Many of you own or have read of the highly-regarded PPT Omega E Mat, one of Tim Mrock’s revolutionary signal-enhancing accessories. Just prior to his untimely passing, Tim had finished developing a new generation of his Omega mat, soon to be available. Krissy Mrock has asked a few of us to introduce this new mat, here given the working title of The Double Omega.
In distinguishing the Double Omega, we know the original Omega, herein called the single, as a 7.5” by 10”, rather heavy and somewhat pliable mat, a bit more than 1/8” thick and with a vinyl-like feel. One face is glossy white, displaying the PPT logo and Omega name, while the other is black, smooth and magnetized. Sandwiched between these faces is the active material that causes components to reject the EMI that saturates everything in our surroundings. The Double Omega is much the same, with one important difference: the magnetized face has the finely-textured feel of around, say, 220-grit sandpaper. This texture, it is presumed, comprises yet a second active layer of EMI rejection. Presumed—because working details of the Double Omega are not well understood—better yet to know how to apply it.
With the understanding that the single Omega E mats generate field effects from both faces, mats have typically been placed under and over components and vertically over circuit breakers. How you apply the Double Omega will depend on best use and experimentation. In my case, I have removed two single mats, lying side-by-side, from the top of my large Wadia CDP and have replaced those with two Double Omegas. The Wadia is a one-box player that contains a pre-amp, so I wanted that second, strong field effect exerting downward as well as upward. I also have several singles placed underneath, just as before. Going straight to amps, this player is my only source, so I want it fully protected from EMI. Your priorities will differ.
As of this writing, I am only thirty-hours in on placing these Double Omegas, and I can already tell you they are powerful in their prevention of EMI within my digital source. Yet another veil has been lifted—all instruments and voices are even more sorted out in the aural space with new information heard within that space. There is much more decay heard against a new silence behind and between the musicians. I am already so pleased and excited about what the Double Omega E mats are doing. As Krissy told me, Tim was really stoked to have these new mats available. Rather than wait for the the fourteen-day window of improvement, I want to get this intro out so others can relay their experiences sooner.
The sound is so big, I'm almost afraid to turn the thing on today..
I know what you mean. It is getting down-right spooky around here.
I had a new air conditioner unit installed today (just in time for Christmas), and the installers had to get into the circuit breaker box. I had to remove all of the mats that were in there, but thankfully, The Gate didn't have to come out. I'll be interested to see if there were any negative effects to the SQ due to the mats being out for six hours or so.
I use four E-Mats now on my Bryston Bit 20 isolation transformer (took 1 of 3 away from my CD transport). The E-Mat makes a big difference on the Bit 20 versus a smaller difference adding more to the transport.
When I had a pacemaker installed about a year ago, almarg cautioned me about handling the mats with their magnetic properties. So, I took one of the mats into the cardiologist and showed it to him. He said, "no problem, you could hold this mat right up against the pacemaker and it won’t be affected."
I asked him about the magnets in speaker drivers too. Again, he said "no problem." His take was that in order for there to be a problem, the magnet would have to be many times the power of what the mats have.
On a hard drive? I have 20 Alpha E-cards magnetically attached to the outside of my PC that is also used as the basis of my bedroom music system. The picture on the monitor and the sound quality is awesome.
I have about 10 days or so with 2 Emat+’s installed under my LPS for my Network Streamer and my Pre Amp. I can see why people are expressing the increased power compared to the regular Emats. It is definitely noticeable. What I hear seems to mirror what is being said from members here. Increased Bass weight, imaging and natural presentation. I test songs that I have been listening for many years and I have not doubt that this product delivers the goods. Don’t know why anyone would not try at least 1 or 2 on a circuit breaker box when you got a 90 day return policy. Once you hear it, you will never remove it. Great job PPT <3
Two more Omega + E-mats went onto the speakers a few days ago. This time in line with the bass drivers. That brings the total to four mats per speaker.
I didn’t turn the system on for two days previous to last night. I have to say, now that the new mats have had time to settle in, the realism has increased even more.
