The Problem with Synergistic Research

Sabi I must take issue with not only the claims you make in this post, but in the way you contradict yourself from one post to another. In the interest of establishing a timeline for your claims and positions, as well as a pattern, I researched your posting history. I will now make reference to your past posts and call you on false claims and assumptions. My apologies in advance if what I write next causes you any distress however I can no longer sit idly by as you misrepresent my company or products.

First Sabi praising SR products

link to original posts

12-20-10: Sabai
I just got my PowerCell 10SE and will connect it tomorrow when my electrician arrives to install a 20-amp dedicated line from the power pole directly into my music room. In the meantime I have installed MiGs under my step-down transformer, CDP and integrated amp. Well, if there is a single no-brainer tweak in the audio world it is the MiGs -- and for the price a super no-brainer. They have already elevated my system -- sound stage width and depth -- resolution -- dynamics -- you name it -- far beyond what it was when I had my old power conditioner connected to the system -- one of the best names in the business. Before the MiGs I experienced the wow factor a few times in my system -- Ric Schultz's EVS Ground Enhancers being a recent example. But these MiGs ... man, they are outta sight.

12-20-10: Sabai
Tvad, it just goes to show you how we all have to take the measure of things in each of our systems. Sharing this information is extremely valuable but YMMV with each element added. I will not put a number on the EVS and the MiGs. I give them both a very high rating. In my system they transform the sound in a way that is not subtle at all -- like a major component upgrade.

12-30-10: Sabai
Joeyboynj and Flashunlock, I'm enjoying my PowerCell 10SE very much. I have my old Tesla Plex as my wall receptacle at the end of a 20-amp dedicated line. I had the new Tesla Plex SE plugged into the Tesla Plex on the end of a stock PC with a stock plug. Last night I took the stock plug off the stock PC and replaced it with an Oyaide P-004. NIGHT AND DAY !! SUPER WOW !! The PowerCell was transformed in every way especially the sound stage and fullness and dynamics and inner detail. I cannot over-emphasize what Oyaide plugs have done for my system. I also installed MiGs under all components -- two at the back and one at the front. I put the first set under my step-down transformer and this produced a massive change in the sound. Pin-point works best for most people so I tried pin-point under everything. I had to change to ambient under my amp and step-down transformer because the resolution was too bright with all pin-point. Now it's perfect.

01-15-11: Sabai
Hi Violin, I don't have a Hologram D in my system so I cannot comment. All I know is that the PowerCell SE (with Precision Reference power cord and Galileo MPC) has made a huge difference in my system -- sound stage, low level detail, dynamics. Bacardi, I have 4 sets of MIGS, one set under each component. They are out of sight -- very impressive. I am using the Tesla Plex SE in series with the Tesla Plex. When I removed an older power cord and swapped my Gabriel Gold Reflection power cord into the Tesla Plex which is my wall receptacle that leads to the Tesla Plex SE it was a day and night difference. The synergy changed completely. It was like taking the lid off the box. Everything opened right up. I hope this helps.

01-17-11: Sabai
Hi Tbg, sorry for the confusion. I have a 20-amp dedicated line from the pole outside the house for my music system. My Tesla Plex is my in-wall receptacle. My electrician installed my Tesla Plex SE into the Tesla Plex using a stock copper line terminated with a stock plug. I cut off the stock plug and spliced an Oyaide P-004 plug onto the end of the cord. That was a major improvement. Then I plugged the P-004 via a cryo-ed Schurter into a Gabriel Gold Reflection power cord that I plugged into the Tesla Plex. That's what made the really big difference. Previously the GG was my CDP to PowerCell power cord.

One more thing. Last night I piggy-backed two XLR ICs together and connected them from my CDP to integrated amp. I will not provide any description here about the sonic results because of the inevitable spammers who I will no longer reply to. Anyone who is interested and who has not spammed in the past can PM me.

link to original posts

02-27-11: Sabai
If your system is highly resolving and you have MIGs in your system try "super" ambient -- all 3 points in the north position. I am getting wonderful results with this.

