Listening now--was away from home for three days and am enjoying my return to music more than ever since placing an E Mat under my Wadia player, a large unit that also contains a pre-amp. Two E Mats could fit under this player, which is now 3 inches off the granite deck because it sits on vibration damping footers. Question: Does the E Mat exert its effect pretty much straight up and down, or is there also a horizontal field of effect that is treating the entire 16" X 16" unit? Also, how does a side-by-side placement compare to a stacked placement under a component?
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That's a tough one, Lak. You may have to experiment with placement, but that's not very tough to do. I would try the DAC or Preamp first, then move it back to the distributor after a few days to compare. You are going to like this thing.
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To each his or her own, but I would not dedicate a $600 mat to a $130, stamped metal box full of $8 circuit breakers when I can place it at the system, under a front-end piece costing 2K to 20K or more containing hundreds-to-thousands of parts that are subject to RFI, if that is even what this thing is working to eliminate. I would place one on a transformer power supply that is located at the system, but that would be after putting them under all front-end components.
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This E Mat has to be the best audio bargain of the new century. I am lost within the depths of new layers of music that just weren't audible before. It's all so clear and sweet--just what I would have expected from an expensive upgrade. |
@t_ramey
I am using one Omega E Mat, placed under one-box CD player/preamp--will be ordering a second mat in the near future. |
@sbayne Thanks, and I just looked at your system---a very impressive commitment. I’m a rube on all of these signal-enhancing, field- generating devices--need to get out more, I guess. You have invested extensively in the Tranquility Base, a well-reviewed product that appears to work the same effects as this new mat, plus providing isolation, and your repeated acquisition of them shows just how impressive they must be. If I had all of those SR bases, I would not entertain a need for another product of its type. I do want to add another E mat---better arriving late to the game than not at all.
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It appears then that magnets and external magnetic fields are bad around circuits that are energized with electric current that has its own local magnetic field. As mentioned, various demagnetizing products used on media and cables tend to improve sound quality. Not to cast doubt or cause controversy, because I love my Omega E Mat under my CD player, but just wondering why the mat has a magnetized face at all. Laying the mat on or under seems to be the most used method as opposed to sticking it on a ferrous surface. Again, just curious.
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My one E mat sits on a thick slab of granite, magnetic face down, and is 2-1/2" away from the bottom of my CD player. I don’t think the vastly improved sound has anything to do with the magnetic face of the mat interacting with the component. Perhaps the magnetized face is needed to activate some other process in the mat--no idea--but to stack up magnetic sheets around components as a cheapo version of the mat--nope.
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I'm sorry to say that the TC did not do as much and certainly not as quickly. @fleschler
Yes, the Omega E mat alone is felt by many, including me, to exceed both the SR Blues and TC combined, but I would not want to be without any one of them, as they are all signal enhancers and are more than additive--I would say "multipliers" in combination.
We've been going over the usual enhancements of room acoustics, clean and plentiful power supplies, vibration damping, etc for years, and the above signal enhancers have come along in such a short time, they are something of a period of Enlightenment in audio.
Another E mat is on its way to me now---we are suddenly living in very exciting times. As for improved sound attributes, Geoff, I just keep repeating "increased clarity", but along with that come the usual descriptors of better depth and width, more engaging, sweeter, smoother, more alive--it's all true. |
I like the E Mat more than any idea of how it works---just placed my second mat 12 hours ago, let it sit for 8 hours--now listening. Things that are happening: a more dramatic low end, a quieter floor--as if the room just became a small cavern.
How does the mat work--is it a power source or a receiver? Don't ask---this is a cutting edge idea that deserves its proprietary status.
Now, no CD sounds bad. I'm pulling stuff out I put away years ago due to flat or lifeless sound. I can't find one of those anymore--wasn't the production so much as the playback--it's come a long way since.
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Listening to my second E Mat, placed Thursday between Richard Gray 240V/120V system transformer and Richard Gray 1200C front-end power supply, which supplies Wadia 861 SE/GNSC player that has one mat underneath.
If there is a "noise floor", the bottom just dropped out, revealing even more information, formerly hidden behind and between other information. Nuances of percussion, keyboard fills and voice harmonies are popping out all across the deeper and wider soundscape. Worn-out cliches, yes, but how else to describe it? |
David,
As an E mat "superuser", your endorsement of the mat, both personally and professionally, carries considerable weight. I am looking forward to adding more mats over time--thanks for the encouraging reports of continued gains with each additional mat. Is there a point at which you would stop adding to a system? Wondering if there is a limit to the density of sound one room can accommodate.
