Synergistic Research Powercell 12UEF


I've just taken delivery of a pair of these latest models from SR and as one of the early customers and given the interest in SR graphene technology I thought I would share some first impressions. The 12UEFs (the glass top model) replace a pair of 10UEFs in my system. One powers the sources (phono, preamp, turntable and my 4 part DCS stack) while the other powers my two monoblocks. I had been very pleased with the 10UEFs and have several years experience with them finding that they did a good job of getting out of the way and letting each component perform.

Anyway after a day or so of listening (so given past SR black experience expect more burn in) I am surprised to relate that the impact of the 12UEFs is almost transformative. The best way of describing the effect is to say that with the 12s its as if a) all the musicians are now performing together in the same room and b) you are in the room with them. Across an array of my test discs I found the same effect. The normal indicators of frequency extreme performance, dynamics etc all somehow seem irrelevant. A couple of examples. On "Bye Bye Blackbird" by Nancy Harms yes the bass is very clear but also superbly dimensioned, this then becomes a busy and congested recording as the full band enters but with the 12UEFs it's easy to sort the parts out and hear all of the musicians playing off one another. Another simple recording is Canen "I've got a guy in Kalamazoo" -- this is almost a mono recording and frankly I thought it sounded a bit muffled but with the 12UEFs again everyone is playing together, you can't help your toes from tapping and really engage with the bass players moves

One odd manifestation of the effect of these components is with any strong central vocal when you move your head forward and back it seems as if you are in the room with the vocalist and are moving away and towards him or her -- all the other instruments stay relatively in proportion and it's as if you can walk around the room

I can only surmise that by taking away low level noise from the power supply the 12UEFs are letting through more of the recorded acoustic - others have noted similar effects with other SR Atmosphere and black series components

Anyway for those already using SR Powercells or in the market for some sort of conditioner I can highly recommend them
128x128folkfreak
Yep- owenlee

Weinhart has been around for a long, long time. I would expect nothing less than excellence from this legendary dealer/retailer.
I just bought new 10 UEF from Weinhart and came directly from SR with Atmosphere level 3 cable as a bonus upgrade and I'm very convince that it self make a lot of difference ,  I'm not even thinking to trade for 12 UEF ... that cable putting it simply is an amazing piece of technology...I actually started to listen CD's again , and I still can't believe that 16 bit audio can sounds so good . I strongly recommend that power cable , now I'm thinking to upgrade my amp pc to level 3 ....
folkfreak

Is the glass top merely for cosmetics?  Is the point-to-point wiring a more important feature?  The 12UEF SE and Atmosphere power cables are definitely on my upgrade list.

I already have a lot of SR stuff (Atmosphere IC, ART, CTS power cables, Ground Block, etc), and have Black fuses on order.  Just installed the new Tranquility UEF under my DAC and moved the older Tranquility to my preamp.  Really like the reduction in noise floor and increased dynamics.
mtseymour

Thanks for the question. As far as how the SE edition differs from the others I’m afraid I cannot say as I never compared them head to head. In fact in my opinion the glass top is a disadvantage as it a) allows a very annoying flickering blue LED to be visible and b) creates a resonant surface. I cover the glass tops on my two 12UEFs with a rug and some acoustic foam thus solving both problems. All I can say is that they sound fantastic

Surprisingly the one piece of SR kit that I did not like was the Tranquility base -- I tried one in the system under my old PowerCell and it thinned out the sound noticeably adding an edge that I did not like -- that was quickly sold on. I want to try the ground block at some stage (however all those extra wires kind of puts me off 😉