Lot 7733 email save

SYNERGISTIC RESEARCH LUNINESCENCE PHASE II

Sign In to see what this sold for

Luminescence Phase II pair.REVIEW:The Designers' Reference Speaker Cable is built in what Denney describes as "quad configuration": four separate legs (geometries) each carry a plus and a minus leg. "If you took bolt-cutters to our cable and cut one leg, signal would still get through." (I tried to imagine under what circumstances I might feel compelled to do such a thing.)"All speaker wires have a point at which inductance, capacitance, and resistance become reactive with the signal. And that changes the signal, of course. In Designers' Reference we've combined four separate tuned geometries, each with a strategic set of strengths and weaknesses. When one geometry becomes reactive, one or more of the other geometries will allow the signal to pass unimpeded. It's like water flowing downhillâ€"it takes the path of least resistance. Along the way it will change course many times in response to resistance on its way down from the mountain top. By using four geometries with different reactance points, the signal simply pushes through the path of least resistance. It's an elegant and simple way to deal with a complex problem."I inquired about the materials technology in the two large and two small conductors snaking through the cable. "There's Litz technology in there, as well as solid-core and basket-weave. You'll also find modified polyethylene, foamed Teflon, silver, copper, and alloys. You know, you can't get best results with only one technology. Built this way, Designers' Reference works with just about any amp." He sounded rather pleased with himself.Sound: Ted Denney has every right to feel smug about his cable. DR was delightfully quiet, offering a blacker, more velvety background from which music burst forth. I had a strong sense that the cables sounded very powerful; put another way, they let the power of the music through, unrestrained in any way I could detect. Compared to other cables on hand, they were more colorful and bold. Large-gestured dynamics fairly exploded from the speakers.The DR speaker cables were also very transparent-sounding, much as the interconnect proved to be. To elucidate this transparency, I must point to the cable's overall balance. Its high degree of innate transparency was but one element in a blend of superior sonic qualities. Transparency as a quality unto itself didn't manifest itself in any significant way. DR isn't from the "[gasp] ohmigawd" school of transparency, although it did let right on through the Graaf GM 200's heightened sense of speed and lucidity. Rather, DR's presentation was more about a certain precision and profound clarity of presentationâ€"a clarity made up of equal parts air, transparency, detail retrieval, linearity, and perceived frequency response.In a nutshell, these are great speaker cables, fully worthy of partnering the DR interconnect in every aspect. Problems? Just one. The DR speaker cables were endowed with much the same "house sound" as the interconnect. As a result, once again, their mastery when reproducing the large-gestured and dynamic was undeniable. But capturing the smallest nuances in music that only a very few other extremely costly cables manage was not its forte. I am most emphatically not saying that the DR lacks nuance entirelyâ€"unforgivable in such a costly cable. Rather, there was enough of the fine, elusive stuff to satisfy even one so picky as I, although a very few other cables do it better. But these other cables and interconnects certainly don't possess all of the DR's qualities. Let's say that, while dazzling the listener with its many strengths, DRâ€"speaker cable and interconnectâ€"ever-so-slightly glossed over this one aspect. But that's only one of a myriad of qualities necessary for topflight playback. On balance, DR is still great stuff; for me, it's one of only a handful at the very top of the cable hill.So there you have it. Synergistic Designers' Reference: expensive and built to stay that way. If you've got the budget for Top Stuff, make sure you audition DR. I'll be listening to other top-tier cables in the coming months, and will be happy to report on the results. In the meantime, if you've a mind (and the bank account) to take the plunge now, I say...go for it!... available for preview in Charleston SC, call 260-418-6576 or email sales@estateroadshow.com
Length: 71
Width: 0
Height: 2
Weight LB: 0
Weight OZ: 0

View Estate Road Show next auction.

Similar lots up for auction