The Problem with Synergistic Research

Tbg,
I also need to do a lot of testing. I have been using the two power conditioners in series because I bought the Bybee Stealth on the hunch that it would best the SR (and it has, since I took the SR out of the system and can listen to it alone.) I didn't want to sell off my Powercell because I hate taking haircuts. And I figured that the sound would be good if I ran the two conditioners in series with my isolation transformer and power regenerator. Everything sounded pretty good. But since I have a maze of wires -- you can imagine with all cables in series -- it is really hard for me to squeeze between the wall and the cables to fiddle around.

I honestly didn't hear any need to get rid of the Powercell -- you know how you get used to your "house sound" -- until I added the SR speaker cells and they killed the sound completely. Then I figured it would be worth the effort to squeeze my belly back there and yank out the Powercell. BINGO !! Everything opened up -- low level detail, sound stage, harmonics. You name it. The Powercell is history.

Thankful,
You stated, "If "any" audio company is going to introduce frequent upgrades they should provide their customers affordable upgrades path/options. Without judging motives here they can devalue their customers investments." This is the very point I have been making on other threads. The trade-up policy of SR is punitive. Devaluation of the SR investment hurts a lot. What they have done with their new Element line is to render unsellable all your expensive Tesla cables they used to ballyhoo.

If their retail prices were not so darn prohibitive or they offered an upgrade or a better trade-up policy this would not hurt so much and they would have a better chance to hold onto loyal customers. But the way things are, people are eager to run for the door when a company like HiDiamond comes on the scene with superior products at very reasonable prices.

Sabai, you make some very good points.

One thing for sure is that Synergistic Research will continue to change their design. With the cost of their products being so high, they can afford to search for the ultimate Holy Grail. Good for them.

But I too have chosen to get off the ride. This is because the old Synergistic Research products lose their value tremendously once the new products are released and the fact that Synergistic Research does NOT have any realistic upgrade path.

My Pass Labs Amplifier always sounded better on a separate dedicated outlet than being plugged into the Synergistic Powercell. That is, with the Amp plugged into the SR Powercell, it provided a darker background, but it also seemed to suck the “life” out of the music.

So, after reviewing your post, perhaps I should pull my SR Powercell out of my 2 channel completely and use it for my Home theater equipment.

I have always had some type of power conditioning with my front end equipment and now I wonder how a power regenerator would perform.

Sabai, you make some very good points.

One thing for sure is that Synergistic Research will continue to change their design. With the cost of their products being so high, they can afford to search for the ultimate Holy Grail. Good for them.

But I too have chosen to get off the ride. This is because the old Synergistic Research products lose their value tremendously once the new products are released and the fact that Synergistic Research does NOT have any realistic upgrade path.

My Pass Labs Amplifier always sounded better on a separate dedicated outlet than being plugged into the Synergistic Powercell. That is, with the Amp plugged into the SR Powercell, it provided a darker background, but it also seemed to suck the “life” out of the music.

So, after reviewing your post, perhaps I should pull my SR Powercell out of my 2 channel completely and use it for my Home theater equipment.

I have always had some type of power conditioning with my front end equipment and now I wonder how a power regenerator would perform.

Ozzy,
You stated, referring to getting off the SR ride, "This is because the old Synergistic Research products lose their value tremendously once the new products are released and the fact that Synergistic Research does NOT have any realistic upgrade path." You hit the old nail on the head here. I imagine a lot of older SR cables go unsold each time SR leapfrog's itself. I have been left in the dust more than once with SR products.

Regarding pulling the SR Powercell from your system, I also found that the SR Powercell "sucked the life" out of my music. I would highly recommend putting a high quality medical grade isolation transformer up front. I picked up a honey of a tranny on Ebay (made in Germany with dual voltage -- good for me since I am on 230 volts) for only a few hundred dollars -- mint. I have a Bybee Stealth power conditioner plugged into the tranny and a Monarchy power regenerator plugged into the Bybee. The Monarchy is the best bang for your regenerator buck anywhere. It is rated at 100 watts. I have my transport and DAC plugged into it -- stunning.

I am looking to do business with companies that provide long term value and a components/cabling that are made with quality and importantly that are musical. I have been beating the Von Schweikert Master Built cabling drum because I finally found cabling that allows the music flow beautifully. They are not hyped and mass marketed, on the contrary you have to look hard to find anything about them. Audiophiles need to support companies like this that do right by their customers. Without naming companies I have seen to much exorbitant pricing and mass marketing all of which we the consumer pays for. Research and technology must continue that is how we get better products but take care of your customers. How are we going to get the younger generations into high end audio with this crap going on???