Joseph Freeman |
Rc, congrats on bringing out the best in your system. I agree with all of your descriptions. There is such a quiet background now that reveals the reverberant decay of vocals recorded with the ambience of a large hall.
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Maybe Tim could make a double-thick pad with twice the enhancing power at around $900.
I sure am liking the two pads I have and will be ordering another.
Regarding the question of the vertical zone of effect, Tim did tell me that there is also a horizontal pattern of enhancement that exceeds the actual dimensions of the mat, which is why they were not made larger.
I think it helps to have some space between the mats and the intended device. |
Not sure when the mats reach their limit, but the enjoyment never stops.
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>>Any field effect, electric, magnetic, electromagnetic, whatever, falls off rapidly, you know, following the *inverse square law*. That’s why, even with a powerful magnet, if you remove the magnet from the steel cover and withdraw it an inch or two there is no more magnetic attraction, pull. You can even feel it stop. At some point the Earth’s magnetic field has more of an effect. Obviously.
Except in an MRI suite. You better empty your pockets and body of ferrous-metal objects, or they will become missiles. |
Let's not turn THIS thread into another garbage blog. Respect the Mat....... |
Congrats on your TC results, Tuffy. Please do try an E Mat.
I just placed a second mat under Wadia 861SE earlier today, waited eight hours and am listening now. Two mats side-by-side fit just right from front-to-back under this large unit. The results are already apparent. I am hearing more detail across the stage and much deeper in---about a hundred miles, give or take.
I ordered this mat last Friday at around 2AM in the morning, and it arrived here in MN before noon today, on Monday---freaky fast---thanks, Krissy, for filling my request on packaging.
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Frank,
+1
I can't count the times over the years I've thought I had finally arrived, only to be surprised by the next improvement using the same equipment. If buying new equipment is the destination, then the tweaks are the journey.
Joe
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Something to ask Tim: How big is the field effect from the cards? They aren't very thick and were reported to have been made for cell phones. If you could get one inside the equipment---might work better, not sure.
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Yes, one mat to start will bring great improvements. I noticed the difference in one hour under my CD player with my first mat, and in eight hours with the second mat, placed alongside the first to cover the entire chassis. Of course, the improvements continue to accumulate over time.
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I have an E card under each Maggie crossover box, removed from speakers via Cardas jumper kit.
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What I like about the E mats is that they allow your system to sound as it should. They show you your system is much better than you thought.
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That's quite an improvement, Fleschler! All that, and no change in components = great value. |
Seems to be around three weeks, give or take---in my experience, expect nice results the first few days, too.
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If we had to know how or why everything works before we would try something, we would not have or participate in half of what we do. We trust in medical procedures and drugs we know nothing about. We accept that cars, computers, cameras--even clothing--work or are better than another similar product, so we buy and use these things without asking much.
The idea here, on this forum, is to trust the experiences of other like-minded folks rather than demanding an explanation from the product's founder, who wishes to become established after years of work and personal investment before his technology is hijacked by competitors.
We believers are so happy with PPT's products, we don't mind knowing little of how they work to improve our systems, but work they do!
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The accolades are pouring in---just added a fourth mat and two e-cards, all under the ARC Ref 210's, mats in back, cards in front. Still have two under the Wadia 861 SE GNSC. What I am hearing already: new information between the main instruments, which are richer and more rounded. The inner detail of musical flourishes in a production that I had not been hearing are amazing. It's as if I am now hearing digital's "dark matter", a hidden tapestry of sound that completes my aural perception. No one can convince me now that analog is superior--the digital glare must be that part of the signal that cannot be transmitted---until now. The PPT products are allowing better digital resolution of the signal path, and this from an older player and more mats needed to cover the spaces under all the gear. My thanks to Tim and Krissy for what they are producing!
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Listening to Rippington’s "Welcome To the St. James Club", an all-digital recording from 1990 on the GRP label, an early adopter of DDD recordings, e.g., Dave Grusin and Lee Ritenour’s very listenable "Harlequin" is from 1985. Despite the synthesized trappings of the era, this album has amazing percussion dynamics and staging, better heard with the two additional E mats, placed only a week ago.
