Synergistic New Tesla Line...Any comments?

Guys I’ve been enjoying some free time with my fiancée these past few days so I’ve not had time to visit this AG blog. Please allow me to take a few moments and address your patent questions one by one.

1. My electromagnetic cell technology is most certainly patented. Anyone wishing to learn more about this patent may contact the factory. I’ll take your calls personally or if I am not available when you call, I will get back to you. That said discussions about patents instead of music misses the point entirely, which is music. Perhaps some base their audio selections on patents and marketing jargon but most SR customers base their decisions after auditioning my products in their homes and to this end we make our products readily available through the no risk Synergistic Research Challenge. This seems more then fair.

2. Patent pending- We do not disclose patent pending information aside from what is listed on the US Gov patent site or when requests are made to the factory in writing. If you have further questions please submit them to our factory email.

3. The limitations and weakness of patents- Believe it or not sometimes it is best NOT to seek a patent. Many of our production techniques, material selections and build processes that combine to give our products their unique strengths are not detectable even to the would be competitor who may wish to reverse engineer our products. Were we to patent them all we would only be assisting our competition. 20-years of building cables by hand has led to a vast body of knowledge that we do not share with the general public through the patent process.

This is all I will say here regarding patents. Anyone seeking more information should contact the factory.

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

Sabai,
"Actually, the first version was the PowerCell 10, then came the PowerCell 10SE, then came the PowerCell 10SE MKI, then came the PowerCell 10SE MKII, then came the PowerCell 10SE MKIII. That makes that 5 versions."

No sorry. First there was the PowerCell 10SE, then Mk II and now Mk III. The PowerCell 10 and 6 were launched at the same time as the PowerCell 10SE and have since been discontinued. The PowerCell 4 was added two years later.

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

Hifinut604,
Are you as disappointed as I am in Ted's comments or do they satisfy you?

Sabai,

My response to your comment:
"A lot of SR's customers are well-heeled folks to whom money comes easily. I mean, who can afford to shell out 5 or 10 grand with each product upgrade unless there is big money in the picture. Others, like me, have to make it the old fashioned way. We have to earn it slowwwwly. At some point new products become out of reach. One's desire for better sound has to be tempered with the realism that there are priorities in life and the musical buck has to stop somewhere."

I would respectfullybeg to differ. I don't want to speculate, but IMHO, SR is a only an "upper mid end" player with a core group of followers for the technology but likely going to feel the squeeze from both the "value players" like the Morrows and Anti-Cables, and the true luxury cables that the well heeled folk flock to (Nordost Odin, Jorma, Zensati, Siltech). I don't think SR has that kind of brand clout. It is not particularly attractive (by luxury cable standards) and the MPC hassle and mess makes it a challenge for the aethetically conscious. I am in the same boat as you are, saving my pennies the hard way. I will also say that if I were financially well heeled, I would be trying out the aforementioned brands. I would rather invest in truly EXPENSIVE cable products rather than continually throw away money on highly DEPRECIABLE cable products.

I am not speaking out of bitterness (although reading some of the comments on this thread, there is plenty of that to go around). I purchased most of my SR gear used and I don't need the latest and greatest. I have a Powercell 4 which more than suffices for my simple system setup. I'd like to see the company stick around but I simply cannot support a business that only markets their R&D "breakthrough" (are their really 4 Powercell 10 breakthroughs in 3 years that need to be formally named?). Some companies just save up the improvements over a 3 to 5 year R&D period for a product that significantly improves on the predecessor and worth investing full price into. Another better way to sustain brand loyalty is to offer factory upgrades at a reasonable charge (say $500 for a Powercell 10). But giving the owner no options but to eat a 50% loss every year is probably not the best way to retain customer loyalty.

Secretly, I'm hoping the high rollers are ready to ditch their Element cables at half price sooner rather than later...

Ted,
I note the statement in your posting:
"... we make our products readily available through the no risk Synergistic Research Challenge. This seems more then [sic] fair."

However, you refer to the Synergistic Research Challenge on your site as a "70% Trade Up Allowance". With all due respect, this is not the same at all as a "no risk" challenge. Your offer requires the purchase of double the value of the original purchase.

Your site states: "You are upgrading to a Synergistic Research product or products whose value is twice the price of the original purchase to receive the full 70 % rebate." There is no mention of no risk on your site.

There are no upgrades offered on the PowerCell series. So, if a customer who purchased the original PowerCell 10 or PowerCell 10 SE, for instance, wishes to experience the benefits of the much-heralded PowerCell 10SE Mark III, they have to purchase it new. That makes a total of $10,000 to get to the top of the heap. If this customer was unfortunate enough to have purchased, for instance, a PowerCell 10SE Mark I in the interim, the total becomes $15,000.

Well, sir, this is a very tidy sum for those of us who are not among the financial elite. As each new version of the PowerCell hits the market all earlier models immediately depreciate in value. You may get two thousand dollars on the after market for your older PowerCell if you are fortunate enough to find a buyer. But you will note that most of these units now remain unsold after 30 days on Audiogon. Most of the earlier versions are now unsalable. I recommend running them in series.

I can understand your wanting to keep patent information close to your chest. But because this information is normally available to the public since all patent information is supposed to be public, in theory, that is, I find it strange that a search of the Patent Office website turns up nothing for Synergistic Research patents. Please note that I have no doubt regarding the veracity of your statements on this forum regarding your patents.