I’ve come to the conclusion, as have one of my audiophile friends, who is also into the "Plus" mats, that the "Plus" mats do something more to the presentation than the original mats did. Oh, there’s more clarity and less distortion all right, but there’s more. What that "more" is, is a much better tonal balance. The tone quality of instruments is far more real. Hard to describe, other than that.
I recommend that anyone interested in these Omega + mats give them a try on their speakers and see what happens.
That's great, Frank! You have to try a mat in that fine Lexus of yours. If it can make my sub $500 system sound the way it does, I wonder what it will do for yours......
I can vouch for the effectiveness of the PPT products in the car. I have a small Lexus sedan with the upgraded Mark Levinson sound system. It has always sounded good; but, now the sound is outstanding. The improvement is similar to the results in the home system; but, the impact seems more pronounced in the car, probably due to the confined environment. The most unusual thing that I noticed in the car was I now have to significantly dial down the volume. I started with 2 E-cards and then replaced them with 1 original E-mat, before finally using all three of them together. The sound improvement is across the entire audio spectrum. I think this is a big reason why we have such a hard time putting our impressions into words.
The positive effects to the car audio system and to the picture quality of my television was immediate; while it took 1 - 2 weeks before I was hearing similar improvements in the home audio system.
Before I purchased any PPT products I was both curious and skeptical. Obviously curiosity won out and man am I glad that it did. My advice to the curious is to start small (1 original e-mat or a pack of E-cards) and then go from there. I think it is part of human nature to trust our eyes more than our ears; so, pay close attention to what the PPT products do to improve the quality of your TV picture. Also, be a little patient when it comes to the results on the home audio system. I know that's hard to do; but, your patience will likely be rewarded.
Great post. I'm curious about your Lexus. I have one too, also with the Mark Levinson sound system. Everything is so tightly constructed in the Lexus ... where did you find room to put anything? Where did you place the cards and mats? Thanks ...
Hi Frank: I have the Lexus IS 350. In my car, there is barely enough room to fit the E - cards in the small gap between the two switches for the heated seats which are located at the base of the center console and in front of the gear shifter. I keep the E - cards in the plastic case that they came in and I also keep the case for my sunglasses on top of them to keep them from sliding around.
The E-mat was a little tougher. Since there are rubber spikes on the bottom of the Lexus floor mats, I decided to slide the E - mat into the gap between the passenger seat and the center console (label facing inward).
About the only other option that I could think of would be to cut an E - mat in half and stack them at the base of the navigation screen. Or, you could install a little velcro in the same spot and use the E - cards instead.
Good luck with this pursuit and let me know how it works out.
I see I have some work cut out for me. I have the LS 430. I think I have room for some Alpha Cards. And I just checked, I can fit some Omega E-mats under the floor mats. :-)
At this point, I’m up to five Omega + E Mats on each speaker ... all in line with the drivers. With each placement, there has been an improvement. Last night’s listening session was just down-right NUTS!
Here’s one of the best, if not the best jazz Christmas albums on the planet. Demo sound and great music to boot. This is a great disc to knock your guest’s socks off no matter the season or time of year. Played it last night and Ramsey Lewis’ trio was wall to wall, front to back, and right there in the room with us:
Nope. I never tried using the original E-Mats on the speakers. Using the mats on the speakers never occurred to me until my friend "Mas" came over for a listening session and brought it up. By that point, we were already into the *Plus* Mats.
On the crossovers ... I got inside and pasted the crossovers with Total Contact. That was effective. Then, I have some Alpha E-Cards on the outside of the speaker where the crossovers are. I guess that would be the equivalence of using a mat there, albeit, a small one.
The discovery of using the *Plus* mats on the sides and the rear of the speakers in line with the drivers made a HUGE improvement.
I don't see any reason the original mats would work, although, as I posted before, the new *Plus* mats do things the original mats don't do. It is not just about clarity and focus, even though the new mats are better than the old mats at that. The new *Plus* mats add a very important improvement in tonal realism. By that, I don't just mean to the instruments, but to the "air" around everything.
