Perfect Path Technologies: Omega E mat

That’s not really what I had in mind. 😢 Where’s the enthusiasm? Come on, pretend you’re a big reviewer. Put your back into it. Don’t be shy. Spice it up a little. Go crazy.

A friend gave me mat on loan to try.  Used it on my CD player.  There was no difference when using it.  I generally like trying tweaks but this one really stumped me on the cost vs. the value. 

@goose   How long did you have the E-Mat installed?  Did you have it positioned on top of or under the player?

^^^ Borrow it again and put it into either your circuit breaker box, or UNDER the same CD player and leave it alone for three weeks and see what happens.

Frank

Innocent question. If the mat is placed under the CD player for two weeks as suggested but no music is played until *after* the two week period has elapsed will improvements be heard when first playing music?

@geoffkait Good morning. <3 Nothing has to be on in order to achieve the Perfect Path effect. Just place under the component and let it simmer. <3 Now, please answer my question: What is the ebay seller's name you purchase your coffee from? I've forgotten. <3 Best regards , Krissy 

I had read earlier in this thread that the magnetic side to the component is best? Not label facing the component? Does it really matter and is one way really best? 

By coincidence Blue Macaw. A++

The eMats aren’t magnetic from what I can tell. 

Yes the mats do stick magnetically to gear. 

I am referring to the E card, ooopsy daisy!

Just finished listening to a 1957 EMI recording of Sir Thomas Beecham conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade. What wonderful, colorful music!

The illusion of being in the hall was VERY convincing. I’m sure it could be even more convincing, but I have a hard time saying how, until I hear it.

mrs_ppt ...

Try this site for coffee:

www.sweetmarias.com

They have roasted coffee as well as the green beans. Try one of their pre-roasted blends.  

Frank


 

I bought from Sweet Maria’s a long time ago. The issue I have with them compared to Blue Macaw and other on eBay sellers is they kill you on shipping. Example: I can get two count em! pounds of Kenya AA with *free shipping* from Blue Macaw for $22. And it’s fresh! Cannot beat with stick!

I'm lucky enough to have a local coffee roaster that imports from all parts of the globe. In ten minutes I can have something that was roasted the same day.

All the best,
Nonoise

Geoff ...

True ... Sweetmaria's charges for shipping, but my green beans cost an average of around $6.50 per pound. That would be for some excellent Guatemalan or Kenyan coffee. Granted, in order to use the green coffee, you'd have to invest in a roaster. The one I have retails for close to $400 now. It was $299 when I bought mine ... and I've had it for years. It's the Behmor roaster.  It has a smoke filter and can be used indoors. Works like a champ:

https://www.sweetmarias.com/behmor-1600-plus-roaster.html

Frank

Just one E-Mat over the main power panel greatly improves both picture and sound. A mid-fi Yamaha CR620 receiver hooked up to the TV output (good cabling though) and a pair of ADS L620 speakers with one E-Mat resulted in deeper, more detailed bass, smoother mids and highs, more dynamic and lower apparent distortion/clearer sound ("blacker backgrounds"). So, if I were only able to buy one E-Mat, I’d place it on the main power panel.

For some reason, despite using 12 E-Mats, 3 on isolation transformer, 2 on subpanel, 3 under pre-amp/phono and 3 under CD player, the two monoblock tube amps did not have an effect.  Maybe I needed more than 2.  Also, 9 E-Mats are incorrectly placed with the printed side away from the device.  It appears to work just fine wrongly placed.  Can PPT let me know if after 3 months, if it matters or not?  

Hey Steve, I don’t think it matters much, and neither does Timmy. We’ve been really busy ~~ we’ve recently added 10 under each component. <3 <3 30 on a large voltage regulator, 10 under the CD player, 10 under each sub ~~and 10 on each speaker. <3 <3 ~~ 10 on my Italian race car amps. ~~ A total of 100 mats. <3 <3 It’s the most real experience in electronic sound! A huge increase in dynamic range and weight. Incredible rise in space and air/detail. <3 <3 Given what one can spend on power cords, it’s a bargain. The bass is super super detailed. ~~Skull shaker.~~<3 <3 The poor neighbor. lol. <3 <3 You have to try these products!! Many thanks to those who have. Enjoy. <3 <3 Krissy

About to receive my 2x emats and 1x set of ecards. Do we have a feel on what tweaks don’t play nice? HFC MC 0.5 already covered as a no no. Anyone with Shakti stones, Bybee IQSE/room neutralizers/qplug/speaker bullets, tweek geek sonic tonic tried the emats with positive/negative results? I’m hoping the mats could be THE one “tweak” to rule them all!

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! 

jafreeman, the two on top and one under the Bryston IT works great. My amps are custom built and the Mat’s can’t go under (stillpoints under at a triangle too small for an E-Mat, with tubes sideways (too hot to place on top) with one side for front controls (bias, volume, feedback) and only one full side. two minor sides available. The pre-amp also improved with the placing of 3 stacked mats underneath.