03-02-11: Sabai
Hi Joeyboynj, I will be installing SR universal speaker and IC cells in August. I think that will be about it for me. The budget is over-the-top now. But the results so far have been worth the price. SR knows what they are doing. I also do tweaking and experimenting to get the best out of my system. So far, so good (Steely Dan).

09-13-11: Sabai
I am using the Gray on my PR power cord with very good results. There is a very distinct difference between the 3 Enigma circuits.

link to original posts

02-26-12: Sabai
Glor, you d have a problem with your system if the SR cables did nothing for you. LOL.

And now Sabi you take a turn just one day after telling another AudiogoN member his system must have a problem if SR cables did nothing for him. It seems you are upset because we upgraded the PowerCell 10SE (first version) to the Mk II version…

02-27-12: Sabai
The 10SE is basically a very good product but the retail price was excessive in light of subsequent events. It looks like SR brought it out with the marketing plan of bringing out a 4-module version a few months down the road for the same price -- the MKII. I agree -- by the time you got to the end of the block and turned the corner they came out with the MKII that made recent purchasers of the 10SE holding an already obsolete product with a resale value of less than 50%.

Ted, will you upgrade my 10SE to the MKII? Mine was actually shipped with the G-07 and twin Enigmas -- so I missed the MKII cut by a hair. Unfortunate and disappointing. When we're talking about a low or mid-priced item this may be something one can grow to accept. But when you are dealing with a $5000 product it is a lot harder to swallow -- especially for those of use who have to work very hard to earn the asking price. Yes, some (not all) SR marketing is at a gallop-too-fast, IMO.

Sr's marketing does not mean that SR products should be casually dismissed. They should not be, IMO. The 10SE should not be dismissed, either, when compared to other high-end power conditioners. In my experience, SR make some of the best high end power cords on the planet -- and they market them at a trot instead of a gallop. Which makes the obsolescence issue less of a problem. For instance, the Tesla SE Hologram D is a game-changer, IMO.

Talking about Quantum Tunneling, if you compare SR MPCs that are Quantum Tunneled versus those that are not QT-ed the difference is not subtle. Quantum Tunneling is not merely a marketing term or a low-value process. On the contrary. But the $500 price tag for each MPC means this is a serious purchase versus the standard MPC. SR products are not for those with a light wallet. But if you have the money and create the right synergy in your system with them you can end up a very happy camper.

I run SR cables in series with cables from other makers. Even though some SR cables are top-of-the-heap I have not found a single SR cable that performs nearly as well on its own as when it is in series with another high end cable, IMO. Of course, you need to experiment to create that very special sound -- and that can be a lengthy and expensive process.

Sabi you made a lot of claims and assumptions in that post.

You write:

The 10SE is basically a very good product but the retail price was excessive in light of subsequent events. It looks like SR brought it out with the marketing plan of bringing out a 4-module version a few months down the road for the same price -- the MKII

Sabi the original PowerCell 10SE was on the market for two years, not a couple of months before launching the PowerCell 10SE Mk II. For the record the Mk II came about as a result of research that developed our Galileo System cables and in particular, an accelerated development of the EM Cell technology as found in our PowerCell line conditioners and Galileo Universal cable cells. We had also recently launched our TESLA SE power cords with Enigma tuning circuits that you were raving about only a few months before. Since we had exhausted our supply of PowerCell 10 SE chassis’s, and needed to order new chassis’s, we elected to incorporate several new technologies recently developed during the Galileo research program as well as bundling in our new TESLA SE Precision AC power cord; all this without increasing the cost of the new PowerCell 10SE Mk II.

And now some good news. Sabi:

Mine was actually shipped with the G-07 and twin Enigmas -- so I missed the MKII cut by a hair

Sabi if you have the G-07 wall plugs and twin Enigmas then you have one of a handful of PowerCell 10SE Mk IIs in the original chassis

This was an interesting exchange between Sabi and Glory…

02-27-12: Glory
I remember Steve at GG let me demo his Reflection IC and as I remember it was as good and in fact better than the SR Apex cable with out all the BS MPC dookickies all over the place.

