With the Master Couplers, you get a much better sense of hearing the body of the guitar, rather than just a sound emanating from an area in space. Similarly, the spatial dimensionally [sic] and layering of multiple images within a soundfield are more apparent. With a densely orchestrated work, the effect is an increase in both the body and overall acoustic envelope and the ability to distinguish individual voices or edges of the soundfield. The effect is sort of a "virtual reality" spatial and temporal interplay of the voices ... To summarize, I can't possibly recommend [these] Synergistic Research [power cords] more highly ... for what they do, they represent the biggest bang for the audio buck I have seen ..."

WOW! I'm glad I found this review. These power cords sound absolutely amazing. I can't wait to audition them in my system. Brian Damkroger must be talking about the game-changing Element series. No? Then he must be talking about the game-changing Tesla series? No? Then what?

This is a review of the game-changing Master Coupler. The moral of the story is not to be enticed by reviews -- or by manufacturers who publish these reviews on their sites and who mirror what reviewers say in their own sales promotional material. Trust your own ears -- unless you need someone else to tell you what you are supposed to hear.

Audioman58,

I see I am not alone in not being enthralled with SR cables.

I have never heard an SR cable that even came close to David Elrod cables.

Wig,

This is the same impression I got from the Steinmusic Speaker Match tails. I like their Harmonizers very much but their Speaker Matches were a no-go for me.