Synergy - how to get there

hi acoustat6:

there are two parts to your comment. the first concerns creating a "sound" that pleases the owner. the second deals with synergy of components. isn't there a redundancy here ?

the existence of a synergy is determined by the listener. if a listener perceives a synergy than there is a synergy.

the fact that other listeners disagree only means that synergy is based upon perception and since people hear differently and have different tastes there will be disagreement as to whether synergy is present or not present.

what does it mean to say that components work well with each other , if it does not depend upon taste and perception ?

this hobby is based entirely upon subjectivity. yes, there are objective measurements, but those measurements do not necessarily correlate with preference.

Hello, I think what I was trying to get at was that a system of components can get to a level that is optimized perhaps as best that it can be, within its limitations that are inherent in any design. Secondly that a good listener can bring out certain good points of a system to improve his listening experience and also suit his listening goals and preferences.
Bob

I don't believe in so called 'synergy'.

From a science standpoint, synergy might be defined as the combined effect of the parts yielding a greater difference than the summed effects of the individual parts. In science, perhaps unlike audio, studies often deal with real, measurable number$. For instance fertilizer A may cause an increased corn yield of 5% per acre. Fertilizer B may also cause a 5% increase in corn yield. If both fertilizers are applied together, one might expect a 10% increase, but if the increase in yield is 40% or 50%, that is a synergistic effect. As an audio example, maybe amplifier A has a sort of dark, mellow "British warm" sort of sound. With most neutral speakers it could be considered flawed. With a different speaker that has a bright character that would not be favorably reviewed with most amps, maybe that amplifier A would match very well, and the two together could make a very good sounding pair. That would be a synergistic system. Two lesser products each with some shortcomings match disproportionately well with each other. In reality, all/most components have flaws and when a set matches well, or has synergy, it sounds better than it really should. To paraphrase from Rocky Balboa regarding Adrian, (no, I have no desire to see the current version). "I have gaps, she has gaps. Together we fill each other's gaps" Pretty corny huh?

synergy is just a word. instead of focusing on what the word means, one might be wiser to try to attain the sonic presentation consistent with one's preference and not be concerned as to whether one's components are synergistic with each other.