PowerCell 12 SX
Excellence Made Accessible
The PowerCell 12 SX represents a completely new approach, engineered from the ground up to embody the complete SRX lineage. It synthesizes advances from three flagship programs simultaneously: SRX XL electromagnetic cell architecture and materials from the SRX PowerCell, latest active EM cell biasing and multi-layer ground plane topology from the SRX PowerCell 14, and advanced ULF circuitry and DC bias integration from the PowerCell 14. All united in a purpose-built 12-outlet platform with a unified field architecture, the PowerCell 12 SX delivers upper-level performance in a more compact form.
When compared using identical power cords, the PowerCell 12 SX performs remarkably close to the PowerCell 14, despite the PowerCell 14’s advantage in electromagnetic cell count and dedicated three-bank isolation architecture. This isn’t about scaling down. It’s about packing everything we’ve learned into a new configuration that delivers more electromagnetic conditioning technology per dollar than any model in our history.
The PowerCell 12 SX doesn’t make your system sound “better”. It lets your system tell the truth without fighting invisible resistance baked into the walls. It’s not filtering. It’s field conditioning at a scale no passive system can touch. That’s because what you’re hearing in your system isn’t just signal — it’s how the room, the cable, the chassis, and the power line all respond to the field.
What you’ll hear is immediate and unmistakable: a holographic soundstage that extends well beyond your speakers, where images appear three-dimensional and precisely placed in space. You’ll experience musical realism where instruments and voices possess weight, texture, and presence—you hear the room, the air, the decay of notes. Dynamics emerge effortlessly, with transients appearing naturally without strain or compression. Phase remains uncollapsed, with spatial cues intact, bringing performances to life.
This isn’t subtle. You don’t warm up to it. You hear it instantly, as your system’s been compromised for years.
PowerCell Lineup Awards
Built On the SRX XL Electromagnetic Core
The PowerCell 12 SX is built around three full-sized SRX XL Electromagnetic Cells—the same massive cells deployed in our flagship SRX PowerCell. Not the smaller SRX cells. The XL architecture.
These cells are hand-built, air-dielectric, and precision-encased in carbon fiber, utilizing identical geometry, materials, and UEF compounds as our reference-level platforms. With one cell dedicated to hot, one to neutral, and one to ground, the PowerCell 12 SX creates a unified electromagnetic field across all 12 outlets for complete system-wide conditioning.
This unified field approach ensures every component in your system operates within the same stabilized electromagnetic environment—eliminating the field discontinuities that typically exist between different power sources. What most people don’t understand is that the field is the signal path. Here’s how it works: AC becomes the carrier field, establishing the foundation. DC bias locks the electromagnetic structure in place, creating stability. ULF pulses synchronize phase timing across the entire system. And the electromagnetic cells don’t just condition the line—they stabilize the space itself.
Synchronizing Phase Timing with ULF
ULF, in its most basic principle, is how we ‘reclock’ our music to the Schumann Resonance by passively addressing and filtering out ambient RF and extreme high frequency noise that would otherwise degrade sound. The PowerCell 12 SX features:
- Reformulated Ultra Low-Frequency RF bias captured from our SRX PowerCell and Voodoo streamer/server development programs
- Latest-generation power supply technology for precise DC biasing of EM cells
- Multi-frequency ULF Schumann Frequency Generator with two selectable settings
- 24k Gold UEF tuning circuits for enhanced harmonic richness and musicality
The impact on your system is profound: effortless dynamics that let music breathe and swell naturally, micro-details that emerge without etching or artificiality, and a sense of ease that makes extended listening sessions a pleasure rather than fatiguing. This is real-world reference performance—the kind of sonic transparency that reveals what your components are truly capable of.
Two ULF Settings. Your Music. Your Choice.
The PowerCell 12 SX offers two carefully voiced ULF settings, allowing you to optimize performance for your system and musical preferences. Press a button on the back to switch between settings:
Blue (Default): Voiced for acoustic instruments, vocals, and smaller-scale performances, enhancing intimacy and tonal richness.
Red: Designed for large-scale performances and electronic music, maximizing dynamics and spatial presentation.
These settings reflect our most current understanding of ULF treatment, derived from extensive listening tests across our flagship development programs. Select the option that makes music in your system, bringing you closer to the original performance.
