Synergistic Research Galileo Cable
returnstackerror -- Sun, 12/26/2010 - 15:40
Just read the glowing review of the Synergistic Research Galileo Cables by Jonathan Valin.
While I could make some generic comments such as:
- Hi-End reviewers in all magazines, every month manage to find the best component they have heard (until next month)
- Why can a component, especially a cable, cost more than a car
- Why is the "science" behind all of this typically shrouded in mystery and in many cases involves quantum level alterations
The above have all be covered before many times so this post is about another point.
What I find interesting is these appear, from a marketing/packaging perspective, to try and upstage MIT cables with its degree of complexity, cost and form factor… and they have done very well in this regard.
So putting aside whether they are in fact the worlds best cable, they are in fact the worlds most impractical cable.
For my system, I would need fourteen of these (7 interconnect pairs and not including speaker cables )…. Where the hell would I fit them all?... let alone the fourteen power outlets I would need
Even if I had the money, Synergistic Research wouldn’t be getting it with such an ugly and impractical product.
To see what just 2 pairs of interconnects look like see the link below (noting that this shows only HALF of each cable... see the diagram below the picture)
http://www.synergisticresearch.com/galileo-system/galileo-system-interco...
Peter
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Actually what Synergistic Research has done is to build what is plainly the most advanced cable system yet, or as you put it, one that puts the likes of MIT and Nordost to shame. I saw and heard the system at the 2010 CES and (to me) they were the coolest cables I have ever seen; much like a modern F1 racecar is to an ordinary road car where performance is not only everything, but also dictates its form completely. Perhaps not for everyone, and certainly not for those with 7.1 systems like Peter here, but in the quest for the world's best sound from a 2-channel system, those with the means would be crazy not to consider them in favor of old and obviously outdated designs. I would imagine SR's competition will, in the face of such overwhelming technological superiority, resort to tactics from Saul Alinsky’s book, Rules for Radicals. I mean what else can the pretenders to the throne do when Synergistic has clearly raised the bar this high?
Pundit,
It's always amusing when some troll comments on something he hasn't heard. I'm referring to returnstackerror (an appropriate screen name if I ever saw one). I believe in my review that I said the Galileo "wasn't for you and me." It is for the very rich. Nonetheless, for those who can afford it it is worth what is asked for it, as it is the "least there" cable and interconnect I've ever (or never) heard.
Jon
I am not trolling Sir.... and I am not complaining about the price, performance or architecture.
The concept of baising cables has been around for a while and makes some scientific sense.
I am just suggesting that it is potentially a very impractical system due to its form factor ( (hence I dont need to have actually heard the cable to make this statement)
I am glad to see that Pundit agrees with me with the comment " and certainly not for those with 7.1 systems like Peter here"
The only correction is the fourteen interconnects I would need for my system are for a two channel system.
Regards,
Peter
Peter,
Did you or did you not say in your fist e-mail:
"- Hi-End reviewers in all magazines, every month manage to find the best component they have heard (until next month)
- Why can a component, especially a cable, cost more than a car
- Why is the "science" behind all of this typically shrouded in mystery and in many cases involves quantum level alterations"
Now you say you're "not complaining about price, performance, or architecture." (BTW, if "form factor" isn't intimately tied to "architecture" what is it tied to?)
I have not rave-reviewed a cable in better than six years (since I--and a lot of other folks--was smitten with Tara Labs'' original Zero), so your first crack is a canard. You say in you new post that you're not complaining about price and yet you asked in your first post why a cable costs more than a car. I went into considerable detail in my review to explain "why" (in so far as I understand it), and to point out that this is one cable/interconnect wherein some of the reasons for its very high price can be seen as well as heard. Perhaps you should actually read my review. I also clearly said that, as wonderful as Galileo is, it is not for me or the vast majority of readers; it is for the very rich. However, Denny and Co. are coming out with far more affordable Galileo derivatives--some of which I've heard--that have much of the sterling quality of the original. As i clearly said in the review, I too had trouble with the "mystery shrouding some of the science" behind these remarkable wires. All I can say--and did say--is that in every instance where Denney made specific sonic claims for a certain technology those claims were precisely borne out in the listening. Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that the reasons he gives for those claims are being proven. It merely means that Galileo does what Denney says it does in the way of lowering noise and coloration and increasing resolution and transparency.
If you have a two-channel system with fourteen interconnects (would that be seven pairs?), you clearly have a lot of amps and sources. I have not found the Galleo to be particularly difficult to "work with." On the contrary, because it is so much more flexible than other ultra-high-end cable, it is easy to use. Yes, there are more parts and far greater "architectural" complexity, but this thing has been "thought out" and I think you would find space and placement aren't the issues you might think they would be. Moreover, you don't need fourteen outlets for the biasing power supplies. A single Galileo or Tesla power conditioner will accommodate all of them, with room left over for ancillary components (I myself would not use the Tesla with amplifiers, however--they should be plugged directly into dedicated circuits).
JV
The start of my original post was clarifying that I wasnt going to cover old ground that comes up when uber-expensive products are reviewed... and it wasnt directed at this review or reviewer.
Yes 7 pairs of interconnects so I do have a few source components.
Regarding "BTW, if "form factor" isn't intimately tied to "architecture" what is it tied to?"...... thats depends...
If you take say a DAC... if you "pop the top" off one or look at reviews that do, you will notice in many instances that there is vast amounts of empty space inside the casing... this is because the company wanted to place the electronics inside a standard size case. while other companies such as PS Audio, Chord, Belo Canto, Benchmark etc scale down the case to match the size of the electronics.
The Galileo casings are relatively small so I dont imagine in this case that we would see "wasted" space if we open up the cells.
Thanks for the final paragraph... that helps answer the placement and utilization questions.
Peter
Jon,
I have always been a 'cable' guy. By that, I mean, I most certainly believe there is magic in those wires! Can you tell us some retailers that has the Galileo for audition/demo?
It's HARD to go wrong with these guys: (http://thecableco.com/prodListing.php?cat=&man=44&sort=&st=all). I bought a pair of Wireworld Platinum Eclipses(preamp to mains ICs, in an actively bi-amped system), which provided MUCH improved mining of inner detail, enhanced frequency extention & reduced sibilance(compared to the Silver Audio Hyacinths that I had enjoyed for a few years). The downside: I lost the expansive sound stage that the Hyacinths provided. I auditioned a pair of Synergistic's Apexes, from The Cable Company, and they never saw them again! The Synergistics sonic performance was identical to the Eclipses(not surprising at the price point), but my sound stage(height, width, depth) was even better than it was pre-Eclipse. I have a number of Ted Denney's products(power and IC) in my system, and have spoken to him on occasion. Never any hype, just sound science, pleasurable experience and excellent/accurate music reproduction have been provided me, by his company.