Synergistic Research's Tricon Phono Cable


I'm trying different cables between my TT and Phono preamp. I've tried Nordost Valhalla and now use Purist Audio Venustas, both sound nice, but since most of the cabling I use is Synergistic Research I was wondering if anybody has experience with the SR Tricon phono cable. I don't see much info about them.

Thanks,
Mike
mjglo
I tried, and now own, the Tricon Analogue. The Tricon is a relatively unknown gem, IMO. I did not compare it to cables in the same price league that you have tried, but I did like the Tricon better than cables from Hovland, Cardas, and Graham (this is just IMHO; your results may vary). I found that the Tricon produces bigger, more lifelike images, with a deeper and wider soundstage. I was told by my dealer that it may be a bit on the forward, aggressive side for some tastes and systems (but not edgy or harsh). That said, I find the Tricon simply puts the performance in the room, and is quite easy on the ears and is very addictive.
I agree with Thaluza, I tried the Synergistics phono cable against the Hovland and Cardas and I bought the Tricon. It does everything that Thalusa said. I am a violinist and have played in several Symphony Orchestras and this cable reproduces the most realistic sound of instruments that I have heard.The tonality, dynamics, depth, width, everything is there. The Cardas did not have as big a soundstage and could sound edegy, the Hovland was very recessed behind the speakers, at least that is what I observed in my system. I do not think that you could go wrong with it, especially since you already have Synergistic Research cable in your system.
I was wanting to try Silver Auidio's Silver Breeze and the Hovland but since the rest of my system is Synergistic cables I'm ordering the Tricon.

Thanks for your reply,
Mike
Ditto guys-I need to update my system description however I compared the Tricon Analog to other cables like the Hovland Music Gruve 2 and Nerdiest Valhalla and it's exactly like all other Tesla cables; bigger wider and deeper sound stage, more realistic harmonic texture, more organic, more WOW.
Is this cable available with a right angle connector,like my current Graham IC-70?...Also,anyone know the cost?
Thanks.
Sirspeedy, I do not know if the Tricon is available with a Din plug or not. My cable is just a pair of Tricon interconnects with RCA plugs on each end and a ground wire on the ends of each cable. I got mine from The Cable Co. since that way I could try out several cables at the same time. The cost was $900 for I believe one and a half meters. Call Steve at the Cable Co. and he can answer your question. Believe me , it is worth it.
Mjglo:

I too have recently upgraded to the Tricon Analog and hereÂ’s my 2 cents: completely agree with ViolinÂ’s assessment: worth every penny. I've used Harmonic tech's analog & XLO Signature 1.1 over the past years -- wow, what I've been missing. Sonic descriptions above are completely accurate;

- “it's exactly like all other Tesla cables; bigger wider and deeper sound stage, more realistic harmonic texture, more organic, more WOW”
- “produces bigger, more lifelike images, with a deeper and wider soundstage”
- “the Tricon simply puts the performance in the room, and is quite easy on the ears and is very addictive”
- “the tonality, dynamics, depth, width, everything is there”

I would also add the following about the Tricon Analog: front to back layering and concentric rings of air around each speaker expands the soundstage in my room 6 ft to either side of each speaker. The cable is also very fastÂ…..not aggressive just fast. This cable retrieves (reveals?) recording & venue cues... (reverb, echo, delay etc.) with haunting accuracy unlike any cable IÂ’ve ever experienced -- especially on live recordings. I too have most of my system wired with Synergistic TeslaÂ’s. My Analog front end consists of: Oracle Delphi turntable, Triplanar arm with a Shelter cartridge feeding a CAT Ultimate MK II preamp. I can't see how you can go wrong with this cable; pure magic in my system!
In the process of moving my audio system from the long wall to the short wall of my listening room to take advantage of improved room/speaker coupling, I had to relocate my turnrable to a spot where it took a 3 meter i/c to reach. Having mostly SR cables in my system, I bought from The Cable Co. the Tesla Vortex Analog cable, and it is excellent. I wonder how it might compare with the Tricon. Anyone listened to both?

