PowerCell 12 SX
Excellence Made Accessible
The PowerCell 12 SX isn’t a scaled-down SRX PowerCell. It’s the SRX PowerCell rebuilt for the real world—a concentrated embodiment of everything we learned designing the $70,000 SRX PowerCell, engineered into a unified-field platform that delivers full-scale SRX performance at one-eighth the cost. When compared using identical power cords, it performs remarkably close to the PowerCell 14, despite the PowerCell 14’s advantage in electromagnetic cell count and dedicated three-bank isolation architecture. This is the highest concentration of SRX-grade electromagnetic conditioning per dollar in our 34-year history.
The PowerCell 12 SX doesn’t make your system sound “better”. It reveals what your system truly is—freed from the invisible resistance buried in your walls. It’s not passive filtration. It’s active field conditioning—a live electromagnetic architecture that reshapes the environment your components operate in.
What you’ll hear is immediate: noise collapses, stage expands. Voices gain weight, texture, and air. Dynamics rise without strain; tone blooms without blur. The illusion of live performance locks in because phase integrity stays intact and every spatial cue is preserved.
This isn’t subtle. You don’t warm up to it. You hear it instantly.
PowerCell Lineup Awards
Built On the SRX Core Architecture
From the SRX PowerCell, the 12 SX inherits three core technologies that define the state of the art:
SRX Electromagnetic Cell Architecture: Three full-size SRX XL Cells (hot, neutral, ground) identical in geometry, materials, and UEF compounds to the flagship, forming the heart of its unified-field design. These cells are hand-built, air-dielectric, and precision-encased in carbon fiber—the same massive cells deployed in our $70,000 SRX PowerCell.
Active ULF Biasing Circuitry: The same ultra-low-frequency generator used in the SRX and our flagship Active Ground Blocks, synchronizing AC, ground, and electromagnetic domains across your system. ULF, in its most basic principle, is how we ‘reclock’ your music to the Schumann Resonance by passively addressing and filtering out ambient RF and extreme high-frequency noise that would otherwise degrade sound.
Parallel Ground Topology: Adapted from the SRX’s triple-bank network to maintain vanishing impedance and instantaneous current delivery within a compact chassis.
This unified field approach ensures every component in your system operates within the same stabilized electromagnetic environment—eliminating the field discontinuities that typically exist between different power sources. What most people don’t understand is that the field is the signal path. Here’s how it works: AC becomes the carrier field, establishing the foundation. DC bias locks the electromagnetic structure in place, creating stability. ULF pulses synchronize phase timing across the entire system. And the electromagnetic cells don’t just condition the line—they stabilize the space itself.
The result: lower noise, greater dynamic contrast, and a level of coherence no passive design can touch.
Dual ULF Bias Control
Two ULF Settings. Your Music. Your Choice.
The PowerCell 12 SX features two selectable ULF bias frequencies—Red and Blue. Each setting changes how the system interacts with the acoustic space:
Blue Bias: Voiced for acoustic and small-scale performances; enhances tonal purity, intimacy, and air
Red Bias: Optimized for large-scale orchestral and electronic recordings, emphasizing dynamics and spatial phase effects
These bias settings don’t color the music; they tune the field itself, letting you shape presentation the way a mastering engineer voices a mix.
Press a button on the back to switch between settings. Select the option that makes music in your system, bringing you closer to the original performance.
Unified Power Distribution
The PowerCell 12 SX features 12 Pink Quantum Outlets—each benefiting from two-stage Quantum Treatment for maximum conductivity and minimal contact resistance. All outlets share a unified electromagnetic field through the three dedicated SRX XL cells.
10awg silver matrix point-to-point discrete wiring runs from each outlet to the SRX XL cells, maintaining signal integrity and allowing the full electromagnetic conditioning power to reach every connected component without impedance. The PowerCell 12 SX is voiced for SRX and SX power cords through shared UEF compounds and bias frequency, uniting the signal path from wall to component.
No Compromise Current Delivery
A fundamental design principle that separates Synergistic Research PowerCells from conventional power conditioners is that PowerCells are 100% non-current-limiting. Most competing conditioners achieve quieter backgrounds by restricting current flow, often warning users against plugging in amplifiers due to the dynamic compression this causes. It’s like upgrading your car’s chassis and suspension but leaving the stock engine untouched. You’ll never experience true performance unless your amplifiers are conditioned.
