Synergistic 90% Full Loom

Hi-Fi Corner
1

Take two but demo items as prior Synergistic Research power cables did not allow easy plug fuse removal, only the power cable was brand new USB and speaker cables had demo run in.

Prior Setup- rated this as 30% baseline
Naim Nova, Innuos Zenith, Cisco 2960, Focal 1008be2, Naim Fraim
Synergistic Research fuses, speaker Carbon XFT, support Mig 2.0 and Nova power cable.

STEP 1 - Swapped Wireworld Starlight USB for Synergistic Research Atmosphere Reference 60%, more air, details, wider soundstage, backing vocals audible but weak, better PRaT

STEP 2 - Swapped Naim NACA5 for Synergistic Research Foundation speaker cable
Rated 90%, improvements in bass, vocals, soundstage, more air, PRaT faster, more transient details and much wider soundstage.

STEP 3 - Swapped Nova Synergistic Research power cable Atmosphere for Foundation
Rated 100%, more PRaT, backing vocals better, air and separation.

STEP 4 - Swapped MCRU power cable feeding Innuos Zenith with Synergistic Research Foundation
Rated 120% - Bass layering detail, backing vocals clearer, more air, better decay, wider soundstage, midrange more bit and attack and even more transient detail.

Have a two week demo, so far impressed, i would say each step just adds more realism, real toe tapping, emotionally engaging.

I do feel the air, PRaT and transient detail really brings the experience more 3D, versus more baseline, which i would describe as wooley base, bad timing, no air or soundstage.

Will be interesting the see how things settle with more run in, in particular the power cable.

Oh it would be 100% Synergistic Research, but my Ethernet is still Wireworld Platinum and the Cisco router has a stock Naim power lead.

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So… step 1 sounded literally twice as good and step 4 sounded 4 times as good?

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Never used numerical values before, I was trying to assess the impact of each change and if the result was cumulative

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But the original system was 30% and the change of a USB cable made it 60%, so twice as good, no?

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Not to speak for obsidian, but generally speaking this is not the case. It depends on what the percentage is referring to. The given values could be 30% or 60% of the desired improvement, but this improvement itself could be, say, 5% of the overall system performance.

Like I could have 1000 potatoes and want to add 100 to them, then 30 potatoes would be 30% of the addition, but not of the overall number.

I agree that it was not clear what the percentages were referring to, just saying that your conclusion does not necessarily follow

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Step 4 the power cable was the greatest improvement but concede my % system was pants.
I focused that too much around a cumulative effect.

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7

So all you need now is a SR Power Cell !

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8

I have Wireworld Starlight USB too and it was replaced with a Tellurium Ultra Silver last year. A nice uplift in sound quality.

Also, I can relate to the rest of the experiences with speaker cables and power cords. In my system, the latter brought the biggest impact to the system.

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I did look at the PowerCell Two, but always avoided such conditioners, filters in the past.

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Yep power cords have the most noticeable impact.

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@obsydian You can hear how good SR cables are their Power Cells are the final piece of the puzzle :jigsaw:

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So last weekend i pulled out everything and swapped back in one go, as opposed to one by one.
Oddly the airiness, realism, soundstage has gone but all the detail remains.

Vocal detail and backing vocalists i can hear but uncertain as to how much of that is memory (i.e. heard it now i can hear it).

I was too lazy to swap back, so debating if that airiness, realism and soundstage is worth a £3.5k outlay or was it all just in my head :face_with_hand_over_mouth:

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You are doubting now, not believing your ears? Maybe the threads on psychological bias, psychological effects, double blind necessity….have infected you?
Can’t you ask someone to do a blind test with you? But you need to wait 30 mn before each different power cables connected.

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I’d put the bog standard cables back in and see what you think for a few days. You may be surprised…

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I have nearly all Synergistic PCs in my system with the exception of a Kimber Palladian PK10 (it feeds into my PS Audio Power Regenerator, the last leg before going into a 20a dedicated circuit…which, BTW, the Kimber Kable is quite a power cable itself). They are mostly Atmosphere Xs, with a Blue UEF on a LPS for my Chord DAC). I used to use just the plain Tibia PCs with Naim gear, then Powerlines, downgraded to AVOptions Tibias and now the Synergistic Research PCs. They really are something, IMO. I got a really good deal on them; it’s the only reason I took a chance on them. I typically do not put a ton of emphasis or energy into PCs, but once I tried them I had to admit that they brought a perceptive, though slight, improvement to mostly the soundstage and ‘weight’ of things. I really enjoy them and have no intention of moving them out of their respective places. I had my doubts integrating them into a Naim system, but they turned out to be unfounded. I’d recommend them to anyone to give 'em a try.

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Yes my friend, I had said in the past after a high end Naim demo, when I returned home to my meagre system I was like wow I can still hear … I called it demo memory.

Even a plug, unplug or power down can result in a SQ change usually until stable.

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17

I did swap back to the NaCa5 and Wireworld

18

After my Innuos firmware upgrade I am appreciating the realism, excitement and PRaT the near full loom brought, but not moving away from the Naim sound.

I still have all the items as awaiting for the dealer to advise demo return details, if I still have them by the weekend I will swap over again and see.

That said I am already pricing up basically a full Synergistic Research Foundation Series loom, as I was surprised the Atmosphere Power cord was easily beaten by the Foundation power cord.

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20

Which SR Atmosphere power cable did the SR foundation cable trump? as broad quotes like this are difficult to put in perspective when there are multiple Atmosphere UEF power cables Level 1,2,3 and HC ,also the lastest SR Atmosphere X range please elaborate so I can follow where you are.
Thanks R

21

I have used the Atmosphere UEF Level 1 power (so prior generation) for around 2 years so familiar with it vs the Naim Powerline, Chord Signature, Supra LoRad, Belden and the old stock Naim power cable.

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