SYNERGISTIC RESEARCH Atmosphere Level 2
Power cables
Synergistic Research does not give out any technical details. Well, you may say it is because there is no real know-how inside their products. Perhaps, however even a quick listening test is impressive and after few hours all your doubts are removed. Like A.C. Clark says, any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
Function and form
The Atmosphere Level 2 combines copper, silver and graphene. It is features active shielding - for that reason the cable has a 30-volt DC supply on board. The shielding is connected in parallel to a red UEF Tuning Circuit (a red cartridge that is attached to the cable) which provides a possibility to ´voice´ the cable to your preference. Synergistic Research offers different tuning modules - just simply swap the cartridge by clicking a new one on. I could not peek inside the module for it is sealed.
As good as the sound of the Atmosphere Level 2 is the cable becomes a nightmare for manipulation. It is heavy, thick and with zero torsion so you may require extra coils to get it into the right position. That may become a very expensive exercise.
Bass management
In my Synergistic Research Powercell 8 UEF SE review I appreciated its tactile and deep bass, precisely drawn transients, breathing transparency, pumping dynamics and exact soundstaging capabilities, especially the lateral one. I would say that the Atmosphere Level 2 power cord contributes to the perfromance of the PowerCell by 60-70%. Throughout the over 2 months of testing I used it with many top conditioners - Synergistic Research 8 UEF and Accuphase PS-1220, modified Nordost Thor and Nordost´s QB8, Shunyata Research Denali 6000T – and also compared it directly with Shunyata Research Sigma HC and Nordost Valhalla power cables. Suffice to say that I haven´t encounter a situation that the Atmosphere Level 2 would NOT improve the sound.
Clarity & delicacy
A sensitive close-miking technique recorded darting timpani mallets plus rustle of a timpanist's jacket. And it was the Atmosphere Level 2 and only it (in the combination with the Denali 6000T) that let me hear it. The Synergistic Research's power cord proved to be even more synergistic with the Shunyata Research's device than its own Sigma HC cord. The Sigma HC was audibly less focused and a tad darker and heavier in tonal balance. The Armosphere Level 2 does not conserve energy so when drums crack they crack like a shotgun. On the other hand a slight fuzziness of the Sigma HC was quite beneficial for Diana Krall's vocals in Devil May Care that became saturated in analogue-like fashion. Here I remain quite neutral - it is up to you to listen through it and decide which sound you prefer.
Tonal accuracy
I found interesting to compare the Synergistic Research with the Nordost Valhalla (V1 version). The overall level of detail and air was pretty much comparable, so was both cables' top end delicacy and midrange honesty. The Atmosphere Level 2 improves on the Valhalla with deeper and contoured bass, plus in how it let the music resonate and bloom. As if you could hear electrons shimmering around the microphones. The Atmosphere Level 2 simply moved me there, unlike the Valhalla that moved the music closer to me.
Spatial resolution
The Synergistic Research Atmosphere Level 2 power cable is great in delineation of sonic pictures within the soundstage. With hyperbole it is like observing forest on a hazy morning. Then breeze lifts up the thin mist and trees are clearly see, covered in rugged bark. Though I may have written something similar many times before this is exactly what I love about high end - setting up new benchmarks. The Atmosphere Level 2 was indeed very good in exceeding my expectations - like with a double bass body that materialized in my room and became less a double bass spot with strings attached to it and more the real double bass, a 3D instrument.
To wrap up, the Synergistic's Atmosphere Level 2 brings the topic of power cords into a new level and lets competition eat dust. Looks like I may be ready to taste their Galileo line...
Recommended resellers
Platan Audio, Hlohovec / Bratislava, tel. +421 905 409 802
Manufacturer's website: http://www.synergisticresearch.com
Associated components
- Sources: Accuphase DP-720, Accuphase DG-58
- Amplifiers: Accuphase A-70, TAD-M2500 MkII, Simaudio Moon Evolution 870A & 740P, Jeff Rowland 201, Audiolab 8300-MB monoblocks
- Interconnects and speaker cables: Audioquest Vodka, Audioquest Redwood, Audioquest Wild, In-Akustik LS-1603 Silver, Kubala-Sosna Emotion
- Loudspeakers: TAD Evolution One E1
- Power conditioning: Shunyata Research Sigma HC, Synergistic Research Powercell 8 UEF, Accuphase PS-1220, Nordost Thor (modified), Nordost Valhalla, Nordost QB8
Gallery
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