Unified Power Distribution
The PowerCell 12 SX features 12 Pink Quantum Outlets—each benefiting from two-stage Quantum Treatment for maximum conductivity and minimal contact resistance. All outlets share a unified electromagnetic field through the three dedicated SRX XL cells (hot, neutral, and ground).
10awg silver matrix point-to-point discrete wiring runs from each outlet to the SRX XL cells, maintaining signal integrity and allowing the full electromagnetic conditioning power to reach every connected component without impedance. This unified approach eliminates the performance variations that occur when components draw from different power sources.
No Compromise Current Delivery
A fundamental design principle that separates Synergistic Research PowerCells from conventional power conditioners is that PowerCells are 100% non-current-limiting. Most competing conditioners achieve quieter backgrounds by restricting current flow, often warning users against plugging in amplifiers due to the dynamic compression this causes. It’s like upgrading your car’s chassis and suspension but leaving the stock engine untouched. You’ll never experience true performance unless your amplifiers are conditioned.
Synergistic Research PowerCells take the opposite approach: delivering a black background and unrestricted current delivery simultaneously. Your amplifiers benefit most from this design because they demand dynamic power across the full bandwidth. When that power arrives without restriction but fully conditioned, you hear explosive dynamics, effortless transients, and complete tonal authority, not the compressed, constrained sound that comes from current-limiting designs. Other conditioners trade dynamics for quiet. Synergistic Research PowerCells refuse that compromise.
To put this in perspective: the PowerCell 8 SX routinely outperforms competitors’ flagship conditioners costing significantly more. The 12 SX builds on that foundation with greater electromagnetic conditioning capacity. Above it sit the PowerCell 14, SRX PowerCell 14, and SRX PowerCell, each delivering even higher performance. But all five share the same core principle: 100% non-current-limiting design that lets your amplifiers breathe while operating in the cleanest possible electromagnetic environment. This is why you plug everything into a PowerCell, especially your amplifiers.
Grounding, Elevated.
The PowerCell 12 SX incorporates multi-layer UEF Ground Plane technology—a core element of the SRX lineage developed through our flagship programs. This sophisticated grounding topology works in concert with the dedicated SRX XL ground cell to create one of the blackest backgrounds we’ve achieved in any power conditioner.
The multi-layer approach addresses grounding at multiple levels within the unit, dramatically lowering the noise floor and revealing low-level details that typically remain masked. For even higher performance, the PowerCell 12 SX can be connected to one of our Active Ground Blocks through a dedicated ground connection. This optional upgrade further lowers the noise floor and improves low-frequency weight and definition—all without sacrificing any of your 12 outlets.
Form Elevates Function
The PowerCell 12 SX chassis is machined from aircraft-grade aluminum and carbon fiber, creating a mechanically and electromagnetically voiced platform that strategically dampens mechanical resonance while optimizing the efficiency and directivity of the electromagnetic fields generated by the three SRX XL cells—all in a compact form that fits easily into real-world systems.
9 Lighting options
You can customize the color and intensity of the front meter and top circuit view window lighting. Select between Galileo White, Synergistic Research Blue, Dante Red, and McIntosh Blue to match your system’s aesthetic. Or disable the lighting entirely if you prefer.
Completing the Power Foundation
Every PowerCell 12 SX includes a Foundation XL 10awg power cord—specifically designed to complement the PowerCell’s internal architecture. This premium power cord ensures optimal power delivery from wall to conditioner, delivering real-world reference performance right out of the box.
Specifications
MSRP
$7995 110V msrp
$8495 230V msrp
with included 5ft. Foundation XL 10awg power cable
Wiring
- All 10 awg. Silver Matrix point-to-point discrete wiring
Connector Output US:
- 12 UEF Pink Outlets
Connector Output International (EU/AU/UK):
- 12 UEF Pink Outlets
UEF:
- Graphene treatment throughout unit
- Internal “Active” Gen 2 SRX Linear power supply for biasing EM Cells
- Dual Channel, Dual Setting SRX ULF (Ultra-low frequency) Generator applied to each individual electromagnetic cell to bias AC to the Earth’s Schumann Resonance for a dramatic drop in a system’s noise floor.