Synergistic Research PowerCells take the opposite approach: delivering a black background and unrestricted current delivery simultaneously. Your amplifiers benefit most from this design because they demand dynamic power across the full bandwidth. When that power arrives without restriction but fully conditioned, you hear explosive dynamics, effortless transients, and complete tonal authority, not the compressed, constrained sound that comes from current-limiting designs.
To put this in perspective: the PowerCell 8 SX proved what was possible—affordable, non-current-limiting reference-level conditioning. The SRX redefined the category. The 12 SX closes the gap. Above it sit the PowerCell 14, SRX PowerCell 14, and SRX PowerCell, each delivering even higher performance. But all five share the same core principle: 100% non-current-limiting design that lets your amplifiers breathe while operating in the cleanest possible electromagnetic environment. This is why you plug everything into a PowerCell, especially your amplifiers.
Grounding, Elevated.
The PowerCell 12 SX incorporates multi-layer UEF Ground Plane technology—a core element of the SRX lineage developed through our flagship programs. This sophisticated grounding topology works in concert with the dedicated SRX XL ground cell to create one of the blackest backgrounds we’ve achieved in any power conditioner.
The multi-layer approach addresses grounding at multiple levels within the unit, dramatically lowering the noise floor and revealing low-level details that typically remain masked. For even higher performance, the PowerCell 12 SX can be connected to one of our Active Ground Blocks through a dedicated ground connection. This optional upgrade further lowers the noise floor and improves low-frequency weight and definition—all without sacrificing any of your 12 outlets.
Form Elevates Function
The PowerCell 12 SX chassis is machined from aircraft-grade aluminum and carbon fiber, creating a mechanically and electromagnetically voiced platform that strategically dampens mechanical resonance while optimizing the efficiency and directivity of the electromagnetic fields generated by the three SRX XL cells—all in a compact form that fits easily into real-world systems.
9 Lighting options
You can customize the color and intensity of the front meter and top circuit view window lighting. Select between Galileo White, Synergistic Research Blue, Dante Red, and McIntosh Blue to match your system’s aesthetic. Or disable the lighting entirely if you prefer.
Complete Power Foundation
Every PowerCell 12 SX includes a Foundation XL 10awg power cord—specifically designed to complement the PowerCell’s internal architecture. This premium power cord ensures optimal power delivery from wall to conditioner, delivering real-world reference performance right out of the box.
Built on Our Six Pillars of Synergy
The PowerCell 12 SX embodies our complete system philosophy—every pillar converges here:
AC Power
Full-size SRX Cells deliver unrestricted current and deep-field noise reduction.
Grounding
ULF bias integrates directly with SR Active Ground Blocks for a single, coherent circuit reference.
Electromagnetic Field Control
Tranquility-derived uniform field envelopes each component, extending SRX-grade spatial clarity across your entire system.
Mechanical Tuning
Resonance-optimized chassis construction keeps the field linear under load.
Cabling
Voiced for SRX and SX power cords through shared UEF compounds and bias frequency, uniting the signal path from wall to component.
Acoustics
Stabilizing the electromagnetic environment transforms room acoustics, delivering the sonic benefits of acoustic treatment: greater depth, cleaner transients, and tighter focus. In treated rooms, these effects compound.
This is system synergy by design—not marketing.
Specifications
MSRP
$7995 110V msrp
$8495 230V msrp
with included 5ft. Foundation XL 10awg power cable
Wiring
- All 12 AWG Silver Matrix wiring
Connector Output US:
- 12 UEF Pink Outlets
Connector Output International (EU/AU/UK):
- 12 UEF Pink Outlets
UEF:
- Graphene treatment throughout unit
- Internal “Active” Gen 2 SRX Linear power supply for biasing EM Cells
- Dual Channel, Dual Setting SRX ULF (Ultra-low frequency) Generator applied to each individual electromagnetic cell to bias AC to the Earth’s Schumann Resonance for a dramatic drop in a system’s noise floor.
