The Problem with Synergistic Research

I think its great that Synergistic is always looking for ways of approving their products.
Heck, I even bought there Teslaplex and then a few weeks later the Teslaplex 2. But that cost was chump change.

But, because of SR quick turn around with new products, the older products lose value quickly and greatly.
And SR upgrade policy is not really helpful.
Surly there must be something in the trade in item that would have value to SR that they could come up with a better
trade up policy.

I once had the opportunity to spend a couple of hours with Ted in a room he tweaked with acoustics and cables.

Seeing some of his perspective was a lesson in audio itself. In my opinion he is driven by his passion to get peak performance out of stereo systems.

I think many people here can relate to that, and those that can, I bet, have some of the best sounding rooms out there regardless of cost.

I recently had a version 2 situation where I lost some money, but decided to upgrade at the same time. Painful but really happy I did it.

Lastly, I understand the point about being unhappy with an upgrade policy, but I have never seen a policy that was better than just selling it myself. Has anyone else?

***Just in case you were wondering I am neither related to Ted, nor share any business interests***

All PowerCell’s are based on my now patented EM Cell technology. To my knowledge the EM Cell is the first completely new technology to filter AC in over 20 years- all other forms of filtration are based on variations of old technologies like inductive chokes, transformers, regeneration, capacitors, and so on. As with any totally new technology, one can expect a rapid growth curve in the beginning that tapers off as a technology matures. That said, the original PowerCell 10SE won The Absolute Sound’s Product of the Year Award in 2009 and is still a world class power conditioner today. It does not limit current on demand nor is it subtractive in nature as is the case with virtually every other line conditioner on the market. That this brand new, never before thought of technology has undergone 2 revisions in a little over 4 years is understandable for a research and technology based company like Synergistic Research.

PowerCell roll out history:

PowerCell 6, PowerCell 10 and PowerCell 10SE launched 2008
PowerCell 6 and PowerCell 10 discontinued 2010
PowerCell 4 launched 2010
PowerCell 10 SE upgraded to Mk II 2010
PowerCell 4 SE launched 2011 (Both PowerCell 4’s are still in production)
PowerCell 10 SE Mk II upgraded to Mk III 2012

Clearly we have not upgraded our PowerCell 10SE’s every 7 months. We simply discontinued the PowerCell 6 and 10, added a new 4 outlet PowerCell, and upgraded the 10 SE to Mk II and again to Mk III.

Factors behind upgrading our original PowerCell 10SE to the Mk II version:

1. The EM Cell evolved during our Galileo Research Program that created among other products, our flagship Galileo System cables and Galileo Universal Cable Cells.
2. Enigma Tuning Circuits were added to our then 3 year old TESLA Series power cords (this upgrade was added at no additional cost).
3. After two years of production we had exhausted our stock of large PowerCell chassis’s and needed to order new chassis’s. Ordering chassis’s is a huge commitment of capitol and because we had recently improved both our EM Cell technology and Precision AC power cord, we elected to launch a Mk II version with the aforementioned upgrades.

Factors behind upgrading the Mk II to Mk III:

1. The EM Cell evolved significantly during the development of the Tranquility Base. In fact this latest evolution, which deals primarily with the EM Cells internal ground plane, is the most significant upgrade to the PowerCell since it was first introduced in 2008.
2. After a little over one year we sold our entire production run of chassis’s that took two years to sell through in the original PowerCell’s three versions- 6, 10 and 10SE.
3. Now 6 months into the Mk III’s production cycle we have again sold through our chassis production run- in half the time it took to sell that many Mk II’s and 1/4 the time it took to sell as many of the Original 6, 10, and 10SE PowerCells combined. For the record we just ordered a second round of chassis’s for the Mk III with no plans, or new technology, to build a Mk IV.

At Synergistic Research we don’t upgrade for upgrade’s sake nor do we obsolete our products prematurely. TESLA Series interconnects and speaker cables were in continuous production for over 5 years with only one running change to the LE version which included Enigma tuning circuits from our TESLA SE power cords at no additional charge. As for TESLA SE power cords, they are still in production with no plans at this time to upgrade them nor are we in development of a new line of power cords so, 6 years running and still going strong.

