Synergistic Research Comes Down to Earth

I must say with all due respect to both Sabai and others who have said that the Powercell "held back" their system I have found the opposite. I have very good equipment both now and over the years. I have also heard several highly respected Power Conditioners and The Powercell MK II SE is the ONLY one that not only OPENED my system but did no harm in the $5,000 and under range. Anything much higher and I want to choke. I own the MK II SE. I am not saying you are not hearing what you hear. However I know Sabai has stated he has tried tweaking so is it possible anything you have done caused a change in the Powercell over time. I do not just mean a permanent change but a temporary change in the sound induced by some sort of change in the Cell. If left off and disconnected from the wall for a few days and put back in your system do you still hear the same. Or maybe it is permanent.
I agree that most Cable Companies and Power Conditioning Companies are WAY over priced. But at least Synergistic includes a great power cord with the Powercell. EVERYONE else wants you to buy one of theirs so now you can add $2,000-$3,000. And if they include one it is not the best. Now I am talking about what has been. I do not know what Synergistic is doing with the introduction of the new cabling yet.

Sabai, I don’t agree with your comments about the Powercell 10 SE. And Hifial, I agree with your comments. This is what I was able to conclude when I removed the Powercell from my system. The Powercell is only as transparent as the power cord that it is plugged into. In this case the new Element Copper/Tungsten Power Cord is far more transparent then the Precision Reference AC cord it replaces. Nothing more, nothing less. The Powercell in my system does not hold anything back. It increases dynamics in my system. I got my powerful Audio Research Dsi200 integrated amp plugged into it. The DSi200 delivers 200 WPC continuously into an 8-ohm load and 400 WPC 4-ohm load. And I don't have any problems.

In addition, Synergistic Research won 2 Best in Show at RMAF with a small down to Earth system. That alone says to me Synergistic Research knows what they are doing and their products are top notch. Yes, their products are expensive. In my system, I enjoy their products very much. I’m not going to bash a company because they come out with new products every so often. I prefer a company that continues to do research and comes out with new concepts and technology. They sure are consistent to produce products that are innovative and interesting and seem to not to hold back on their constant pursuit to come out with new and improved gear.

Joeyboynj,
The Powercell choked off the sound when I ran it in series with the Bybee Stealth. On its own it did not appear to constrict the sound until I compared it with the Stealth. But I always caution that this is in my system. I appreciate that SR does a lot of research and I still have a number of their cords in my system that I am happy with. But my system is in transition at the moment so my cabling may change.

11-09-12: Bacardi
@Sabai, your comment makes 100% sense. I will later take everything out of the Powercell and reconnect the cords to a power strip and see how that sounds...
Bacardi (Reviews | Threads | Answers | This Thread)

But of course ... blind leading the blind. LOL!!!!!

Knghifi,
The sighted leading the sighted. There are many users who are taking the Powercell out of their systems and who are finding the exact same thing -- that the Powercell was actually choking off the sound where this was not initially apparent. It is easy to mistake increased focus and refinement for an improvement to the overall sound. One always has to measure initial impressions against later observations once the system settles in and our perceptions of sonic attributes change along with those system changes.

You may note that I did not find it necessary to punctuate my comments with an inane LOL -- an emphatic expression certain posters use who have opinions about things they have not personally experienced. My comments actually stand on their own two feet -- without any emphatic expressions needed.