Synergistic Research Tesla Cables at RMAF

[John Franks]

Greetings,
I have been a lurker here on the AVS Ultra High End forum for a few months now and I've been thinking of what to contribute from the perspective of an audiophile / videophile. Well I think I've found the perfect icebreaker.

While at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest I saw and heard some pretty cool rooms but nothing could prepare me for what I heard in the Synergistic Research room. They had their Tesla cables on display and were showing a new AC line conditioner and a valve power supply for the Tesla cable's active shielding.

The line conditioner was based on a technology that runs AC through EM fields that they turned on and off while playing music. The effect when the line conditioner was on was that of a noticeably wider, deeper, and more expansive soundstage with a lowering of the noise floor and an increase in resolution and over all smoothness. When they turned it off the sound stage seemed to collapse, while low frequencies and highs seemed to roll off and the music sounded harder and more forward. This was quite noticeable and if this was not a trick, I believe it will turn the AV world on its ear. They also reported that when they plug a plasma screen into their line conditioner it is like "looking out a window on the world." Now I have played around with line conditioners but I've never heard one that lowered the noise floor AND increased my audio systems resolution and sound field. If this thing works as well on video as it did on audio (assuming they were not perpetuating some kind of hoax in the audio demonstration) then a storm is on the horizon because what I heard was unbelievable.

Now to the tube power supply for active shielding. This thing had two different tubes supplying 30 volts DC out-side-the-signal-path to the shields of their interconnects, speaker cable, and power cords. Both were vintage- one a 1945 Western Electric and the other a 1935 GE Tangar (or something like that). They played music with one tube delivering the DC voltage and then paused the track, switched to the other tube (the devise allowed you to switch between two tubes placing one tube on standby while the other tube glowed a purplish blue) and continued to play music with the opposite tube. I was amazed as both tubes rendered a different perspective on the recorded performance. On track after track I could clearly hear a substantial difference, and as they contrasted closely mic'd jazz to classical symphonies, I preferred the Western Electric with Jazz and the GE with classical. What I find interesting is that this was obvious to many who were listening and again if not a hoax, over time this is going to have a profound impact on many people’s high-end cable perspectives. What I find amazing is how a DC signal riding on the shield of a cable and outside the signal path can have such a profound effect.

I bring this to your attention as I believe this may prove once and for all that cables really can make a difference (something I have known and used for years to improve my systems).

John Franks

[Dizzman]

Speaking as a person who worked at a manufacturer for years, and did all the training... NEVER EVER TRUST A MANUFACTURER DEMO!!!

THey bring all the best magic smoke and fanciest mirrors to shows.

I am not saying that this box does nothing (i do think it though) but any demo at a trade show has been rigged in every way possible.

Try it at home with a stock box in your system, then lets chat.

[bluray_1080p]

http://www.synergisticresearch.com/index.php?PageID=51

I am not seeing any specs.

[Michael Grant]

Welcome to the forum John!

[Dizzman]

Originally Posted by bluray_1080p

http://www.synergisticresearch.com/index.php?PageID=51

I am not seeing any specs.

nor would you. is it necessary to beat that horse yet again? we all accept that conditioners (separate from surge protectors) do... "stuff" and many believe that it adds to their system.

SO stop beating the specs horse here. Jump all over the outlandish claims if you like... but enough with the specs.

[bluray_1080p]

Jump all over the outlandish claims if you like... but enough with the specs.

Hey I am ok with that.

[Curt Palme]

John, I saw the same demo at CES, and I'll call you to task on every obervation that you saw. I'll cut and paste from my website article:

I was witness to one speaker cable demo though that deserves mentioning. They were in the same room as Bryston amplifiers (which are indeed well built) and a power conditioning/distribution unit shown below. I’ll leave out the name of the cable company since I don’t remember it anyways, and I don’t want to get sued..

The premise of the speaker cable was that based on some theory given by Nikolai Tesla many years ago, they were able to actively treat the speaker cable to have ZERO capacitance over it’s length. Furthermore, they were able (according to them) to switch their active treatment of the cable on and off, so you could hear the difference. Oohhhkaaay, I’ll buy into this theory for now. However, let me geek speak for a second: Every cable has capacitance, that’s the nature of cable. In theory, if you have too much capacitance in a cable, speaker, cablevision or line level, you WILL affect the sound or picture going through the cable. Too much capacitance, and you lose the high end frequency response (the treble in audio, the fine detail in video content).

