Remember the old adage of how the ideal audio component is like a piece of wire - doesn't add anything, doesn't subtract anything? Well, seems Synergistic Research (yes, them again) have managed to produce exactly that.
The latest Audioxpress magazine has an article about making audio measurements, and one of the things they use as an example is an unnamed device described as 'a 0.25" stereo phone jack and plug situated on opposite ends of a plastic tube', and the manufacturer seems to make claims about 'maximizing your enjoyment with increased resolution and smoothness in the worlds most holographic headphone experience'. That search string leads to the 'Synergistic Research HT Carbon Headphone Transducer' (http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/show-newport-2015-synergistic-research-ht-carbon-headphone-transducer). The static measurements show that it is just connecting straight through, and measurements of frequency response (with simulated headphone load), inter-channel crosstalk, harmonic and intermodulation distortion and noise all show absolutely no difference with or without the device. So if you have $300 extra, and want to 'maximize the enjoyment' your headphone listening, safely knowing that it won't worsen sound quality, there you go... Any conclusions about the ethics of the high-end industry left to the reader... "To try to judge the real from the false will always be hard. In this fast-growing art of 'high fidelity' the quackery will bear a solid gilt edge that will fool many people" - Paul W Klipsch, 1953 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Julf's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=42050 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=104649 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
