SYNERGISTIC RESEARCH Black Box

MJ22.02.2022

Subwoofers

The Hi-Fi communities hate black boxes. Let a device have transformers, capacitors, coils, and other electrical components inside, and let it connect into the power grid. What shall we do with a box that looks like a passive subwoofer, and that does not connect to anything? Such a box will be categorized as a voodoo and condemned. The problem is that the box from Synergistic Research works, and its effect is far from subtle.

Function and form

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Ease of use

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Sound

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Appearance

Synergistic Research says the following about how the Black Box functions: “The Black Box is an (all in one) Broad Spectrum Low-Frequency Resonator Array with UEF Tech that effectively eliminates bass nodes while expanding your room’s ability to accurately portray low-frequency information and spatial content. Working from the principle that all frequencies in the audible bandwidth are linked through harmonics, the Black Box balances low frequencies, mid-range, and high frequencies through a mathematically derived algorithm based on tuned sympathetic resonance. So, when you get the phase correct at 20Hz for example, it clears up every multiple of 20Hz so, 40Hz, 80Hz, 160Hz and on.”

I guess that for the device with the internal volume of merely 9 liters will be quite challenging to do anything at 20Hz, but I understand the point that Synergistic Research tries to make. Most instruments can indeed benefit from improving their harmonics spectra. In fact, the ear is much more forgiving towards the low fundamental notes if the harmonics are right. By boosting or making clear the harmonics, the ear is capable of reconstruction of deep notes. It does not work the other way round – although the region between 30Hz to 50Hz gives music the sense of power and scale, if the higher harmonics are missing the things sound muddy and veiled. The Black Box resonator can achieve perceivably better (and deeper) bass by cutting on unwanted fundamentals and consequently exposing the harmonics of the very same fundamentals. Think about the bottom end in the sound of Yello that is never so deep we think it is, but - oh my - is it clear!

The Black Box’s appearance is that of a compact subwoofer. Un unobtrusive box, that is covered by a perforated metal plate everywhere but from the bottom side. You cannot see inside, and you cannot get inside (the bolts have their internal hex sockets drilled off). You can feel it, however. It is quite heavy (3.5kg), and when shaken you sense (not hear) vibrating elements inside. The Black Box rests on three supplied super-sharp spikes.

It is recommended to use 1 to 3 Black Boxes in a room, and Synergistic Research suggests various placement schemes on their website. Take these with a pinch of salt – they are good guides, but your room is your room and extra effort certainly pays off.

Bass management

Weight

Slam

Articulation

If you think for a moment, the passive elements have many advantages. There is no need for cables. There is no need for extra power sockets. There is no clutter of cables on the floor. They can be placed anywhere without constrictions of cable lengths. They are easy to test – listen, remove, listen again. And, if you hear an improvement with the Black Box, you can easily validate it by removing the Black Box from the room. It is not enough to remove the Black Box from its position, it must be removed from the room, otherwise it continues to be enticed by the sound waves.

As systematic as I am in my reviews, I spent several hours by moving the Black Box to all the placements that were recommended by Synergistic Research. I also tried all the placements that were not recommended in the manual. This meant moving the Block Box by small increments along the front, side, and rear walls (see the attached image). During these experiments I was exclusively using the double-bass in Trouble is The Man from Patricia Barber´s last album Clique (Impex SACD). No matter which placement the Block Box was at, it had audible consequences. In my room, the closer the Black Box was to the front wall the weaker and punch-less the double-bass was. The closer the Black Box was to the rear wall the bass became inflated to the extent it got disproportional to the rest of the spectrum. Not only the bass was affected. I especially watched for the vocal for I did not want it to change pitch, definition, and lifelikeness. In the Black Box´s final position (marked by the red dot in the picture) the vocal was as perfect as it used to be plus it gained in realism by audibly adding the mass of air behind the artist´s head, as if the spatial mapping became more precise. Also the Barber´s piano benefited from the presence of the Black Box, and the simple instrumentation enveloped me in an immersive cocoon.

Clarity & delicacy

Detail

Air

Transparency

Alike other Synergistic Research acoustic devices, the Black Box is very sensitive to accurate placement in the room. Move it by an inch and the result will be different. In my case, the Black Box landed at its final placement after 4 hours of listening, and after I double-checked the result with a playlist of various music genres. There were clear improvements to the system’s sound with each track I played. The first stage passed, I was not finished, however - there were additional four Black Boxes waiting to be employed. Yes, I managed to get 5 units in total on loan.