However…. Most cables have such little capacitance that even 100’ of said ordinary cable will not affect the sound quality whatsoever. According to this rep from this cable treatment company however, the differences heard in the ‘before’ and ‘after’ the active treatment were profound.

The rep told the 6 or so in the room that he would play 45 seconds of a CD through the Bryston amps with the active treatment on, then he’d stop the CD, start it over with the switch in the ‘off’ position. Fair enough.

So I listen once again to some female singer that I’ve never heard of singing some piece of music that I’ve never heard before. It starts softy, then builds to the chorus. As the chorus starts, he pauses the CD, goes over to the amplifier and turns off a switch. After about 10 seconds, he turns the CD back on again, and the chorus starts. Well wait a sec. For the most part, the music with the active treatment was soft acoustic music, now he’s switching off the active treatment at the start of a loud passage. He didn’t start the CD over to replay what we’d already heard.

After he did this twice, I asked him why he didn’t turn the active treatment on and off on the fly, without stopping the CD. The rep tells me that there is a decay and rise time as the active treatment turns on and off. Well fine, but if the difference is that profound, should we not hear a change in frequency response or the soundstage as the unit is turned on or off? He didn’t answer.

After the demo, all other 5 guys in the room claim to have heard a difference… except me. I let the other guys leave before I told him that I didn’t hear a difference. He also told me that the speaker cable that they used had minimal capacitance to it in the first place, but changing it to have zero capacitance still made a difference, and he was sorry that I didn’t hear it. I guess I’m just a poor uneducated guy that can’t possibly have good hearing…

So I challenge what you heard and what they offered. I've also got a bridge I'd like to sell.. cheap!

(hey, nothing like putting up one post and getting attacked, huh? )

[bluray_1080p]

http://www.synergisticresearch.com/index.php?PageID=186

Acoustic Reference speaker cables combine one high current Tricon geometry with one high current Acoustic geometry with Quantum Tunneling and Zero Capactance Active Shielding for a unique blend of air and inner detail with mid-range bloom and low frequency weight.

Hold on "Quantum Tunneling"?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_tunneling

http://phys.educ.ksu.edu/vqm/html/qtunneling.html

A little programm to play around with.

[John Franks]

Curt,
I don't think you heard the same demo at CES in January as I heard at RMAF this October- Synergistic Research was demonstrating their new, as in not out yet, AC Power Conditioner and a new valve based power supply for active shielding. According to the guys from Synergistic Research, the line conditioner is in patent pending status and both are slated for release later this year.

I cannot wait to try them in my system. For the record I heard no such soft/loud trickery as you outline in your listening experience during my listening experience this past weekend.

John

[bluray_1080p]

Well if their cables had quantum tunneling everything they played could have ended up in the past.

[speco2003]

Can you say new guy = TROLL.

[Chu Gai]

Remarkably similar to the Stereophile blogs on this matter! Perhaps this is a coincidence. Why stop the music when doing the demo? Why not simply place a 'curtain' over the device that shields it and the tester from the listener's eyes, play some musical piece or for that matter relatively low level pink noise, and then toggle the device? Assuming the device doesn't hum or that the toggling is silent, then all the listeners would have to do is indicate when the device was 'on' or 'switched'.

[DOMAIN64]

[QUOTE=bluray Well if their cables had quantum tunneling everything they played could have ended up in the past.

Too Funny.
This is going to be one of those threads.

[Curt Palme]

It may have been a different demo, but it all comes down to doing a double blind test. Again. That no one can agree on.

John, if you hear a difference, go ahead and buy them. After all, the good folks at Synergistics need to eat too, as I understand that active filtering also removes all fire and nutrients from their cables, but I'll remain a skeptic.

[John Franks]

Curt,
Well we can agree to disagree on DBT'ing but I will let you know when I get some of the cables and the line conditioner hooked up- I am cautiously optimistic based on what I heard at the show with the key word being cautious.

On a different note I see you are a CRT man- I always wanted to go with a CRT before I got my Pioneer Plasma but I'm still thinking bigger- how do CRT's stack up today against more modern projectors? In particular I have my eye on a Runco that retails for around six grand give or take.

Thanks in advance,
John

[John Franks]

I'm still waiting on the line conditioner and the Enigma tube power supply for active shielding however I do have the Tesla cables in my system RiGHT NOW and they are nothing short of spectacular.