I just finished listening to a live Eva Cassidy CD. The sense of space in the venue was the best ever. Hard to explain other than "you are there."
"At this point, I’m up to five Omega + E Mats on each speaker..."
Is it still those Legacy Audio Signature III speakers pictured in your virtual system?
If yes, those speakers were around $4500 many years, if not more than a decade or two, ago. They probably go for much less these days. Omega Mats you are using are $6000.
Nothing wrong with having a hobby, but it would definitely be an unusual approach. Did you change/upgrade the speakers?
You are right, I did not think about that. Still, quick search shows some of those speaker sales in low $1000s. Considering that, even $3000 in mats seems to be unusual.
Despite of what (incorrect) image I have here, I was wondering would investing those $6000, even $3000, into newer speakers be better. That particular model seems to be very old (someone on the Internet mentioned he had them from late 1990s). Even the latest samples must be years old now. Technology has evolved and all the parts eventually age. Maybe buying a two or three year old speakers now would not be completely bad idea.
Of course, that would take away the fun of playing with different parts, for the same money, so it would depend on what someone is really looking for in all of this.
Nope, never had any inclination to change or upgrade the Signature IIIs. Those are the same speakers I’ve had all along for sure. They replaced a pair of Martin Logan Aries-i speakers. That was one of the best moves I’ve ever made in my trek down the audio trail.
The original price with the finish on these Signature III’s was around $5,000. I bought mine used for $2100.00 plus shipping close to fifteen years ago.
So, let’s consider that someone bought a pair of Signature III’s today for $2000.00 (they can be had for much less), then placed $6000.00 worth of the new Omega *Plus* Mats on them as I have. I would challenge you to find a speaker that retails for $8,000 that could compete with what I have going. It wouldn’t even be close.
One of my favorite speakers is the Harbeth 40.2’s. They are one of the most tonally correct speakers on the planet. The Harbeth’s are absolutely emotionally and musically involving. They sell for around $16,000, maybe more depending upon the finish. That’s twice the money that would be invested in the totals above ... and the results I’ve obtained are far better than what I’ve ever heard from the Harbeths. And don’t take this as a slam to the Harbeths. They are an outstanding speaker.
Imagine all of the tonality of the Harbeth 40.2’s, plus better highs, better bass, and more "see-through" clarity. That will give you an inkling of what I’ve got going on here.
Too bad you don’t live within driving distance. I’d love for you to sit down for a demo. For sure ... I’d have to pry your jaws off of the floor. *lol*
I don’t wish to cast dispersions but it appears Frank has become glubson’s new straight man. I don’t find anything wrong with that, I always liked Abbott and Costello.
Actually, Geoff, you can consider me to be the brilliant university economics professor and Glubson to be the first-year student who, not knowing what he doesn’t know, continues to challenge the professor’s positions.
Paraphrasing an old adage ... "You CAN teach a new pup a few tricks." The problem arises when the "new pup" doesn’t have an open mind. I do, however, see a few cracks starting to appear. :-)
Reviews for your speakers seem to be very favorable, at least for the times they were published. My "concern" is that they do age and slip in performance. That is inevitable but it has to depend mostly on luck. With some luck, they may go another 15 years with no problem. With less luck, everything will dry out.
It is great that it works for you this way, and the logic is clear. Still, it must be a rare approach. Cars are more often approached that way (money pits that improve performance with some tweaks eventually costing way more than the original car itself).
I’m only interested in the final results. Not to worry ... I talked to the Legacy representative at the last audio show I attended and asked about replacement parts if necessary. He told me that every NOS part for the Signature IIIs is kept in stock at the factory.
Another advantage of the Signature III’s is how efficient they are. No matter how hard I drive the speakers, the ARC REF-75se just coasts. As a matter of fact, Steve Fleschler drives his Signature III’s with a modified Dynaco Stereo 70 ... and the sound is just gorgeous.