The second Black Box proved itself effective once it was placed diagonally across the room from the first Black Box: the bass disappeared. Suddenly my loudspeakers became a pair of bookshelf speakers. The double-bass in the Barber’s track sounded like strings attached to a wooden rod, they just rattled with no body and no substance. Although this experience was negative it proved that the Black Box had the power to transform the sound, in one way or another. So, I started crawling again along the walls to find the placement for the second unit. This time it was not that difficult, and I was able to find the position where both the Black Boxes gelled seamlessly. With the two, contrary to my expectations, the bass quality did not further improve. With the Clique cued in and the two BBs, I was able to better see into the envelopes around the instruments, and the top end improved in quite a dramatic way. Yes, the top end. The bass was basically identical to the one BB set up, just perhaps a tiny bit drier and controlled – the fast plucks on the double-bass in This Town were better delineated from each other, for instance. However, the top end benefited the most from the second Black Box, the bronze of cymbals got sounder and audibly more metallic, and I could hear better into their resonant textures too. Each stroke of the drumstick was more three-dimensional and added studio reverb became better legible. If I should characterize the benefits of the addition of the second Black Box by two words only, I would say ‘spatial realism’.

Tonal accuracy

Timbre

Dynamics

Temporal resolution

Although the Black Box is a fully passive resonant device, when placed at certain spots in my room the bass stepped up and got more prominent. For sure the Black Box does not generate any bass energy, but it may interact with frequency modes in midrange and absorb some energy there, thus making the bass spectrum more pronounced. When I played Missing You (the duet of Alison Krauss and John Waite) I could choose – by moving the Black Box around – whether the bass guitar should be tighter and drier, or more loose with some extra bloom. Charly Antolini’s Arabian Desert Groove (Knock Out 2000, In-Akustik) is one of the most brutal torture tests for any system. It is a very dynamic and bass heavy recording that exercises any speakers and subs to their limits. I have been using this album for ages and have a written paper note in its case about how far can I get with volume before the sound (and my ears) collapse. With my system and acoustics growing better, the maximum SPL have increased over time. The note says that in 2021 I could listen to Arabian Desert Groove by 7dB louder than in 2011. With the two Black Boxes I was able to increase the loudness by another dB, and the sound was crushingly apocalyptic, yet nuanced and firm as a rock

Spatial resolution

Holography

Soundstage width

Soundstage depth

There were other 3 Black Boxes left. I tried one after another, looking for extra synergy, an extra sonic benefit. I tried to lift them up, I tried to place them in the upper corners of the room, I tried to stack them. No matter what I did the sound never got better. The first Black Box improved the sound, the second one improved it further, the third and fourth and fifth had no effect.

I started to pack the Black Boxes and gave it one final listen. This time with Zombies in Coach (Abbey Road produced soundtrack to World War Z movie, Marco Beltrami, Warner). On this track the brass would tear down the Jericho walls, and the orchestra has the power of tsunami. With each the Black Box removed, a half of the zombies disappeared. Both Black Boxes removed and no zombies anymore. The drama vanished, the power disappeared, and the music sounded flat and muffled. I packed all the boxes but the two. They stayed. No way I can listen without them.

Price as reviewed:49 000,- Kč

Recommended resellers

Platan Audio, Hlohovec / Bratislava, tel. +421 905 409 802

Manufacturer's website: http://www.synergisticresearch.com

Associated components

Sources: Accuphase DP-720, Musical Fidelity M6scd
Amplifiers: TAD-M2500
Interconnects and speaker cables: Ansuz Signalz C2, Krautwire MAX Pro, Krautwire Numeric Digital, AAI Mestoso XLR, AudioQuest Dragon Zero | Bass
Loudspeakers: TAD Evolution One E1
Power conditioning: Shunyata Research Denali, Stromtank S-1000, Ansuz Mainz C2, AAI Maestoso, Synergistic Research Atmosphere Level 2

Gallery

BOWERS & WILKINS DB-1

The DB-1 subwoofer is a simple monolithic cube finished in flawless piano lacquer. It extends ca half a meter to any side and is incredibly heavy. I had to pull the 50 kgs of the sub upstairs and it was not an easy job, rather an ...

Recommended resellers

Eurostar Ostrava, Dobřejovice u Prahy, tel. + 420 323 606 877

High-End Audio Studio, Praha, tel. +420 224 256 844

Sound

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