SR knows how to keep a $$$ flow going with SE/MK/Gold/silver/copper/QT MK3 ect... $1200.00 cable now is better than $3600.00 Apex of yesteryear.

02-28-12: Sabai
Everyone upgrades. That's not a valid criticism, IMO. It is the pace of the upgrades that is sometimes irksome. I don't think you can argue with quality when it works in your system. If SR didn't work in your system so be it. But for a large number of people -- including me -- SR products work very well when you pick and choose well. They are indisputably one of the very best cable companies out there.

The dohickies are part of what makes their cables work so well. If you don't like a bunch of wires snaking like a spider's web all over the place I can understand that. My wires are a mess and there is no way to change that except to get rid of some wires. The sound is more important than the aesthetics for me.

Sabi what you may not know this but between 1992 and 2006 Synergistic Research was a cable manufacturer exclusively- interconnects, speaker cables and power cords, that’s it. In October 2006 we launched TESLA Series cables to replace our X2 Series. At that time people were excited when they found the new $1,200 Accelerators outperformed their $3,000 Designers’ Reference X2 interconnects (a long standing pattern for new SR cable launches i.e. non Active Designers’ Reference vs. Active Designers’ Reference -or- 1st Generation Active Designers’ Reference vs. Designers’ Reference X Series which included the MPC power supply for the fist time and at no additional cost, nor has anyone ever before complained when we deliver greater performance for less money). It was not until Q1 2008 when we launched our first PowerCells: the PowerCell 6, PowerCell 10 and PowerCell 10SE that we became a manufacturer of non-cable related products. 2008’s PowerCells were then followed by the Acoustic ART System and TeslaPlex in Q4 ’08 and their offshoot MiGs in Q1 ‘10, Galileo System cables and their offshoot, Galileo Universal Cable Cells launched in Q4 ’09 which developed the technology to launch the PowerCell 10SE Mk II and TeslaPlex SE in Q1 ’10.

And while we released one new product category after another, we continued to build TESLA Series cables. In fact TESLA Series interconnects and speaker cables were in continuous production for over 4 years before we added Enigma Tuning circuits in their 5th year of production, at no additional cost. It was not until the beginning of their 6th year that we introduced the Element Series and only as a result of technology developed during the Galileo Research program. I can understand why you could be under the impression that we are continually upgrading existing cables but the fact is we are continually introducing new products in new categories with only one evolution to the TESLA Series in over 5-years of continuous production.

As to how we compare to other cables and products from competing manufacturers, we make our products available for in home audition with the option for anyone to return our products to their dealer for any reason should they not work to their satisfaction with a 100% money back guarantee. We also have the longest running (20-years) and least restrictive upgrade program in the business; the Lifetime Passport Protection Plan with a 70% trade-in allowance toward ANY SR product. Unlike other manufacturers who either have no upgrade program what-so-ever, or who restrict trade-ins for like products (power cords can only be traded in toward new power cords and so on) we make no such restrictions. If someone wants to trade-in their TESLA Apex SE (or 20 year old Mark I interconnects) toward Element Copper Tungsten Silver interconnects, no problem. And if they need to make up the 2 to 1 trade-in qualifier they may add any SR product they wish including PowerCells and Tranquility Bases to make up the difference. In this way we make it easy for the long term SR user to take full advantage of all our different products and technologies, now and in the future.

Finally Sabi if you wish, contact me directly at SR so we can discuss whatever it is you have an issue with. I am especially keen to learn where you purchased your SR products as none of my dealers or distributors have any record of you as a client.

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

Hi Ted_d,
Thank you for your very long and detailed post. By the way, for the record, my ID on Audiogon is Sabai, not Sabi.

Not to worry. I'm old enough to have very thick skin. With all due respect, the issue on the table is not my posts. The issue is how I and other customers feel about SR products and the products of other audio companies -- both the quality and the perceived value. With all due respect, quoting my posts that praise SR products is a moot point.

