The audio poet strikes again!

Although the design may be arcane, you don't have to be a mystic to listen to Synergistic Research cables. Even if you're solipsistic, you won't need a heuristic to use these cables.

Some of the cables use a silver or copper alloy, but they don't cloy. Even Madame de Farge or those who live on a barge can appreciate a charge.

The cables emit a blue light. When projected onto the wall and ceiling they give you an aural feeling.

The more economical audiophiles among us who are ecologically oriented will find that listening in the dark with a full complement of interconnect, speaker cables and line cords will scintillate and illuminate and mitigate the consumption of energy resources.

Synergistic Research has designed cables which receive a 30 volt DC charge. The subjects of this review include the following products, reviewed as a whole: 1) 1 meter X2 Looking Glass Phase II interconnect $750 2) 7 meter X2 Looking Glass Phase II interconnect $1938 3) 6 feet Resolution Reference Speaker Cable $2020 4) 2 8 foot X2 Master Coupler AC line cords $1050 5) 'The Global Power Train' line strip $55 = Total Retail $5813

Design and Technology

The interconnect is a silver matrix alloy, composed of silver, copper and other metals. There are two groups of stranded conductors. A mylar/aluminum shield is connected at one end. The dielectric is modified polyethylene.

The AC cord is composed of slow drawn hyperpure copper. There are two groups of solid core conductors. Each group contains 9 wires in a twist formation yielding an overall gauge of 8. The groups are twisted around each other. The shield is braided copper and surrounds the conductors. The dielectric is modified polyethylene.

The speaker cable is internally biwired--2 positive and 2 negative. Two different alloys are used, one for the bass, the other for the mids and highs. There are 2 braided copper alloy shields and 2 braided silver alloy shields. The dielectric is modified polyethylene.

An AC transformer converts AC to DC and a DC charge of 30 volts is applied to each interconnect, speaker cable and AC cord. The construction, application and implementation of the AC shielding is proprietary.

The Sound

The cables were partially broken in (120 hours) by the time they arrived. I added another 200 hours of a continuous signal. As with any 'serious' component, it is advisable to run a musical signal for 24 hours a day for a two week period before attempting to judge its performance.

I auditioned the cable in the uncharged and charged states. Here are my observations:

Part 1, Uncharged State

I started with female voice and selected DON'T SMOKE IN BED (Alert Z2 81020), featuring the vocalist Holly Cole. This CD is often the source of arguments as to the cause of perceived sibilance. Probably a close-miked recording, I have heard this CD many times on stereo systems including my own and sibilance was often noted. In this instance, there was less sibilance than usual. The voice sounded rounded and pleasant, suggesting a slight euphonic coloration.

The second CD, SOUND ROOTS (Mapleshade 04432), exhibited a wide soundstage on track 1. The bass was positioned at the edge of the left speaker and the cymbal was heard at the edge of the right speaker. The tenor sax was full-bodied and it was easy to follow its movement away from and toward the microphone. At the end of the tenor solo, the drummer taps a cymbal. The resulting decay seemed shorter in duration than I have previously experienced. On track 2, the trumpet sounded rounded and brassy, not elevated in pitch but somewhat distant.

The OPUS 3, TEST CD #1: DEPTH OF IMAGE (CD 7900), track 12, provided a startling revelation. The trombone was positioned at the edge and slightly to the right of the right speaker. In all my years as a Quad owner, I have never heard the trombone coming from that far to the right. Cymbals sounded brass-like, not steely. I chose the Steely Dan CD AJA, Deacon Blues (MCAD 37214), as another test of timbre and tonality. Pete Christleib's tenor solo has often 'sounded' pinched and lean. Here, the tenor was full bodied and harmonically balanced.

My last two selections were from the classical repertoire on the JVC label. Benjamin Britten, A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, a 24 bit remaster (XRCD24 0226), provides an opportunity to explore the ensembles of a symphony orchestra. At the beginning of track 1, the brass ensemble is heard deep into the orchestra with no edge or hardness--a natural mid to rear hall perspective. Thereafter, one hears three strikes of a mallet on the tympani followed by a cymbal crash and a triangle. The tympani strikes were punchy, the pitch of each note was differentiated and the triangle and cymbal had a natural timbre. Fifty seconds into track 1 of Offenbach's Gaite Parisienne (JVC XRCD 0224), there is a very short pause followed by a brief solo from the percussion section. During the pause, one should notice the turning of pages. However, it is not obvious. I missed it the first time but heard it upon the second audition, perhaps indicative of a veil or 'noise' which initially obscured this subtle detail. The foreground/background relationship between the wood block and the triangle created a believable illusion of depth and spacing. So far, the salient facets of cable performance in the uncharged state included a wide and deep sound stage, a slightly warmish tonality and a mid to rear hall perspective.

Part 2, Charged State

The differences between the charged and uncharged states were immediate and obvious. On the OPUS 3, TEST CD #1: DEPTH OF IMAGE, better focus, greater clarity and articulation were apparent. The clarinet seemed more extended on top without sounding thin. The trumpet had more bite but did not sound edgy. Micro dynamics improved as evidenced by the increased impact of drum thwacks.

On the Mapleshade CD, track 1, bass was more controlled and bass notes were easier to follow. The decay of the cymbal at the end of the sax solo increased in duration. The somewhat laid-back quality was gone, bringing the music closer to the listener without sounding forward or losing the sense of depth, which is a performance plus of this cable. On track 2, there was more midrange presence, the trumpet had more bite, but still sounded natural, the shimmer of the cymbal was more prominent and its decay time increased.

There was a change in the sound of the tenor on AJA. The pitch was slightly elevated. While there was no leanness or thinness, the timbre changed slightly during passages in the upper register, where the tenor 'sounded' a bit like an alto.

After 50 seconds into track 1 of Gaite Parisienne', it was easier to recognize musicians turning pages without having to listen specifically for this event. There was greater treble extension on the triangle and as the position of the wood block became more distant, the spacing between it and the triangle seemed more believable than before.

There were changes in the sound of the Britten disc, A Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra. There was greater separation of instruments, giving the impression that each ensemble was located in its own space. The brass section was placed deeper into the orchestra and was slightly elevated in pitch. The tympani sounded more lifelike. One could hear the skin of the tympani as it was struck by the mallet, and the timbre of the mallet head material became easy to recognize. Finally, the cymbal sounded more natural and there was more space between it and the triangle.

Holly Cole's voice became a bit more sibilant on track 1 from the CD DON'T SMOKE IN BED. The articulation of the acoustic bass was so clear, one could hear the vibration and decay of the strings after they were plucked and released.

Conclusions

My tube-based stereo system 'sounded' more transparent than it ever had in the past. It was an experience that left me overwhelmed by the level of detail. Essentially, the presence of the charge retained the strengths of the cables, as previously indicated and increased the signal-to-noise ratio, removing layers of veiling. This level of articulation and stimulus complexity takes a while to get used to. For some, it may overload the nervous system if one is not (mentally or psychologically) prepared for such an experience. If one's stereo system is not well balanced or if there is too much energy in the upper midrange/lower treble, one may find these cables too revealing. However, if you have a preference for excitement or your system is 'relatively' neutral, these cables will satisfy your needs.