- 2 each SR Power Transformers
- 8 each SR Quantum Capacitors in EM Cell power supply and ULF field generator
- Machined Aluminum and Carbon Fiber chassis
- Three SRX XL Folded EM Cells topology acts like a ‘Super Capacitor’ to increase peak current on demand allowing components to draw more current than when connected directly to the wall for added dynamic headroom
Internal Active UEF EM Horizontal Plane Cell area:
- 5187 square centimeters
- 7 x Internal 2nd Gen, SRX EM Folded Carbon Fiber Cell area:
Connector Input:
- 1 each Neutrik 32 amp PowerCon
- 1 Isolated Bank of 12 Outputs
99.995% Pure Silver Ground Strap:
- 62 square centimeters
Weight and Dimensions:
- 5.2″ x Width 17.5″ x Depth 14.2″
- 28 lbs.
Voltage and current Rating:
-
- Input rating US: 20amp/125v
- Input Rating International (EU/AU/UK): 16amp/250v
- US Version: Rating is limited by the US Outlet rating of 20amp/125v
- International(EU/AU/UK) Version: Rating is predicated upon the Schuko Outlet rating of 16amp/250v
Bundle Pricing
Bundled with
5 ft. Atmosphere SX Excite AC Cable
($2,495 MSRP)
110V - $8,890
230V - $9,390
Bundled with
5 ft. Atmosphere SX Euphoria AC Cable
($3,495 MSRP)
110V - $9,690
230V - $10,190
Bundled with
Atmosphere SX Euphoria HC
AC Cable
($3,895 MSRP)
110V - $10,090
230V - $10,590
PowerCell Intl.
Take your conditioning international.
Available in North American, Schuko, UK and Austrailian outlets
Compare the PowerCell lineup
PowerCell Lineup Reviews
"The PowerCell 14 brought most of my music right into the room with me... I could play it softer than normal because of the greater resolution and transparency, and I could rock the joint because it was so clean and dynamic... I took out my garage sale 33 rpm version of Ricki Lee Jones' eponymous album and... found those same tears rolling down my cheeks."
Rick Becker, Enjoy the Music, April 2025
"But most impressive was how the PowerCell 8 SX created the blackest/quietest background I have heard in a power conditioner, and did so without losing any details in the music. Synergistic Research credits this to their use of redesigned “Ground Plane Technology.”... You can definitely hear it working, as it creates an almost palpable sense of silence between the notes. The blacker background translated into a slightly deeper, wider and a more involving soundstage when playing my favorite Tidal and Qobuz tracks... I also noted how instruments and vocals sounded fuller, with added clarity and a natural warmth that had been missing on the IT-Reference 15i.
John Bugailiskis, Best of High End, October 2024
"So what was the "sudden change" I heard upon first firing up the rig with the new PowerCell? I replayed the same cut I had last listened to and before I could get back to the listening chair I was struck by an increase in pace, rhythm, and timing, greater transparency. By the time I hit the seat, greater macro dynamics had also become obvious. When you know a song well enough, these things quickly come to light. Extended listening over the rest of the song revealed greater resolution, inner detail, and micro-dynamics.
Rick Becker, Enjoy the Music, August 2024
"At no point did I think this wasn’t doing enough or offering me enough, especially at the price point. For larger systems, SR does offer larger conditioners with more outlets, though you could also add a second PowerCell 8 down the road if you add more sources or amps. With some of the other SR accessories, you get a nearly infinitely tunable device which for a system tinkerer is a dream come true. If you are fighting noise in your system you owe it to yourself to audition the PowerCell 8 SX to see if it is the right fit for you."
Anton Wyler, Hifi Chicken, May 2024
"Will the internal struggle to reach nirvana ever end? Probably not. As much as we like to complain about the journey, this is what provides much of the joy and interest in this hobby. The PowerCell SX has the ability to get us amazingly closer and without major upgrades to the rest of the system—closer than any other cable or power conditioner that I have heard in my listening room. The PowerCell SX clearly pushes the envelope.
Robert Youman, Positive Feedback, July 2020
"The SR PowerCell SX and Galileo SX power cord are engineering breakthroughs that are well made, deliver on their promised performance, and have taken my system to a level I never thought possible. Ted Denney pulled out all of the stops on this iteration of the PowerCell. Although the admission price is high, the increase in overall system performance in relative terms justifies the cost. Far worthy of a StereoTimes “Most Wanted Component” award recognition… My new reference."
Mike Girardi, Stereo Times, July 2020
"The non-current-limiting PowerCell SX is one of the rare exceptions, and for that alone, it gets into the top tier and deserves high praise."
Alan Sircom, Hifi+, November 2023