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Synergistic Research Upgrades

    Having just returned  from the S.H.O.W. 2016 at Newport held in Irvine, California, wanted to get feedback from fellow Audiogoners on the newer products form Synergistic Research.
    This year  as compared to last, the UEF Acoustic panels were placed at many locations and at differ heights all over the room.  The newer and taller Acoustic Wave generator was also in back of all the electronics.
    After Ted Deney's demonstration I asked one of Scott Walker's employees working the demo table outside  a few questions about specifically the panels and the taller Wave generator.   Found out the following information.
    If I were to invest in the new panels(8-12)  placed at the instructed heights, I can not use any of my HFT dots now placed around my  listening room except on the speakers.  None?  ... 'only on the speakers'....  " You can put them in your car" was the answer given by the sales rep.
    "The new Wave Generator tower is  4X more powerful than the old one" was the second response when I asked what was the difference between mine ( which is now the mid-size) and the newer one.
    Question?  Who has scraped their HFT's for the newer panels and what was the effect.  Second question:  Who is using the now tallest Wave generator and is there an appreciable difference between the now mid-size Generator?
    I just noticed on the Synergistic Research website there is a newer HFTX....  I already "outmoded"...  What say ya'all.  Thanks
128x128rnwong
s1nn3r's avatar
s1nn3r
162 posts
 
Hi Folkfreak,

You're absolutely right. Combined traditional room treatment with modern tech opens up the sound. Made my room sound larger. I also forgot to mention I have 4 bass traps 1 on each corner. Here is the link to my sound check:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eyGE9SyoL6g
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OSIWRT9PLeY

Hi Rnwong!

The HFT-X sound cleaner than regular HFT and the HFT2.0 is warmer. I removed some regular HFT when I started to get vocal sibilance then replaced some with HFT2.0 took care of that problem.


rnwong's avatar
rnwong OP
38 posts
 
Thanks for the differentiation as to the HFT's sound characteristics. I also have all four corners bass trapped.  Any guidance on how you determined which HFT's to remove and replace with the HFT 2.0's.?
 I have about 15 regular HFT's situated on front and back walls side wall and four on my ceiling which is 13 feet tall.  Room is 15 feet wide and 21 feet front to back.  Did you use any HFT-X's in your mix. Thanks





s1nn3r's avatar
s1nn3r
162 posts
 
I use HFT-X on top and front of speakers and one in the middle of the front wall between speakers. HFT2.0 on both side of the speakers and 1 on the bottom wall under the HFT-X and 2 on the back wall 8' up on each sides. Regular HFT 5' and 8' up on each sides of front wall and about 12' up center of front wall and HFT 5' up on each sides back wall and 5' up center of back wall. 2 HFT 5' up side wall aligned to my listening position. Every room is unique so results will vary. I hope this helps.

BTW I also forgot to mention my entire front wall is covered in acoustic carpet used for theaters.

davidpritchard's avatar
davidpritchard
866 posts
 
The UEF acoustic panels were designed originally for recording studios and other commercial installations. The HFT system is less noticeable visually especially in a home environment. I have the the HFT"s installed in two different rooms. The HFT system (using a combination of original HFT, HFT- 2.0, and HFT- X) gives a much richer, fuller, and harmonically complex sound than only using the original HFT's. The diagrams at the Synergistic Research web site (scroll down to find) are quite good at showing where to add the HFT 2.0 and HFT-X and where to then move existing HFT"s. My room was significantly helped by adding HFT2.0 to the speakers and walls. HFT-X (which increase high frequency information) were tried but not needed.

It does take trial and error to really dial in a room but immediate and positive results are easily and quickly obtained with placing about 10 HFT's in any room. This is true even in those rooms already acoustically treated with traditional approaches of absorption and diffusion.

So in summary, the HFT System in where one experiments with the three types of resonators has given me an an acoustically tuned room that is wonderful both sonically and visually.

David Pritchard


wisper
54 posts
 
This is good to hear, as I tried the 'original' hft's and found the sound to be a 'little' hi fi ish...a little too much emphasis on the highs leaning towards bright...at first it sounds great...then maybe a little fatiguing over time. I am trying the panels and the uef dots as I was told they are warmer sounding. I did not have all the HFT's at my disposal to 'tune' the room which would have been nice. Will let you know how I like the panels and dots...I already have the acoustic art 'bell's and like those a lot. I am hoping though that the panels and dots 'do' kind of like the orignal hft's but warmer - 
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