system synergy

Again, a long way of saying trial and error. If you have a piece of equipment you want to try to stick with, then you start with that and build from there. If you get the same brand associated components it would take away the trial and error part, not necessarily if you will like the house sound.

Right now I'm toying with this stay-or-go concept with respect to my speakers -- whether to ditch them in favor of some tube-friendly more efficient ones. Cost and the unknown (ie after spending a lot of energy and money will the new system blow my mind or not....) so I've elected for now to keep the speaks (ie the 'safe' route). Therefore the amp requirements are set. But I want a tubed pre so trial and error with that. Not sure there will ever be the ultimate set up, as one agon member said "if you find something you like, appreciate it."

Thanks, Tholt.

Mechans: that's a pretty incoherent ranting ramble you just went on. But one thing. Why on Earth would you think my P-300 Motif CR* combo slow? Especially without knowing what the speakers are (Thiel CS2 2). Doesn't sound slow to me, and I used to run Naim gear, for years, so I know the contrast class to "slow"!

I think that to use the term "synergy" properly, it should be distinguished from issues of "compatibility." Compatibility involves factors which are generally much less subtle than the ones to which I would apply "synergy," and can generally be assessed via specifications (assuming meaningful specs are available).

So a preamp with high output impedance, working into a power amp with unusually low input impedance, would represent an incompatibility. So would a situation where both components have extremely high gain or sensitivity, or where both have extremely low gain or sensitivity (i.e., the volume control would wind up being used only at the very bottom or very top of its range).

System synergy, on the other hand, involves more subtle sonic effects, which generally cannot be determined from specifications, and which often (but certainly not always) cannot be explained technically. For instance, a system may have a tendency to glare or be harsh in the treble, or to handle sharp transients sloppily. That may, just to cite a hypothetical example, result from using a preamp and a source component with very wide bandwidth and an extended top end, that put a lot of high frequency energy into a power amp that can't handle it cleanly, perhaps because it uses lots of negative feedback resulting in transient intermodulation distortion.

There are innumerable other comparable kinds of sonic mismatches that can be envisioned technically, and a lot more that can be sensed sonically but aren't readily explainable technically. As was said above, using components from the same manufacturer can make it easier to avoid those kinds of bad combinations. But mixing and matching, based on listening evaluations, reading reviews, and following the experiences of others, I think can often result in better sound due to the wider range of choices.

Regards,
-- Al

Well said Al! In my experience, the cabling that you use is probably going to be a huge factor in creating a synergistic system. The best components can sound lousy with the wrong cable. This is where science may not apply and you will have to trust your ears.

RNM4
I am very sorry. I mean that sincerely. The post is a terrible burden to ask anyone to read and to try to undertand. I had a strong desire as it turned out a selfish one to endorse the importance of synergy.
I suffer from a chronic illness which has an occassional bad flare. My belief that if my will to overcome it, has no effect and does not alter the result. The illness has a particularly bad impact on my nervous system.
I should not have tried to write. I was stubborn determined to overcome my momentary loss of motor control using only will.
To make matters worse I am dyslexic. I am deeply aware that amongst the most problematic loss of function is typing.
Every single word I wrote was a typo. I think you will not believe it took me about 4 hours of rewriting and correcting the words each one a struggle which led to foused determination which became an excersize so frustrating and focused that my syntax became incoherent. I was able to repair only small sections of sentences every time - each attemp was trying to fix a single word.
I will not engage in discussions. If I know it is a bad day and can hold it back.
This I hope is very clear. I regret making any person considerate enough to try and understand that nonesense. Which and upon rereading the whole post which I believed conveyed something meaningful I found an unintended exposure of my failing ability and only a shameful embarrassment.

I thank you for you forbearance and forgiveness. Sincerely.

P.S. I owned an Accuphase C-200 and wanted to buy the P-300 for years. I thought the sonics of the variuos CJ amps I auditioned many times over many years to be one of the warmer SS amps I had encountered. The final thought I hoped to express but did not was, that I would think that the warmth of each I beleive they have would be additive based only on a gut sense. The whole post boiled down to the truth is that because of their a real possibility synergy that results in a sound very much to your liking may exist and is imposssible to know in advance. The intuitive thinking on my part that the two pieces would not work well may not be true at all, istead they may be synergistic and be a great combination. BTW I regret selling my C-200.
I am exhausted the above took 3 hours to write and I cannot muster the will to correct it. Please understand I won't do it again if I can resist.