Synergy - how to get there


We talk alot about system synergy as being a highly important factor for audio bliss but seldom discuss the process of achieving synergy. I would love to hear others thoughts.
Here are mine: Perhaps the easiest way to start is a recommended system in your price range from a audiophile friend, new or used from audiogon, or a great dealer. Then live with it for at least six months. Then begin to experiment, changing one thing at a time and leaving at least six months between major component changes. It really takes time to hear the effects of change throughout your entire music collection and personal moods. Be attentive to room effects throughout the process. Big smiles of satisfaction even weeks after making a change are a good sign you are on track. Change can be suggested by what you feel you would like more or less of, for example more detail, resolution or microdynamics or perhaps more warmth and bloom, or less stridency. Both source and speakers are where I tend to start, so that you have decent signal in and can hear effects with sufficient resolution through decent speakers. Avoid getting too bogged down in putting energy initally into wire or tweaks. They do effect things a good bit but are helpful more after you have the basic source, pre, amp, speaker combo down fairly well. What do you all think?
128x128gammajo
Hi, I think that synergy has more to do with making your systems components work together the best that they can. You cannot make your system sound like something it is not capable of or make it sound like someone elses system even if you have the same components. So I guess that its "I like my system because I have made it to sound the way I like to listen and have the componets act in synergy with each other".
I try to offer info which can help on this musical journey not to hinder anyones progress down that road.
Bob
hi acoustat6:

there are two parts to your comment. the first concerns creating a "sound" that pleases the owner. the second deals with synergy of components. isn't there a redundancy here ?

the existence of a synergy is determined by the listener. if a listener perceives a synergy than there is a synergy.

the fact that other listeners disagree only means that synergy is based upon perception and since people hear differently and have different tastes there will be disagreement as to whether synergy is present or not present.

what does it mean to say that components work well with each other , if it does not depend upon taste and perception ?

this hobby is based entirely upon subjectivity. yes, there are objective measurements, but those measurements do not necessarily correlate with preference.
Hello, I think what I was trying to get at was that a system of components can get to a level that is optimized perhaps as best that it can be, within its limitations that are inherent in any design. Secondly that a good listener can bring out certain good points of a system to improve his listening experience and also suit his listening goals and preferences.
Bob
From a science standpoint, synergy might be defined as the combined effect of the parts yielding a greater difference than the summed effects of the individual parts. In science, perhaps unlike audio, studies often deal with real, measurable number$. For instance fertilizer A may cause an increased corn yield of 5% per acre. Fertilizer B may also cause a 5% increase in corn yield. If both fertilizers are applied together, one might expect a 10% increase, but if the increase in yield is 40% or 50%, that is a synergistic effect. As an audio example, maybe amplifier A has a sort of dark, mellow "British warm" sort of sound. With most neutral speakers it could be considered flawed. With a different speaker that has a bright character that would not be favorably reviewed with most amps, maybe that amplifier A would match very well, and the two together could make a very good sounding pair. That would be a synergistic system. Two lesser products each with some shortcomings match disproportionately well with each other. In reality, all/most components have flaws and when a set matches well, or has synergy, it sounds better than it really should. To paraphrase from Rocky Balboa regarding Adrian, (no, I have no desire to see the current version). "I have gaps, she has gaps. Together we fill each other's gaps" Pretty corny huh?