[Asr]

Synergy is what you make it. You can have an analytical/neutral source and headphone, and swap between a solid-state and tube amp to get different sound signatures from the same headphone.

Or you can have one solid-state amp paired with two headphones with opposing sound signatures. It's whatever you want to do to get the most preferential sound from your components.

 

[GlendaleViper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fierce_freak Very subjective. Very relative. Very perceptual. However, Very important.

Definitely very important. Would we be here otherwise? We are the lunatic fringe that enjoy music so thoroughly that, given the funding, we'd probably all spend millions to find the perfect setup... which could be totally diffrent than what another person would spend millions on for "perfection".

Remembering too, that 99% of the "normals" out there would end up saying "yea, it sounds nice, but it cost HOW much?".

 

[DavidNY]

To me the term, synergy, applies to audio on two levels. The first is on an electrical engineering level. For example with dynamic headphones is an amp designed to adequately drive high versus low impedance dynamic headphones. Or with electrostatic phones is the bias voltage set at the optimum level. The second is an issue of coloration. Yes no matter how expensive, all components, cables, etc have some coloration. That's why some prefer tubes to solid state, silver wire to copper wire cables, one CD player to another, and of course some headphones sound better for rock versus classical. Changing coponents in the sound reproduction chain to suit your tastes or mood is the challenege and fun of the hobby.