Synergistic Research
Passive Ground Block
18 connections

Small, yet powerful ground control

What if you could significantly upgrade your audio system without changing any of your components? Simply connect your system to the Ground Block and you will hear things you’ve never heard before. Even the most sophisticated electronics are transformed with a dramatic reduction in noise. Music ushers forth from a jet black sonic background, with never before noticed detail. And modest components take on new refinement to perform far above their class with virtually every area of system performance being enhanced in dramatic and surprising ways. 

The Ground Block was engineered to improve ground performance on our new Atmosphere Series Level 2, 3, and 4 interconnects and speaker cables, as well as all SR products with external ground plane connections—like Tranquility Base isolation platforms, FEQ, and Atmosphere wave generators. Also recommended to connect all metal objects in your listening room, including, but not limited to, the metal frames of loudspeaker drivers and your audio rack.

By cleaning up your system’s ground connection you hear a noticeable improvement in soundstage height, depth and width thanks to a lower noise floor. Soundstage scale is improved with richer tonal density especially at the edges of your sound field. Image outlines are brought into clearer focus while musicality and overall system refinement are greatly improved.

The term “ground” refers to a connection to the Earth, which acts as a reservoir of charge. The high speed Ground Block provides a conductive path for this ground, separate from the normal current-carrying path of your components, which under certain conditions can add up to 10 dB of noise if poorly designed! The ground path with the least resistance is the best path to Earth, and there is no better ground path for your components than the Ground Block.

With optional connectivity cables the Ground Block also dramatically improves the performance of turntables, DACs, pre amps, power amps, digital devices or any component with an active or passive circuit inside. 

The Ground Block comes with the following cables as a standard:
1 piece (3 m) standard wall ground wire to connect SR Ground Block to the wall outlet
4 pieces (1.25 m) standard ground wires, to connect up to 2 pairs of SR Atmosphere or Galileo UEF Series Interconnects or Speaker Cables
2 pieces (2.5 m) standard ground wires, enough to connect 1 pair of SR Atmosphere or Galileo UEF Series Interconnects or Speaker Cables

Optional Basic and High Def connectivity ground cables are available for the following applications:

Turntables: connect to ground plug on turntable
Digital to Analog Converters (DACs): connect to spare digital input, output or chassis ground
Pre-Amplifiers: connect to spare analog input, output or chassis ground
Power Amplifiers: connect to spare analog input, output or chassis ground.
USB Devices: connect to spare USB Input, output or chassis ground
Any component with an active circuit inside: connect to spare Input, output or chassis ground

Reviews:
World Premiere Review! Synergistic Research Tweakfest by Rick Becker @ EnjoytheMusic.com
“Well, that’s exactly what I did, but to no avail. I couldn’t honestly say I heard any difference between late-night an afternoon listening sessions. Perhaps the nation is a lot more shut down than I know. Keeping in mind what I learned from Roy Gregory, this does not mean the small gain from the Ground Block is insignificant. When you’re building a first-class rig, it is the accumulation of a lot of small gains that add up to a big difference.”

Synergistic Research Active Ground Block SE Review – Going Low to Get High by Steve J @ audiobacon.net
” The passive Grounding Block worked wonders as far as noise floor and rounding out the edges for a fuller and more palpable sound. The soundstage also deepens noticeably.”

Synergistic Research Ground Block und Active Ground Block SE by Dirk Sommer @ hifistatement.net (German only…)
“Die zusätzliche Erdung aller meiner Digital-Komponenten und der Audio-Exklusiv-Vorstufe bringt in meiner Anlage gut nachvollziehbare klangliche Vorteile. Deren Ausmaß korreliert mit der getätigten Investition in Synergistic Researchs Erdungstechnik: HD-Kabel bewirken mehr Positives als die der Basic Version und mit dem Active Ground Block SE geht es noch einmal deutlich besser als mit dem einfachen Ground Block. Selbst Schuld, wer Synergistic Researchs Grounding-Komponenten nicht in der heimischen Anlage ausprobiert”