I am all for education. However, I insist that my students exhibit critical thinking and an open mind so I cannot disappoint them by behaving differently.
I am surprised by your impression that I know a ton about speakers. That is a major misunderstanding on your part and I have no idea how it came to be. I barely know how speakers work. Ok, I know how they work as well as most of you. Which is "barely", it seems to me by reading what people post around here.
I have a few different pairs of speakers. I mostly use camouflage JBL Charge 3+ (notice the + in the name), but I do have green iHome Go+ Arc (what is with these +es in fancy equipment these days?) and SONY SRS X33 (blue). I also have Revel speakers, Mission speakers, and a few more that have not been touched in a while. I am even very familiar with progeroid properties of Acoustic Research 18s although they might have been an extreme.
Newer Revels are less than two years old and another pair is from 2005, August 1st, to be exact. Missions are from 1994, also August. Another set of Missions I have no idea how old they are. JBL Charge is from this spring and iHome and SONY from fall 2015. Acoustic Researchs still work despite me fixing them. There is something else, but it escapes my memory now. I doubt any would be called "classic". It is all disposable junk.
As far as electronics goes, for JBL, I mostly use its own amplifier with iPod Touch 5th generation as a source running Internet radio.
Speakers aside, most of the time music is from SONY Walkman via earphones.
I am not a tube guy. I am too young to be a tube guy without being pretentious. Not to mention, it is cumbersome.
^^^ Well hey, glupson ... you and Geoff have something in common with the Sony Walkman. He can probably give you some tips on how to make that thing sing. Or, maybe you can give him some tips.
Sometimes I feel like a matchmaker.
By the way, glupson, you could really benefit from the Alpha E-Cards with your Sony/Bluetooth set up.
Glupson Most of the time music is from SONY Walkman via earphones.
I believed a number of years ago I would never be able to buy the system I wanted, so went portable. RWA iMod iPod, into Mini 3 portable amp and Sennheiser HD25, or Grado RS1.
Have since changed to: RWAK100s Triad Audio L3 RSA SR-71A RSA SR-71-B
Home system has improved, so less time on the portable system.
Well, I did a few months ago. I taught him about ESP on his Discman, CD Walkman as he calls it. Not much teaching, I just let him know he has it. That was from memory.
That is some sophisticated portable set-up. However, were Sennheiser HD25 for real portable use and Grado for home? Without ever hearing any of the things you mention, Sennheisers seem to be in a much different/lower category, if one goes by price.
I also have a pair of Signature IIIs in my living room 2nd audio system. My primary system has Focus speakers which replaced ML Monolith IIIs in 2001. Their price does not equate to their current musical value-they are a spectacular used equipment bargain. I am thinking of upgrading to Von Schweikert VR55k which sell for $60K to $75K ultras when I can afford them and move them to one of my video systems. Otherwise, the Focus have been a standard for recording studios that I appraised back in the 90s and early 2000s as well as one recent installation in a recording hall in NYC (I saw the pic recently). Also Tom Port of Better Records relies on them for his intimate LP quality knowledge. So, they maybe old and less than SOTA, but they are truly capable of being superior speakers.
Update: Day nine of two E+ mats on my 240V/120V transformer; have been away from my system for three days. Today, the sound is profoundly improved--so dimensional, robust and clear--the energy just rings forth. New instruments are layered within previous layers to create yet another chamber of depth and imagery. Tim Mrock was right to advise me to put his Omega mats at my transformers, sitting with the components. When there are 240V coming into 175 lbs of power supply, the circuit breakers are a secondary concern. I have to be in Gate territory with these E+ mats, an extension of the original Omega mat that is now a reality through the ongoing commitment of Mrs. PPT. I have to say, no component upgrade could bring so much improvement as these E+ mats have delivered in just nine days---highly recommended.
You must have a verified phone number and physical address in order to post in the Audiogon Forums. Please return to Audiogon.com and complete this step. If you have any questions please contact Support.