- 2 each SR Power Transformers
- 8 each SR Quantum Capacitors in EM Cell power supply and ULF field generator
- Machined Aluminum and Carbon Fiber chassis
- Three SRX XL Folded EM Cells topology acts like a ‘Super Capacitor’ to increase peak current on demand allowing components to draw more current than when connected directly to the wall for added dynamic headroom
Internal Active UEF EM Horizontal Plane Cell area:
- 3705 square centimeters
Connector Input:
- 1 each Neutrik 32 amp PowerCon
- 1 Isolated Bank of 12 Outputs
99.995% Pure Silver Ground Strap:
- 62 square centimeters
Weight and Dimensions:
- 15.5″ Width x 10.75″ Depth x 5.2″ Height
- 25 lbs.
Voltage and current Rating:
-
- Input rating US: 20amp/125v
- Input Rating International (EU/AU/UK): 16amp/250v
- US Version: Rating is limited by the US Outlet rating of 20amp/125v
- International(EU/AU/UK) Version: Rating is predicated upon the Schuko Outlet rating of 16amp/250v
Bundle Pricing
PowerCell Intl.
Take your conditioning international.
Available in North American, Schuko, UK and Austrailian outlets
Compare the PowerCell lineup
PowerCell Lineup Reviews
"The PowerCell 14 brought most of my music right into the room with me... I could play it softer than normal because of the greater resolution and transparency, and I could rock the joint because it was so clean and dynamic... I took out my garage sale 33 rpm version of Ricki Lee Jones' eponymous album and... found those same tears rolling down my cheeks."
Rick Becker, Enjoy the Music, April 2025
"But most impressive was how the PowerCell 8 SX created the blackest/quietest background I have heard in a power conditioner, and did so without losing any details in the music. Synergistic Research credits this to their use of redesigned “Ground Plane Technology.”... You can definitely hear it working, as it creates an almost palpable sense of silence between the notes. The blacker background translated into a slightly deeper, wider and a more involving soundstage when playing my favorite Tidal and Qobuz tracks... I also noted how instruments and vocals sounded fuller, with added clarity and a natural warmth that had been missing on the IT-Reference 15i.
John Bugailiskis, Best of High End, October 2024
"So what was the "sudden change" I heard upon first firing up the rig with the new PowerCell? I replayed the same cut I had last listened to and before I could get back to the listening chair I was struck by an increase in pace, rhythm, and timing, greater transparency. By the time I hit the seat, greater macro dynamics had also become obvious. When you know a song well enough, these things quickly come to light. Extended listening over the rest of the song revealed greater resolution, inner detail, and micro-dynamics.
Rick Becker, Enjoy the Music, August 2024
"At no point did I think this wasn’t doing enough or offering me enough, especially at the price point. For larger systems, SR does offer larger conditioners with more outlets, though you could also add a second PowerCell 8 down the road if you add more sources or amps. With some of the other SR accessories, you get a nearly infinitely tunable device which for a system tinkerer is a dream come true. If you are fighting noise in your system you owe it to yourself to audition the PowerCell 8 SX to see if it is the right fit for you."
Anton Wyler, Hifi Chicken, May 2024
"Will the internal struggle to reach nirvana ever end? Probably not. As much as we like to complain about the journey, this is what provides much of the joy and interest in this hobby. The PowerCell SX has the ability to get us amazingly closer and without major upgrades to the rest of the system—closer than any other cable or power conditioner that I have heard in my listening room. The PowerCell SX clearly pushes the envelope.
Robert Youman, Positive Feedback, July 2020
"The SR PowerCell SX and Galileo SX power cord are engineering breakthroughs that are well made, deliver on their promised performance, and have taken my system to a level I never thought possible. Ted Denney pulled out all of the stops on this iteration of the PowerCell. Although the admission price is high, the increase in overall system performance in relative terms justifies the cost. Far worthy of a StereoTimes “Most Wanted Component” award recognition… My new reference."
Mike Girardi, Stereo Times, July 2020
"The non-current-limiting PowerCell SX is one of the rare exceptions, and for that alone, it gets into the top tier and deserves high praise."
Alan Sircom, Hifi+, November 2023