As a side here's a link to at least one international audio reviewer who agrees with what I heard at RMAF- enjoy!

Prelude to the Tesla review:
http://sixmoons.com/audioreviews/synergistic/tesla.html

The Tesla review:
http://sixmoons.com/audioreviews/syn...c/tesla_2.html

[John Franks]

A heads up on the Enigma power supply for Synergistic Research Active Shielding and yet another nail in the coffin of "all cables sound alike"

http://blog.stereophile.com/ces2008/10708syn/

[Michael Grant]

You mean like this nail?

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=941184

[sierraalphahotel]

Originally Posted by Michael Grant

You mean like this nail?

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=941184

Michael,

I would have called that example more of a screw. Thing is, you can remove a screw a lot easier if you aint happy with the final result...but it still leaves a nasty hole

[John Franks]

Michael,
Nothing is stated in your link as to how this test was performed however I have no doubt the differences were slight. I have been following the new Synergistic Research technology and have even purchased their active cables. I find them to to be completely different from other cables offering performance others fail to deliver. I think this has everything to do with the fact their cables are active and now with the Enigma tube power supply the differences are greater still.

If you have only seen ten brown dogs in your life do not assume ALL DOGS ARE BROWN.

[Curt Palme]

ARe you up for a DBT test at your place of Synergistic cables vs Home Depot stuff?

[Chu Gai]

Who're you working for Mr. Franks?

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

Good cables sound spectacular if the listening material sounds spectacular, and broken cables sound either like crap or not at all.

Fortunately, good "spectacular-capable" cables are not expensive.

I think Tesla would laugh heartily at what's being promoted in his name.

[Curt Palme]

Originally Posted by Bob Lee (QSC)

and broken cables sound either like crap or not at all.

I had one of those once. A broken connection at one spade lug.

More seriously though, other than putting in 26 gauge wire to run a bunch of 18" subs or being open, how can a cable be 'broken'?

I guess if the shield opens up on a line or mic level interconnect, it can sound bad?

One day I'll share the story of a local nighclub that had a 'microbiologist' taking care of the sound system. I got called in after a transformer blew on the outside of the building, and the biologist told the owner not to open up on a Friday night as 'there are power surges lurking in the building' that could take the sound system out'.

[sierraalphahotel]

Originally Posted by Curt Palme

the biologist told the owner not to open up on a Friday night as 'there are power surges lurking in the building' that could take the sound system out'.

Do you call in an exorcism or an electrican for that?

[Curt Palme]

Heh, yeah, that's pretty much why they called me. I went to high school with the DJ. Needless to say, we powered up and it all worked fine. They kicked him to the curb, and I did the sound in there for the next 8 months. Then someone else came in and told the owner that I had no idea what I was doing and so I got the boot.

Turns out that every sound contractor had taken care of that place, and rumor had it that they had spent over $1 mil in sound equipment. Their basement was full of BGW and old late 70s SAE amps with the large red LEDs on it. The club is gone now. Yes I asked about getting the old gear. No, they didn't want to get rid of it. Go figure.

[Dizzman]

Commodore?

[Anthony A.]

i still don't see the point of a dbt. if someone "does" hear differences they will be scolded at and called a golden ear. and even if the objectivists actually hear a difference they will never say that they did as "science" doesn not prove differences in cables. so again, my question is.... what is the point?

[Michael Grant]

That would be a classic "when did you stop beating your wife?" question. The flaw in your premise is this:

if someone "does" hear differences they will be scolded at and called a golden ear.

Actually, no, they will not. I'm all for a "golden ear" doing these tests. If one person can truly hear the difference between two speaker cables that we objectivists claim should be audibly identical---well, that means we are wrong, and we have to adjust our hypothesis. So if you know anyone out there with incredible hearing acuity, by all means, bring 'em on.

Now, I certainly would grant to you that we might not swing our opinion totally to the "most cables sound different to the average" side. We have ample evidence already that is not the case. But of course we'd have to concede something material if someone truly passed a DBT. Perhaps you're projecting onto us what subjectivists would do when faced with repeated DBT failures?

[Dizzman]

All we say is we would like to see some sort of PROOF that these things do ANYTHING.

That is it. Saying that you heard a difference means nothing. sorry, but your ears cannot be trusted if your eyes were involved. And as far as a manufacturer demo... forget it. i worked for one. show demos are full of ALL SORTS of magic smoke.