As to cost of A/C cables, GroverHuffman cables are affordable to those who can afford an E-Mat. Get both and double your pleasure. Otherwise, buy double the number of E-Mats.

I’m glad that right side/wrong side is not really an issue. I’m so happy with the sound improvement from the E-Mats. It’s like my removing all sound absorption/deflection paneling after using 32 tiny SR HFTs in the (large) listening room.

From what I heard at Frank's home, the more E-Mats the merrier.

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!

Unfortunately, there are no feet/footers on my amps.  They were originally theater wall mounted horizontally into walls and gave off radiation (700+ volts).  Modified (very highly), they have only 450v. and the chassis is made out of sheet metal.  My stillpoints are located under the center and right transformers and the other under the left side of the chassis.  https://www.ebay.com/itm/Pair-of-Altec-1569A-Theater-EL34-Tube-Amplifiers-Western-Electric-Era-Peerl...

My altecs are totally different using 6BG6 russian output tubes (6) which put out 125w., the transformers are 85 degrees after hours of listening, have voltage regulated design, low feedback, a pair of 3" X 7" storage caps, I mean a totally different amp other than the chassis and transformers.   So, as you can see from the photos posted on the above link, this is not a easy amp to place on the ground.

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 (?).  

Haven’t had Internet service for a couple of days ...

Hurray! My house didn’t burn down. So scary. Had to evacuate. Two homes on my street burned down to the ground. Mine was untouched. Poured a spiced rum on ice and listened to some soothing music when I returned after the evacuation was lifted. Still, a bit traumatized though. I have two big Hepa filters going full blast in an attempt to get the smoke smell out of the house.

Frank

Frank
Literally Holy Smoke!

Glad you are safe and sound!

Just been working away from home a week and came back late last night.

First serious listening session tonight and woah!

It truly is akin to an upgrade somewhere every week as it just keeps getting better.

Now I do not know exactly just what is the main driver as within a few days of each other I installed blue fuses, duplex, emats/cards and tc paste.

But it is working!

Bass is tighter and deeper, vocals are to die for, acoustic instruments just ooze life.

I am loving it!

^^^ Holy Smokes is right.

Prior to the evacuation orders, I decided to stay and fight. As I was hosing down the shrubbery and my roof, the wind was blowing at 50mph and driving lit cinders past me and into me. It was literally raining lit cinders. The heat was intense. The humidity was between 3% to 6%.

There’s an RV storage facility on the hill directly across from my place and it was fully ablaze. All of the cinders were coming from there. Finally, the wind was so strong, the stream coming from my hose just came back toward me and I got soaked. At that point, I panicked and said screw it ... and just bailed out of the place.

When I finally returned and "fired up" the audio system, it sounded better than ever. I think the Total Contact that I pasted on the speaker crossovers a few weeks ago is the reason. I believe its curing nicely. Must be close to the four-week jump.

By the way, guys, say some prayers for A’gon member Mribob. He lives up in Malibu Canyon ... not a good place to be during these fires. He’s out of town and I’ve been texting him with updates.

Frank

Glad to hear you’re okay and so sorry for your neighbors. Please take heed and wear a respirator, if you’re not already doing so. On my daily morning walks I wear one and it makes a big difference. Every morning I wake up to the smell of ashes and it sickens me.

This whole area is tinder waiting for the next idiot thinking he’s Joe Outdoorsman and no one is going to limit his idea of roughing it. People need to have more situational awareness.

All the best,
Nonoise

jafreeman   My amps were designed and rebuilt by Grover Huffman of GroverHuffman.com cable manufacturer.  These were extensively rebuilt with few remaining parts/connectors. 

If you have read the forum posts by Oregonpapa (Frank), you would see that for a few hundred dollars, he took a Pioneer DV-05 1998 DVD player with dual lasers, installed six superior capacitors, with a high end A/C cable and voila! trounced his $10K Audio Research CD player which was broken and required a $2K repair. 

Also, Grover's Dynaco ST70 remodel changes the tap for power from the transformers (voltage regulated instead of ultralinear), installs typical mods like solid state rectification (kept the tube for warm up purposes) installed new huge storage capacitor and the same thing, a very superior, high current tube amp that drives bass down to the 20s and with tremendous punch and resolution, more open and extended highs.  It's a smaller version of the Altec amps but not as highly resolving or powerful.  It can drive Frank's Signature IIIs superbly as it does mine at my home.  Again, about a $400-$500 retrofit including new IC connections and speaker terminals, IEC A/C connector.  

^^^ I can vouch for everything Steve said above.

I cannot believe how good that Pioneer Elite DV-05 sounds with Grover's mods. The ARC CD-7se is/was a very good tube CD player. It retailed for 10k. The Pioneer has better bass and more extended highs. Maybe ... and just maybe, the ARC had more of that nice tube midrange, but the Pioneer's upper midrange is even better ... just a little more solid-state like, but still very much three dimensional. If I were to do it again, I'd opt for Grover's Pioneer Elite, no questions asked.

I've heard both of Steve's systems. His living room system has the Legacy Signature III's (94db), driven by the Grover modified Dyna 70. If you have efficient speakers and can use 35 watts per channel, it is a wonderful amp ... one of the best I've heard. 

