Synergistic Research Acoustic ART Room Treatment System

Dagogo review of the ART

Synergistic Research Acoustic ART will sonically expand the boundaries of your room, tighten up your bass, give you a wrap-around 3 dimensional sound, and NOT make your listening room look like a Naval radar testing facility.  You can buy the whole system, or start with a few pieces.  Either way your system will sound better with the Acoustic ART in place.  Try for 30 days with our money back guarantee.

The Synergistic Acoustic ART System consists of 5 total pieces. The main unit, called the Vibratron, is to be placed on the front wall behind your main speakers approximately six to eight inches above the height of the tweeters. The Bass Station is to be placed directly below the Vibratron approximately three to six inches out from the front wall with the dispersion baffle facing your listening position. The two Magnetron Satellites are generally positioned at the first reflection points along your listenign room's side-walls. The Gravatron Satellite is for rear wall placement directly behind your listening position approximately 2/3 to 3/4 of the way up the rear wall. All of these pieces can be purchased individually, but together, they bring your system to a level of 3-dimensionality and tonal balance that you will find hard to believe.

From the Synergistic Web Site
The inspiration for the Acoustic ART system came to Ted Denney four years ago while sailing the South Pacific. During his sabbatical, Ted visited Buddhist Temples and observed how Tibetan Prayer bowls altered the temple's acoustics. These "singing bowls" as they are called, imbued a sudden shift in acoustics whenever they were activated, and when additional bowls of varying tone were also activated, the acoustics continued to change. It was at that moment that Ted reasoned a system of resonating bowls could possibly be developed to discreetly treat room acoustics without the need for large unsightly tuning devices.

However, it wasn’t until after Ted returned back to Southern Californa and developed his Tesla Series cables that he revisited the idea of treating room acoustics with resonating bowls. Ted and Eliott began their research by studying Helmholtz resonators, which have been used for over a century to tune low frequencies in an acoustic environment. They worked to modify resonator principles to encompass the full spectrum of sound - not just low frequencies. They found that they could tune music with a system of resonators working together in harmony at key acoustic pressure points.

Acoustic ART - What makes it work so well? 
The first piece of the ART system makes use of magnets to contour activation and decay properties of the Vibratron andMagnetron Satellite resonators. The second includes a new resonator shape called the Vibratron that radiates in a 360 degree pattern over a scientifically-arrived-at frequency range. The third utilizes a unique dispersion baffle to precisely control how the Bass Station resonator affects a rooms’ low frequency acoustics. Later they discovered that using spikes to mechanically couple the Bass Station to a room further enhances control of low frequencies. Next began a painstaking process to find resonator material with the correct mass that would operate at mathematically-arrived-at frequencies with target decay patterns. The development of these scientific principals sets the Acoustic ART (Analogue Room Treatment) System apart from all other room tuning methods.

Synergistic ART - The Tweek Geek Experience 
When Ted first told me about their new Analog Room Treatment product, I envisioned at least one component, several microphones, and a complicated setup procedure. It had actually been present and working in the Synergistic reference system when I was there demoing cables. We had listened extensively to the cable lineup when Ted said "Let me demo the ART for you". I eagerly agreed.

The ART Components
First, Ted showed me what made up the 5 piece room treatment kit. The central unit, or Vibratron as it is called, consists of two metal hemispheres with a metal disk placed between them. They were all connected by a metal rod and spaced about 1/4" from one another. This "sculpture" resembled the planed Saturn, and was placed on the wall behind the speakers and centered between them. The second piece was the Bass Station. It was a wood platform that was supported by 4 very sharp spikes. The platform housed a magnet that held a metal hemisphere in place. The Base Station was placed on the floor, centered between the loudspeakers. The last part of the system, called "Satellites" looked like small candle holders that mounted on the wall. They consisted of a wood triangle with a flat top. A magnet protruded slightly through the top, and a small metal hemisphere was held in place. These were called Magnetrons. There were two Magnetrons at the first reflection points. The final piece looked identical to the Magnetrons, except that instead of a magnet embedded in the wedge shaped holder, there was a non-magnetic metal ring that the hemisphere sat atop. This allowed this particular hemisphere to resonate more fully than the Magnetrons. Ted called it theGravatron. The Gravatron was placed on the wall behind the listener, up higher than the other satellites and the main unit.

WTF!?
As I said, the ART was in place during my cable demos. The sound of the Synergistic reference system was amazing. Tonality, dynamics, musicality, all of that was there in spades. What floored me was the sheer holography that the system presented. If I had been blindfolded while in the room, I would have sworn the room was 5x bigger and that there was a 5 channel surround system playing. The sound being reproduced was behind and way to the sides of the speakers, and many times behind my listening position. The biggest, most pinpoint accurate, and most holographic soundstage I have ever heard.

Ted proceeded to remove the Bass Station that was sitting on the floor between the speakers. the midrange became recessed, and the bass had too much bloom and boom. Ted went on to explain that the Base Station dealt with low frequencies, hence the effect on the bass and midrange. I was somewhat surprised, but still a little skeptical. He then proceeded to put the Base Station back in place, and the bass and midrange snapped back into place. Bass was taught and controlled once again, the midrange came back into focus and perspective. I was a little less skeptical at this point.

My conversion occured when Ted removed the Magnetron and Gravatron Satellites from their bases. The soundstage simply collapsed, and the midrange/highs took on a grainy charachter. It went from 360 degrees of sound, with the speakers as the source of the emination, to a cube shaped soundstage starting at the front of the speakers and ending at my ears. Un-believable. I sat there slack-jawed, I was a believer.

Looks like art, performs magic
The Synergistic ART system is small, unobtrusive and comes in several different finishes. Its a far cry from gargantuan acoustic panels that can make your listening environment look like a naval radar testing facility. The main unit and base station are sculpture-esque, and the satellites look like small candle holders. The decorator acceptance factor is very high, in fact it may make your friends think you've taken up art collecting. Don't think the good looks are a performance compromise, far from it. The ART will do as much for your room acoustics, if not more, than any other passive room treatment system.

Getting started on a limited budget
Can't afford the whole ART system at once? Start with two Magnetrons and one Gravatron. You can achieve a considerable benefit with those three pieces right away, then add the base station and Vibratron later. Or if you budget is more limited, substitute another Gravatron for the Vibratron.