Best to all, enjoy,

Dan
Just curious if anyone actually compared this to a Silver Breeze or the new Furutech AG-12. This cable seems to line up with my sonic preferences for a big dynamic exciting sound. The other cables are more in line with my budget but I could reach to this if I had to.
I stated my comparisons above on 3-30-08 so you can tell that I thought the Tricon was fantastic. My advice- go ahead and reach for it, you will not be disapointed !!
My set of Tricon Analog phono cables arrived today. I replaced the phono cable that came with the DV Dynavector 507 MKII tonearm. Every time I add a new SR cable to my system it's always exciting. This cable is truly a gem and a work of art.

Everything about this cable is good the depth the width and the sound stage phenomenal. I could gone on but you all know the deal. :O)



Jmo,

I also have the 507 MKII. What are the rest of the cables in your system?

Thanks,

iSanchez


Isanchez,

All of my cables are Synergistic Research... The Tricon Analog phono cable is the icing on the cake... I highly recommend you at least audition this cable you will be very impressed.
Jmo,

Thanks for the advice. I think I'll definitely audition it later in the summer. I also have the Nordost TYR phono cable, which seems to be more detailed than the stock Dynavector cable, but at the expense of image solidity. From what I've read in these posts, it seems that the Tricon may provide what I'm looking for.

Isanchez,

You are welcome. The Tricon Analog phono cable is truly amazing, I was listening to Al Jarreau, Look To The Rainbow *Live* Recorded In Europe it was so lifelike the soundstage was so deep I thought they were jamming in my room. The clapping of the hands was so astounding. This cable opened everything up in the right way it's just so smooth & effervescent. Tricon Analog phono cable is a winner.
Jmo,

Thanks for sharing your impressions of the Tricon cable. It is very helpful. It seems that this cable will become the reference by which other phono cables should be measured.
Jmo,

I take it the Tricon doesn't use active shielding. I guess I will be trying one also as all of my cables are SR now. Thanks for your sharing your findings with us.

Steve
Steve,

You are 100% correct. Get ready to take your ears on a splendid musical journey. :O)
I have always been fascinated with "this" subject of new/advanced tonearm cabling.Yes,this particular signal is extremely faint,and can be altered by imperfect cabling!

There are some really cool(seemingly)and very pricey arm cable products around.Some might be real breakthroughs,but who can know for sure?....The "OLD"(great)Absolute Sound would have given us more insight into this subject.
My experience with cable comparisons have been A/B'ing Graham IC-70 vs IC-30(no contest...the IC-70 won hands down),and comparing the IC-70 against the very highly regarded/rated Purist Venustas arm cable(twice the price by the way).
All comparisons were in a controlled fashion,and well executed.

The IC-70 "still" outperformed the Venustas,and was more open and dynamic.These results were reinforced by other hobbyists present.The system was very good(Kharma/Rowland/Audio Research/Transfig cartridge).

We had found that in this particular system ALL previous Synergistic cabling(everywhere except phono) was inferior to the replacement Venustas though,including speaker cabling.I am sceptical about specific cable superiority as a general rule.Other variables can change outcome,I believe.

My feelings are that the cabling apparently is system dependent,but I'd not move to a new arm cable unless I had an A/B comparison,in my own rig!
I have no doubt the Tricon is a fine product,but that was the "story" with the Venustas at the time too!Yet,the IC-70 outclassed it!...Who can really know what's what?

Fuel for thought...
..try Anti-Cables... they have a money back guarantee, and the price and performance are top notch.
Sirspeedy raised a good point. I called my Synergistic dealer and he told me to come down and borrow his demo phono cable before ordering. Sounds good to me.
Splaskin,

I agree that's what I did with all of my cables and most other products.
This tiny fragile signal of your cartridge before it gets to your phonostage is easily altered by different wire designs. This includes the actual tonearm wire itself.

You may never know how good your system actually is unless you experiment with different brands of wire this far up the signal chain.

However ,I am absolutely convinced wire is system dependant through out a system.

For sure what works spectacularly well in my system may not at all work in yours.

I listened to the Tricon phono cable today in my system. I really liked it! Very quiet background, very large soundstage with good focus. It is very neutal to slightly laid back sounding in the midrange.

As several of you folks correctly said, the phono cable is probably the most difficult to get right. Audition is very important.