In the case of our new Element Series interconnects and speaker cables, technology developed during our Galileo Research Program existed to build a new breed of cables with higher performance that would be more flexible while offering never before achieved price to performance ratios, so naturally we retired our 5 year old TESLA IC’s and SC’s in favor of the new Element Series.

As for our upgrade program I don’t know what else I can say other then I am very proud of the oldest and least restrictive program in the industry. Back in 1992 when I was a young man sleeping on a futon in my factory to make ends meet I started the cable industries first lifetime upgrade program and called it the Lifetime Passport Protection Plan. Combined with the first line of cables designed to create synergy with target components, instead of the then standard (and now) hierarchy of price points where more expensive always equals better (according to the marketing engines behind most high end companies) Synergistic Research was and is different. Back then we offered four different interconnects and two different speaker cables. The interconnects all had the same price as did the speaker cables. My idea was simple- loan out four different interconnects or two different speaker cables and allow the end user to make his or her decision based on my cables subjective performance in their system. They kept what they liked and returned what they did not, or if they wished, returned all the cables for a full refund. Later as SR grew we introduced new cable models and users traded in their old SR cables for my newer designs- with a 70% trade-in allowance when they doubled up. This program has helped keep the supply of used SR cables relatively low and the resale value relatively high compared to competing brands. Do an AudiogoN search for Synergistic Research and then for other cable brands and you’ll see what I mean. Granted the plan is not perfect and we all wish our used high end audio purchases held their value better then they do, but at SR we do what we can to work with our customers.

The impression that we are aggressively marketing products with planned obsolesce is misplaced and based, I believe, on our development of new products in markets other then audio cables and power cords. This trend started in 2008 (from 1992 to 2008 SR was a cable manufacturer exclusively). I suppose all these new products in new categories have created the impression for some that we are continually introducing new products to replace old. This is simply not the case. What we’ve done is develop new products outside of cables like:

•Isolation devices (MiGs)
•Power conditioners (PowerCells)
•Active Electromagnetic platforms (Tranquility Bases)
•Upgraded power supplies for Active Shielding (Galileo MPCs and Enigma)
•Acoustic Treatments (Acoustic ART), and so on.

Many longtime SR customers like to experiment with our new technologies and products so we make them available through our dealers. When they find something they like, they can take advantage of our Lifetime Passport Protection Plan with no restrictions on like products being traded in for like products. For example many PowerCell 10SE users are upgrading to Mk III and purchasing Tranquility Bases or Element Cables to make up the difference. This also occurs with cables and everything else we make. For people who do not want or need to double up when making an upgrade, they benefit from a used market that has less products and hence better resale value compared to most other brands.

At the end of the day it’s all about the enjoyment of music. Very few of my personal friends have high end audio systems and while I don’t care for the way they sound, they seem perfectly happy and that’s as it should be. We should all enjoy our systems and not obsess over new products or fall into sour grapes just because something new enters the market. Personally I love research and the development of new technologies. Audio is what I do for a living and when people make new high end audio purchases, I want Synergistic Research products to be among the most competitive products on the market. Lately this means branching out into new markets with products I could not have dreamt of only a few years ago, while dramatically improving the performance of my interconnects and speaker cables. The fact is, new products are released every year in all markets, not just audio. Should a new product mean that we suddenly become dissatisfied with what we were completely happy with prior to a new product release? I still love my 1998 BMW M Coupe (the hot hatch based on the Z chassis that I later had modified by Steve Dinon with a blower and suspension work). Sure better, faster, lighter and more powerful sports cars have entered the market in the 14 years I’ve owned “The Bomb” as I call it, but I love that car and drive it every week.

Yours in music,
Ted Denney III
Lead Designer, Synergistic Research Inc.

Ted_d,
You make good points from your perspective and I make equally good points from mine, IMO. This is like Rashomon -- different facets of the same subject.

ted - estoril blue?

great car!