REL SPEC Active Subwoofer Cable Testimony

Synergistic Research REL SPEC Active Subwoofer Cable

Eliott,

First, I thank you and the Synergistic Research team for building a beta set of REL upgrade cables, adapting them to meet the needs of my configuration and in general supporting Vu in allowing me the opportunity of an interview of your new products.

Upon receiving the cables my first thought was of just how well they were finished (I guess I was expecting rough prototypes). The Resolution Reference version is as fine of a product as the 12ft pair of RR RCA w/TLS that SR built for me last summer. And, the interchangeable "break out" using XLR connectors is very nice as well.

When I exchanged the stock REL high level cable with the Phase II version the key difference was an overall lowering of noise in the system. The change was substantial and quite obvious from the first few moments of playing a reference recording. There was more presence, the presentation was more relaxed and additional detail was revealed in the mid as well as upper registers.

REL describes his sub-systems' effect as "generating room pressurization that recreates the venue". With the stock cable the REL Studio does just that, there is a recreation of the "feel of the environment" in which the session was recorded. The Phase II elevated that effect to a new level. In addition to more detail there was more "weight" to the mids and highs (e.g. the "feel" of air from a saxophone, the weight of the air around a high hat cymbal just as it is struck, the presence of a vocalist standing near the microphone, etc.). From "top to bottom" (and left to right, and front to back) the presentation is more realistic and alive. The Phase II cable actually made studio recordings take on a "live recording" feel. Finally, live recordings (e.g. Eric Clapton - Unplugged) were more like an "in person" experience than ever before.

After enjoying the listening experience with the Phase II for a day or so I reluctantly upgraded to the Resolution Reference. Partially because I feared that the RR couldn't possibly make much improvement over and above the Phase II experience. I seem to need to continually convince myself, but from passed experience with RR interconnects, speaker and AC cables I really shouldn't have been concerned. It's just the fact that the Phase II made such an improvement that I expected the differences with the RR to be subtle.

Well, I was wrong! The RR changes were absolutely stunning. It was as though I had been making coarse adjustments on the REL and suddenly discovered the fine adjustment that "locked" the sub into the system. There was even lower noise and everything (I mean everything) in the presentation improved. The RR was a big of a difference from the Phase II as the Phase II has been from the stock cable.

The Resolution Reference REL cable does a splendid job of allowing everything in the sound field to present itself appropriately. The bass moved out of the way of the mid-bass, the mid-bass moved out of the way of the mids and so on. The presentation is so very relax and effortless, the foundation of the recording is so strong and tight and the sub truly became a seamless part of the system.

In closing, the Synergistic Research Phase II and Resolution Reference REL sub-cables are a couple of real winners; these cables are truly impressive upgrades. From my perspective anyone that has a REL and takes the opportunity to listen to either of these cables will not be able to go back to the stock REL cable.

Please call or respond to this mail note if you have questions or require additional comments. Thanks again for supporting Vu in providing this opportunity.

Regards,
Marlyn
Marlyn Holland
CIO Enterprise Operations

PS: I am really looking forward to an opportunity to hear the Line-Level Resolution Reference RCA and I am confident that the results will be similarly impressive for the 5.1 mode of playback. I have a hint of localization during 5.1 movie and concert playback that hope will be minimized if not eliminated.