I ordered a .5 meter.

Steve
Steve(btw,how are you,and nice to se you post)...

Can you give a bit more info as you gain "exposure"?I'm quite intrigued!

Also,didn't you have the Revelation Audio Labs arm cable?It looked superb,based on the "web-literature".Thoughts and comparisons?....See what I mean about "consistent" reliability of what a prospective buyer can expect?

I am simply too "played out" to start trying stuff, I guess!

I'm simply curious,as the amount of really reliable info is limited,so your opinion is valuable.

Best
Nice to hear from you Sirspeedy.

I was using Revelation Audio Labs stuff. It was very good for the money. 3-4 months ago I went to the Synergistic Research Labs factory in Irvine CA-not very far from San Diego with 2 friends. I was interested in their USB cable for my USB DAC. The folks at SR were great. Ted gave us a demo of his stuff on an excellent sounding system.

Well, one thing lead to another and now all of my cables including AC cables are Synergistic. My system has never sounded better. The Wilson WP 8s with Watchdog sub, Levinson 32 preamp, and Levinson 33H amps sound just fabulous with these cables. I put a Hologram D AC cable on the Wavelength Crimson Silver USB DAC and the combination was superb.

Today I finished up with the Tricon Analogue phono cable for the Phantom/Basis Debut Vacuum V/ Koetsu Jade Platinum.

I found a Graham RCA junction box with RCA plugs in my closet. It works great with the Tricon RCA and there is no fouling of the Basis supension. The Graham box has silver wire.

I'll keep you up to date with this stuff.

Stay well,

Steve
Steve,

Your audition didn't take long.:O) It's amazing how good the Tricon Analog phone cable truly is. I talked with Ted he informed me that the 1.25 meter length would be the best length to use. Enjoy the music.
Jmo,

It was easy to make a decision when you have a broken-in cable to demo. I will go with the .5 meter as my Koetsu Jade Platinum doesn't put out much voltage. The shorter the cable the better in this case; but naturally Ted does know what sounds best in most applications. I guess everything is a trade off in some respects.

Steve
Steve,

With the addition of the Tricon Analog phone cable my vinyl has never sound so good. This cable is perfect and does its job well. This is one of the very best improvements/upgrades I made to my system.
how much is the tricon cable 1 meter, i cant seem to find any dealer around my area.. i live in Asia

regards
Hi,
I wonder whether in the year that has passed any more 'goners have listened to, and compared, this cable - e.g. to the Nordost Tyr or the Cardas Golden Reference, or others.
Thanks,
Florian Hassel
I am in the midst of demoing a few dedicated phono cables by way of the Cable Company, the phono cables are as follows:

Audience E Version AU24 RCA
Cable Research Lab RCA
Synergistic Research Tricon RCA

I won't get into all the audiophile adjectives and explanations, just some overall thoughts. I started with the Audience E and it was outstanding off the bat. This cable is also in my opinion the best looking as well. I listened to LP after LP to get a good feel for this cable.

I then tried the Cable Research Lab, this was not quite as good as the Audience but no slacker. I also didn't care too much for the large mechanical looking connectors. I preferred the Audience for it's better sonic abilities.

In between the demo I did some research to see what others were saying about each of these cables when I stumbled on this thread.

I tried the Synergistic Research and immediately knew it was a home run! It was unbelievable what I was hearing, basically what everyone was saying is true. You hear more into the music, beautiful timbre, wider soundstage, imaging, absolutely gorgeous! I must say a no brained in my opinion. The only thing, not a major thing, but the ground wire being connected the way it is to the cable is a little odd. I get the technology behind it and it works, it just looks odd and can be somewhat troublesome to connect. I actually ran a separate ground cable and found that the SRs sounded better with its ground cable connected.

To make a long story short, I will be purchasing this cable first thing next week.


I also did a similar shoot-out of phono cables using the cable company cables and also felt the synergistic tricon analog was the most balanced and dynamic.
I just compare Tricon and Vortex from Synergistic against my Sixstream plus from Clearaudio.

Tricon is tonally neutral, really good focus, wide scene, black backness, not very deep bass and not very scene height. Fast sounding cable, really good silence-between-notes.