Audiophile Cable Synergy: Real or Snake Oil?

[witchdoctor]

Looking at your post all I see is profanity. My experience is more similar to Ron Carter's I suspect:

“I use a very percussive, chordal,
hammer-on and harmonic bass technique.
All the different nuances are more pronounced
and audible with the Reference-II cord.
This cable’s consistently clean sound aids the amp
to produce a truer bass sound.”
​

Legendary jazz bassist Ron Carter uses The Essence Reference-II as an integral part of his live performance rig.
or Keith Jarrett:

"Special Thanks
To Michael Griffin
Of Essential Sound Products
For Use Of
Essence Power Cords"
Keith Jarrett

Keith Jarrett was using The Essence in his High-End Audio system. The legendary jazz pianist decided to use the cords to power the recording gear for this solo piano project "The Melody At Night With You" (ECM 1675). The cords were then sent to ECM for mixing and mastering the project.

You know what these guys have in common? Intelligence, talent, and power cords.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

Wow, I’m so convinced…

 

[Beave]

"She'll like it too (wink wink)"

I mean, who doesn't trust celebrity endorsements?

 

[OHMisback]

No, synergy is the sum of all parts impacting a system. That's why these active speakers are interesting, the designer chooses parts that synergize together.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Synergy infers the "WHOLE" is greater than the sum of it's parts. A little different take.
Like cars drafting each other, they can go faster than on their own and save fuel.

 

[Replicant 7]

Synergy is basically more additives to drive up the cost as if they did something beneficial. I think it has been around for a little while. They would like you to believe your global warming is cleaner.

I've known that for years, it's just a marketing gimmick. For as the word "synergy" being used. The big 3 have been using synergy marketing slogan for year's. The additives they use in their fuel products. Supposedly helps keep the fuel system clean the valve train yada yada. When I first saw synergy being used with audio cables I spotted it "synergy" on a audio website selling 400 buck up to 2k speaker cables. The icing on the cake was a little battery on end of the cable. 1st thought was what bullsh$t this is and it's still BS. I'm waiting to see someone sell, synergy pure gold speaker wire cables. But my guess they will never, because using real gold would cost them to much coin to manufacturer. The end users could at the very least recoup some of that money by mining the gold from the cables, of their over priced BS cables in the first place.

 

[Replicant 7]

Haha that’s rich. Do you know where you are?

Not sure where you’ve been, but you should go back. Was nice not smelling the bullshitt you spread.

Yeah right huh, Telling some unsuspected audio consumer who just spent 1500 on a pair
of speakers that by adding 2k speaker cables each! is gonna make those speakers sound greater and better cause the synergy is now in sync. Lolo, should be anyone's first clue that those cables are bullsh$t. .

 

[highfigh]

Synergy is basically more additives to drive up the cost as if they did something beneficial. I think it has been around for a little while. They would like you to believe your global warming is cleaner.

Can I get cables with Tekron?

 

[highfigh]

Dude, no need to blow a gasket. This is MY experience, period. The differences to me are astonishing. If you don't agree fine. Look at the title of the thread, if you don't agree don't be so rude.

Can wire act like an antenna? YES
Can wire act like a filter? YES
Will the power conditions in NYC be the same as the power conditions of rural upstate NY?? Not likely, thus the need for synergy.

In order for a wire to act as an antenna, the circuit needs to be susceptible to the interference via the characteristics of the components/circuit, strength of the interfering signal and proximity. Amplified audio signal going to low impedance speakers and amplifier output stages aren't susceptible unless the signal is very strong and it's mainly EMI that might affect it but if an RF source is strong, it might enter but usually in a part of the device where the signal will be amplified later, which means the interference didn't enter via the speaker wires.

If the speaker filters the signal, does that allow it to fit the adjective 'high fidelity' if 'fidelity' matches the Miriam-Webster definition "the degree to which an electronic device (such as a record player, radio, or television) accurately reproduces its effect (such as sound or picture)"? The rest of the equipment might match it, but the wire acting as a filter doesn't. It's not easy to design a material to make it filter without molesting some other part of the signal unless the frequencies that need to be filtered out are very fr from the audio signals.

 

[witchdoctor]

Can I get cables with Tekron?

IDK about Tekron, take a look at Mogami:

MOGAMI® - W3082 Superflexible Studio Speaker Cables

Mogami W3082 Superflexible Studio Speaker Cables are designed to meet XLR audio connectors.

www.mogamicable.com

 

[witchdoctor]

In order for a wire to act as an antenna, the circuit needs to be susceptible to the interference via the characteristics of the components/circuit, strength of the interfering signal and proximity. Amplified audio signal going to low impedance speakers and amplifier output stages aren't susceptible unless the signal is very strong and it's mainly EMI that might affect it but if an RF source is strong, it might enter but usually in a part of the device where the signal will be amplified later, which means the interference didn't enter via the speaker wires.