Now then, combine all of this with Total Contact, Omega E Mats, Herbie's tube dampeners, SR Blue fuses, SR HFT's, Shatki Holographs, some really great IC's and PC's ... and you will have put together a system that rivals those costing hundreds of thousands. The sound may be on a smaller scale than the mega-buck systems perhaps, but mind-boggling, none the less.

Just to put things into perspective, the last time my friend Robert was over, he said during the listening session ... "You don't need a pair of Harbeth 40.2's, you already have them. You don't need a pair of Maggie 20.7's, you already have them." I concurred. As an old planer fan, these Signature III's are every bit as transparent as the best planers I've ever owned, including Acustat III's, Acustat IV's, and Martin Logans, except the Legacy Signature III's, get better bass and better highs. 

The Signature III's are no longer made, but they are available on the used market for as low as $1500. I paid $2100 for mine years ago. They have the walnut finish and in mint condition. I think they retailed originally for $5500 with the finish I have.

Honestly, if you or a friend are looking for floor standing speakers that are very easy to drive, with great sound, there is no reason to look further than the Legacy Signature III's. 

Frank

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.   

This is my town over the past two weeks ... 

https://www.facebook.com/thousandoaksacorn/videos/283252148986311/UzpfSTEyNjMyNDk5OTU6MTAyMTc2NjMwMD...

We could use some prayers.

Frank

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. 

^^^

Thanks, jafreeman ...

I have two large Honeywell Hepa filters going 24/7 to purify the air in my place. Finally got the smoke smell out of the house. I'm not going anywhere and just staying inside except to get the daily mail. Even though you can't see smoke in the air around here anymore, when I go outside, the coughing begins. Fine grey ashes are everywhere too. I'm so lucky and grateful that my place wasn't touched. If I could describe the fire blowing over the road when we evacuated in simple terms ... it was like a giant roaring blowtorch. 

My friend Robert came over last night for a listening session. The Total Contact treatment to the speaker crossovers and an additional Omega E Mat in the second circuit breaker box has made a very significant improvement. Everything we played sounded really good. One spectacular LP we played was a Les Baxter album with all of the sound effects those records are known for. Wall to wall soundstage with front to back three-dimensional imaging in spades. Bongos, congas, bells, marimbas, vibes, jungle sounds, strings, flutes, English horns, bass .... glorious!  

Frank

Whoa! Thousand Oaks had some really bad things happen there recently. Absolutely horrible.

Good morning. <3 Heya, Frank. <3 Sent you out a care package yesterday morning. <3 Today we brace for the first snow storm of the season. <3  Sending prayers and healing thoughts to you, my friend. <3
Krissy <3

jmolsberg, I am curious about your listening results with your new PPT applications----anything? 

Krissy ... Thank you very much. Breathing is improving somewhat.

Geoff ... Beyond belief, my friend. Where I live has one of the lowest crime rates in the nation according to FBI statistics. So, even here, we have a shooter slaughtering 12 innocent people because he didn’t get the psychological help he needed. And then ... the fires came two days later and tried to burn down the entire town.

One thing I noticed is how much kinder people are treating each other around here since these two events happened.

I talked with A’gon member mribob (Bob) via text. His house made it through intact. All of his yards are gone, his home is filled with smoke, but it survived. A real miracle considering that he lives right in the middle of Malibu Canyon .... one of the areas where the fire was the most fierce.

It’s very sobering when you return to see your neighbor’s homes burned to the ground, and your’s is standing there untouched. Remembering the story of Job ... I’m keeping an eye out for the locust invasion.

Frank

Glad to hear you made it safely through this terrible, ongoing ordeal.Thoughts and prayers to those not as fortunate...

jafreeman,
i hit two weeks today and i am enjoying what i am hearing.
per your suggestion, i put the mat under the phono pre and the cards on the power conditioner, power supply, pre amp, and amp. treated the rca's, power cords, speaker cables, and electrical outlets with TC. 
no big changes the first few days and then some moments, but overall felt it sounded a little louder and brighter than usual. this past weekend is when it really started to hit its stride. the stereo sounded more homogenized than ever. yesterday, 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!

thecarpathian ...

Thanks. All of my friends and family came through okay. Very close on a few though. Nice to see you posting here. :-)

jmolsberg ...

You should experience a nice jump in SQ at the four-week point, and then again at the eight-week point. TC has a way of doing that.

Frank

 "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.  

Congrats Tim
Love the large advert that is now on the main start page of Audiogon!
Takes you to your website and is a great addition
Well done!

Thanks, Kevin. <3 Timmy spent the past few days in his man-cave/laboratory, preparing for production expansion. 6" of fluffy white stuff fell today (cue sad trombone). It’s supposed to be the coldest Thanksgiving in over 100 years. <3 Seasons change with the scenery ~~Weaving time in a tapestry lol <3 Best, Krissy

Happy Thanksgiving to all.  

And to you as well...!

Same to you, jafreeman.