I'm sorry if I was sloppy and inaccurate in my explanation about my own PowerCell purchase. It was a matter of only a few weeks after purchasing my own PowerCell that a new version came out. I received the upgraded PC (with the G07) but, I thought, not the upgraded PowerCell. By my count there have been 5 versions of the PowerCell out in about 3 years -- 2008 to 2011. That makes 7 months or a bit more per version, on average.

Thank you very much for this good news:
"Sabi if you have the G-07 wall plugs and twin Enigmas then you have one of a handful of PowerCell 10SE Mk IIs in the original chassis"

Yes, I received the old chassis. I was told by Mike that I had only received the new cord (G07 with twin enigmas) and that I had missed the new PowerCell 10SE Mk II by a few weeks -- that I was just unlucky. He was obviously passing on what he believed to be the facts. He apparently was unaware -- as I was unaware -- that some of the new MK II versions were shipped in the old chassis. Mike has always been a very kind and helpful person to deal with -- exemplary. You have a great colleague in Mike.

In an evolving audio system there are bound to be contradictions because what sounded good yesterday may change with the addition of a new product tomorrow -- like with the evolution of SR products. The Master Coupler may have sounded great in 2002 but I don't think you would be saying the same thing about it today given the evolution of your products.

Hence, my comments about the SR MiGs were relevant when I posted them. But my system evolved to the point where I sold the MiGs off when they were no longer useful in my system.

It was a similar case with the EVS. I have since upgraded my system to the point where the EVS are not in my system anymore.

I no longer have Gabriel Gold in my system.

I still have many Oyaide plugs and IECs in my system. One Oyaide plug can transform the sound of an audio system.

I now have an SR Hologram D in my system It is one of the best cables I have. I am still highly impressed with some of your products -- as I am with some Bybee products and some HiDiamond products. I run my cables in series now. I have found that there is not a single SR cable in my system that has not been greatly improved by an "upgrade" in series with another well-chosen cable from a different company.

Please note that the first remarks I made in my post were that this problem -- i.e. the problem of feeling left out by upgrades -- is not exclusive to SR and that SR makes some great products. I also commented that this problem *often* leaves me feeling like I have been left behind -- I did not say *always* left behind. $5000 is a very large sum of money for me to spend on a single audio product. If I spend $5000 and feel I have gotten very good to excellent value then I have nothing to complain about.

The Enigmas have helped a lot with my PowerCell. The problem I have with the PowerCell is that you do not appear to have designed it with customer upgrades in mind. Trade-up is not the same as upgrade. As I mentioned in my posts, my point is the pace of upgrades, and the feeling under certain circumstances that one is left behind after making a substantial investment.

Had your PowerCell line been designed as upgradeable you would have had the benefit of a great deal of customer goodwill. IMO it is preferable not to penalize customers with a trade-up policy that requires the purchase of a whole new product every time an upgrade to the line is made. It is preferable to reward customers with the possibility of obtaining the latest version at a reasonable cost.

Uptrade sounds good but if you look at the numbers there is a 30% loss with each uptrade. This would means 5 losses to uptrade to the latest version of the PowerCell if one did this successively. But if the PowerCell were upgradeable and one waited, there would be the possibility of an upgrade from level 1 to level 5. This would probably be a very reasonable way to go and would be a win situation for both customer and SR.

By the way, I am most certainly on record with SR. I live overseas. I bought my PowerCell through Sammy who is a great SR dealer. Over the years I have paid full retail for my PowerCell and other SR products including the Galileo Universal Speaker Cells.

Just out of curiosity - how do the current SR's compare with the big boys from the big names - top MITs, Transparents, Nordosts etc? Did anyone A/B SR's against, say, MIT Oracle?

Sabai, I am with you. I still have the original SR 10SE Powercell and about 4 power cords D, A and a couple of the precision power cords.
But, I have sold all of my SR Apex speaker and interconnect cables. I just couldnt keep up with all the new versions without a reasonable upgrade path.

sabai:

why are you concerned with synergistic research products, when your recent posts have extolled the virtues of hi diamond cables ?