My approach to synergy is its bunk. Do yourself a favor, a great big favor that will pay dividends throughout your whole audio career, and give the concept of synergy some serious thought. Then banish it from your lexicon forever.
The whole idea of synergy is no component is perfect, they all are bad in some ways, but with synergy something that is bad in one way can be combined with something bad in a complimentary way, and through the magic of synergy the total result will be good.
That’s it, right? I’m not making anything up. You’re supposed to cover up the flaws in one thing with flaws from another. Doesn’t sound so flattering when you put it that way. But that’s what you’re doing: looking for band-aids. My system is rolled off on top, I’ll get synergy with those hyped up Nordost whatever’s. Whatever.
What I do instead is recognize the fact no component is perfect. They all have their flaws. I listen and evaluate and find the ones with the balance of flaws I am best able to live with. And then I live with them.
Well technically I keep working at getting the most out of them. But whatever. The point is I do not ever go looking for something all screwed up one way just to fix something known to be screwed up in another. Because the one thing I do know for certain, this is a recipe for disaster. You will never be happy. And every time you try and upgrade something, now you’re caught on this hamster cage asking the same questions we see around here every single day- what amp (pre-amp, cartridge, cable, fill in the blank) goes with this speaker (power cord, conditioner, DAC, fill in the freaking blank)?
This is how I have been doing this 30 years and almost always really happy with everything and keep my components usually around ten years but sometimes 15 or more. Where if I went for the siren song of synergy I’d be on the same hamster wheel as everyone else asking what this should I get to go with that.
There. If this was a stake I would drive it right through the heart of synergy. Cut its head off. Head coffin. Still, watch the lifeless zombie plod on.....
The whole idea of synergy is no component is perfect, they all are bad in some ways, but with synergy something that is bad in one way can be combined with something bad in a complimentary way, and through the magic of synergy the total result will be good.
That’s it, right? I’m not making anything up. You’re supposed to cover up the flaws in one thing with flaws from another. Doesn’t sound so flattering when you put it that way. But that’s what you’re doing: looking for band-aids. My system is rolled off on top, I’ll get synergy with those hyped up Nordost whatever’s. Whatever.
What I do instead is recognize the fact no component is perfect. They all have their flaws. I listen and evaluate and find the ones with the balance of flaws I am best able to live with. And then I live with them.
Well technically I keep working at getting the most out of them. But whatever. The point is I do not ever go looking for something all screwed up one way just to fix something known to be screwed up in another. Because the one thing I do know for certain, this is a recipe for disaster. You will never be happy. And every time you try and upgrade something, now you’re caught on this hamster cage asking the same questions we see around here every single day- what amp (pre-amp, cartridge, cable, fill in the blank) goes with this speaker (power cord, conditioner, DAC, fill in the freaking blank)?
This is how I have been doing this 30 years and almost always really happy with everything and keep my components usually around ten years but sometimes 15 or more. Where if I went for the siren song of synergy I’d be on the same hamster wheel as everyone else asking what this should I get to go with that.
There. If this was a stake I would drive it right through the heart of synergy. Cut its head off. Head coffin. Still, watch the lifeless zombie plod on.....