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jmolsberg, I can't say I have compared the mat at the breaker panel vs all mats at equipment, but I sure have good results favoring sensitive equipment--try the big mat under larger amp or phono stage the rest under smaller pieces, etc. You will instantly say, "I need more mats." They are that good. Paint all connections with the TC, including prongs on power cords, interconnects, speaker spades, etc., and please post your progress and results. It' going to be fun.
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The hall ambience, the rich texture and reverberant decay, the depth of placement that is now revealed via standard CD has bolstered my confidence in the format beyond the expectations a more expensive player would have delivered--so much added value from the Omega mats and E cards-- and not done yet!
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Steve, I was about to say perhaps you are a bit heavy on the isolation transformer and could borrow two to finish the space under your amps---until I read the 100-mat treatment by Mr. and Mrs. PPT. Well, wouldn't hurt to move things around, anyway. I have heard improvements within an hour under ARC tube amps, and only covering 1/2 of the chassis, underneath, of course---label-side up on all. Fun! |
Thanks, Steve. With the Still Points blocking placement of a mat, I would just ask if you are placing the Still Points inboard from the chassis, or perimeter of your amps? There was a big craze with those bearing-type couplers, where people would place then under the sheet metal pan of their gear, only to defeat the design strengths of the chassis and the factory footers. The bearing design could easily roll the gear laterally, so the solution was to place them inward, in a tripod---bad idea, in my opinion.
Either way, I would try placing small, solid blocks under your still Points and then the mats under the blocks. From my experience, and yours, the mats will do a lot more than the perfectly-coupled point. The other thing you could try is to piece together as many E Cards as possible under your amps. Best Wishes!
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Ok, you have some vintage, rebuilt amps. Please tell us their story and how you made them into what they are now---very interesting about the voltage (?). |
Steve and Frank, thanks for your narratives on your systems--always interesting because I have ended up by myself in this hobby over the years. Long-time friends who shared an interest in music, car and home systems have since developed divergent interests and concerns.
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Sorry to see it, Frank. Be sure to wear a face mask, N95 is a must, if there is toxic smoke or if you are breathing airborne dust containing combustion byproducts. Many will be incurring cardiovascular and respiratory damage. Much of this will be revealed in public health reporting later, just as in NYC. Please get back to us. |
jmolsberg, I am curious about your listening results with your new PPT applications----anything? |
"i spun (lots) the double LP, derek and the dominos - layla, and i was genuinely blown away. it was like being in a whirlpool and i was being swirled deep into the album. easily the best i have ever heard it!"
Jmols, thanks for posting---love that album, and if you can get that one to sound better, you have done something--always wished there was more dynamic range to it on CD. |
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
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Thanks---and let's have some action around here! |
Listening to some of my "B List" CDs--older digital productions that always fell short of my sonic preferences--eg, David and David, "Boomtown", Santana "I-III", Stephen Stills "Stills", et al. I am not disappointed with any of these now--more added value from the Omega E mats!
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Tommylion,
Do you feel that your mats have now plateaued in performance, and are they holding steady? Interesting now to hear reports from a longitudinal perspective. Did you end up stacking some of your mats--how does that compare to a broader field arrangement--if you had the space to try that at all? I look forward to soon adding to my four mats.
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Great report---I can imagine the sound as still improving with your area of coverage and "field saturation" of components. Spreading or stacking of mats, or both. |
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Sure, it IS the gear--especially when it gives you the music as you've never heard it before. Some songs are just blowing my mind in how different they sound. You know those reference songs that you test after making a change--those "landmarks" you like to compare---they are gone now, lost in a completely new midrange that has filled in and surrounded previous highlights.
"One man's ceiling is another man's floor"
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Yes, Frank--guess I should have said it's the old gear with the new tweaks that has revealed more of the music.
All we can do is hope those weary audiophiles will take the chance on what we have found.
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Twenty years ago? I was just discovering the high-end shop in my community. I listened to their brands and took their advice over the years. Last major purchase: 2011. Since then, it's been a tweaker's paradise. You know what I mean.......
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"Nice wise statement with zero merit."
How about singing in the shower? |
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"Lastly, the Gate is part of the Perfect Path system. If you want the absolute sound, you need all the working parts"
Yes, because we still need the mats around the gear for airborne interference. |
Not going to happen........
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