If the speaker filters the signal, does that allow it to fit the adjective 'high fidelity' if 'fidelity' matches the Miriam-Webster definition "the degree to which an electronic device (such as a record player, radio, or television) accurately reproduces its effect (such as sound or picture)"? The rest of the equipment might match it, but the wire acting as a filter doesn't. It's not easy to design a material to make it filter without molesting some other part of the signal unless the frequencies that need to be filtered out are very fr from the audio signals.

Cable wire acting as an antenna:

 

[highfigh]

IDK about Tekron, take a look at Mogami:

MOGAMI® - W3082 Superflexible Studio Speaker Cables

Mogami W3082 Superflexible Studio Speaker Cables are designed to meet XLR audio connectors.

www.mogamicable.com

At this point, they're all using the trends to make sales. I have used Mogami with good results, but never paid big money for them. I also used Ixos, which weren't cheap, were recommended by a sales rep who I didn't know well and they sucked. I reamed him after finding that they actually allowed noise to enter and were made of generic XLR ends, crap wire and translucent plastic mesh covering. The effing box cost more than the cables and mt cost was $200/pair. My old Audio Technica mic cables were 25' long and there was no difference in sound.

 

[highfigh]

Cable wire acting as an antenna:

Proper cable management makes this crap unnecessary although twisted has long been known to help with common mode noise rejection. Also, braiding wire changes its electrical characteristics, often adding capacitance and that adds a component to the circuit that wasn't intended.

However, "continuously cast"? Wire is drawn, then annealed. That makes it possible to bend it without breaking.

 

[Speedskater]

Well many or most antennas are made out of wire!
So can AC power cords, interconnect cables or speaker cables act as interference antennas?
Yes occasionally they can, but several things have to go wrong:
a] interference has to be present.
b] the cable/cord has to be a length had have a placement to act as an antenna.
c] the connected circuit has to be susceptible to that interference.

 

[witchdoctor]

At this point, they're all using the trends to make sales. I have used Mogami with good results, but never paid big money for them. I also used Ixos, which weren't cheap, were recommended by a sales rep who I didn't know well and they sucked. I reamed him after finding that they actually allowed noise to enter and were made of generic XLR ends, crap wire and translucent plastic mesh covering. The effing box cost more than the cables and mt cost was $200/pair. My old Audio Technica mic cables were 25' long and there was no difference in sound.

You said it and I agree 100%, good results, not a lot of money, works for me

 

[witchdoctor]

J

Yeah right huh, Telling some unsuspected audio consumer who just spent 1500 on a pair
of speakers that by adding 2k speaker cables each! is gonna make those speakers sound greater and better cause the synergy is now in sync. Lolo, should be anyone's first clue that those cables are bullsh$t. .

Telling some unsuspecting audio consumer that just spent $30K on a pair of speakers to use $3 lamp cord to connect them to his $12K amp and $7K preamp is even more egregious. In fact you could shine the light of value on every component and vendor and there will always be a few that use shady tactics some where, why limit it to cables?

 

[Replicant 7]

J

Telling some unsuspecting audio consumer that just spent $30K on a pair of speakers to use $3 lamp cord to connect them to his $12K amp and $7K preamp is even more egregious. In fact you could shine the light of value on every component and vendor and there will always be a few that use shady tactics some where, why limit it to cables?

A 12 AWG lamp cord used in a 15ft run from your AVR, or Amp as opposed to a 2K BS! Speaker cable, You would absolutely hear No Difference at all in sound quality. There is nothing egregious about it. Those 500 to 2K speaker cables are BullSh$t Snake Oil.

 

[mtrycrafts]

.... This is MY experience, period. The differences to me are astonishing. ...

Yes, a singular reality.

 

[mtrycrafts]

....

You know what these guys have in common? Intelligence, talent, and power cords.

And??? Gullibility.

 

[mtrycrafts]

... When I first saw synergy being used with audio cables I spotted it "synergy" on a audio website selling 400 buck up to 2k speaker cables. ....

You missed the website with 5 figure cables.

 

[witchdoctor]

A 12 AWG lamp cord used in a 15ft run from your AVR, or Amp as opposed to a 2K BS! Speaker cable, You would absolutely hear No Difference at all in sound quality. There is nothing egregious about it. Those 500 to 2K speaker cables are BullSh$t Snake Oil.

Again, profanity. Why do you need to use expletives? Do you curse people out for spending more than $500 to $2K on amps too?