Isotek Syncro
2m long Isotek Syncro @ £875.00
What
is Syncro?
In
simple terms, Syncro is IsoTek’s most advanced mains cable
– but it’s also so much more. The cable incorporates
innovative electronics, housed in an antiresonant aluminium case
positioned part way down its length. This unique circuitry
is designed to synchronise the mains supply in order to promote
a perfectly symmetrical sine wave, delivering significant sonic
improvements when used with any hi-fi separates system.
Syncro is not a mains conditioner or filter in the accepted sense.
It can be used on its own to power a single hi-fi component, and
will bring significant improvements if used in this way. However,
it is primarily designed as a pre-filter device - for best results,
plug the Syncro into a wall socket and use it to power an IsoTek
mains conditioning unit. Thus, Syncro takes the mains electricity
supply and realigns its waveform, prior to filtration of contaminants
(RFI/EMI etc.) by the conditioning unit, which then feeds each
hi-fi component - thus improving the performance of every link
in the audio chain. The cable itself is identical to IsoTek’s
top-of-the-line Extreme power cable. It features heavy-gauge,
triple-screened, 20Amp oxygen-free copper conductors suitable
for high-current demands, coupled to top-quality connectors at
either end. Both the mains plug and the IEC connector are precision
machined from high-purity copper, heavily plated in 24ct gold,
deep cryogenically treated and then demagnetised. The main bodies
are made of injection-moulded polycarbonate, for ease of handling,
durability and long-term reliability, while the IEC plug’s
precision injection-moulded front assembly ensures precise mating
with power sockets. How Does Syncro Improve Audio Performance?
As we fill our homes with an ever-increasing number of electrical
devices, we further degrade the mains supply, interfering with
its quality and consistency. Audio equipment uses electricity
to generate signals, amplified by more electricity to drive a
pair of loudspeakers; the quality of the electricity that feeds
an audio system has a direct impact on the resulting quality of
sound. IsoTek’s extensive range of mains conditioning components
improves the quality of the mains supply significantly, filtering
out contaminants like RFI and EMI, and ensuring each component
in the audio chain receives pure and consistent power inline with
its specific requirements. However, there is a further issue with
the electricity supply in our homes that has existed for years,
without a truly effective commercial solution. The problem in
question is sometimes referred to as DC on the mains.
In
terms of audio equipment, it is often signified by a buzzing sound
emitted by a transformer in a power amplifier. Of course, this
buzz is extremely distracting to the listener, and hardly in keeping
with the concept of high-resolution audio. In addition, the mechanical
vibration within the power transformer, created by core saturation,
results in microphony in the internal components, leading to further
degradation of sound quality. These issues have nothing to do
with the quality of the audio equipment used. In fact, some of
the best amps available are the most seriously affected. The problem
is a symptom of the poor state of mains electricity available
in most homes, affecting not only amplifiers but source components,
too. Most of the DC-related issues suffered by audio systems are
brought into being by the electrical devices we own, directly
rectifying the mains from AC to DC (where a diode is used in series
to allow either the positive or negative cycle of the mains sine
wave to pass). The use of switch-mode power supplies exacerbates
the problem, introducing measurable mains distortion.
These
devices create a lack of symmetry in the mains sine wave where
it is displaced from the zero voltage line, leading to the aforementioned
hum that’s often noticeable from power amplifiers, as the
DC voltage saturates the core of the transformers with DC current.
This, in turn, generates unwanted mechanical vibration, resulting
in audible noise and microphony, and increased power consumption
and heat. To give an example, if a sine wave reaches a peak of
326 Volts in the positive direction, it should also reach 326
volts in the negative direction to have perfect symmetry. This
actually describes the reality of a 230 Volt AC wave form; the
230 Volts describes the heating effect of a sign wave whose peak
is 326 Volts. If one peak reaches 327 Volts and the other 325
Volts, there is lack of symmetry. Although common sense suggests
that such small variations should have no effect, in reality they
create serious problems for audio systems; even tiny changes registering
no more than a few millivolts create significant operational difficulties
for amplifiers. Inadequate remedies of the past…
Historically, IsoTek advocated the use of huge isolating transformers
to improve the cleanliness of the electricity supply (the company
has since developed more advanced components for use in its power
conditioners). A by-product of this
technology helped to compensate for DC elements on the mains.
However, this merely shifted the problem away from the audio equipment
to the isolating transformer itself; audible mechanical hum may
have been removed from the
transformer in the power amp, but the isolating transformer would
hum instead. Ironically, in order to try to reduce dynamic loss
in the amplifier created by the insertion of the isolation transformer,
larger and larger devices were needed.
However, the bigger the transformer, the louder the mechanical
noise; the problem was never truly solved, merely shifted and
often made worse. A new solution: IsoTek Synco. IsoTek’s
research has led to the conclusion that mains electricity should
be a pure sine wave of either 50Hz or 60Hz of correct voltage
and good symmetry about the zero volt line, in order to power
audio equipment with maximum effectiveness. The Syncro is solely
concerned with creating zero-volt symmetry, but also forms a vital
part of IsoTeks product range in working towards the ideal state
of a pure sine wave.
In designing the Synchro, the challenge for IsoTek was to offer
a universal solution to remove the unwanted and damaging DC component
from the mains supply, whilst allowing the maximum possible current
to pass. IsoTek’s latest engineering solution and DC-blocking
technology developed for the Syncro is in many ways superior in
performance to a massive 12,000VA isolating transformer, delivering
greater dynamic ability. (Incidentally, a 12,000VA isolating transformer
is twice the size of IsoTek’s largest historic product.)
Syncro’s
sonic effect.
As well as removing any audible hum from a power amp, Syncro’s
synchronising effect results in greater bass depth, improved timing,
a reduction in the noise floor and a more palpable sound overall.
Furthermore, these improvements don’t come at the expense
of dynamic ability; in fact, in some cases dynamics are considerably
improved. This can be explained by the fact that at zero volume,
many power amplifiers consume less power in idle. The Syncro helps
the amplifier to consume less electricity, freeing up power for
dynamic transients. A simple analogy is a car that is free running,
as opposed to having the brakes slightly engaged.
Specifications
Cable: 20Amps, OFC copper with active shield
Connectors: Audiophile-grade, 24ct gold-plated, cryogenically
treated
Peak current: 300A / 10msec
Permanent current: 16A
2m long
