Perfect Path Technologies: Omega E mat
@oregonpapa, Hi, as I mentioned in my post I am busy renovating so at the moment there is nothing really for me to try the TC on. All kit is packed away because it is like a sand storm inside the house when I am grinding and chasing walls and concrete floor for heating and lighting. We do have a small room away from the mess where we can relax and watch TV. In this room we have an Oppo, small amp and little bookshelf speakers. I could place a mat on the Oppo but should it go on top or underneath and which way should the label face? Also I do not wish to treat any connections yet as I want to hear the improvements taking place when I finally reassemble my main system. I will be adding room treatments and would not like to confuse the results of this with the PPT products. I have a mat against the circuit breakers. There is no steel box enclosing the breakers so I have placed a piece of cardboard between the mat and breakers to prevent any shorts. Is it the steel box surrounding the breakers that has a deleterious effect on sound and the mat somehow reduces or prevents this? What I am asking is if the mat will still improve things although there is no proper box. BTW did you ever get around to listening to Filippa Giordano that I recommended when I last addressed you? |
lemonhaze ... 1. Try the Mat either way ... on top, or beneath the Oppo. 2. Try pasting the Oppo's connections ... the IC's and the PC. 3. I don't know the answer to the "steel box" question. 4. Yes, I did listen to every Filippa Giordano recording offered on Spotify. Thanks for the recommendation. She has a beautiful voice, no doubt. Unfortunately, the recordings are very processed, using too much artificial digital reverb for my taste. I like natural sounding recordings. A little of that reverb is ok, but too much is too much. I understand why many folks like it, as it makes the sound stage appear larger and more cavernous. Not my cup of tea though. I predict that once you have your system up and running using the TC and the E Mats that you will be hearing a lot more of that processing in some of your recordings as well. :-) Take care ... Frank |
mac48025 I got a major improvement in sound after treating my crossovers with Total Contact. I treated all the connections to and from the crossovers, the wire connections to the individual speaker drivers, and coated the capacitors and resistors . I also put an Omega E- Mat under each crossover. It did take 3 days to sound better and then was significantly improved at two weeks. It is definitely worth the time and effort to treat your crossovers. DavidPritchard |
On the reverb thing: Natural reverb, like hall sounds, is fine with me. In fact, I enjoy it. It’s supposed to be there. Its when artificial reverb is added by the recording/mastering engineer for effect is where the problems occur. As an example, the original Patricia Barbara "Cafe Blue" album is saturated with artificial digital reverb. To me, it’s unlistenable. The 180-gram reissue is much better in this respect. I can take a little of it, but there is a limit. Jafreeman is correct. With the addition of PPT products and the resulting lowering of the electronic hash/grain/noise, it allows one to more clearly hear into the recording to discern the natural sounds of the recording space. With judicious use of Total Contact and multiple Omega E Mats, when playing the best recordings, some from master tapes, one can envision a transportation right into the recording venue. As an example, I have a two-CD set of Rachmaninoff’s 2nd & 3rd piano concertos performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra burned right off of the master tape. These recordings were never released commercially. They’re recordings of a Rachmaninoff competition with an amateur pianist (the winner of the contest) playing. Amazing performance and sound. The hall is very evident as are the individual audience members. I just sit back, hit "play," and get transported into the theater, trying hard not to catch the flu from the "coughers," "sniffers" and "hackers" sitting around me. :-) Frank |
mac48025, When I talked at length with Tim, he said I'd get great results if I put an E card and stuck it with magic mounts to the back of the magnet on the top woofer and another on the bottom woofer of my VMPS RM 40s. It would then affect the sound across the entire speaker including crossover. For those who don't know, there is a woofer near the top of the 66" cabinet and one near the bottom. So 2 cards to each speaker. If your speakers have 2 cabinets to each side, stick one on the back magnet on the inside of each cabinet. If you have an separate area where the crossover is located, put one there also. This would take 6 cards to do both sets of speakers. Your idea of putting one on the outside of the speaker would offer a little improvement, just not near what inside would do. If you're going to spend the money, you might as well get the most bang for your buck. Bob |
I just ordered a set of Alpha E-Cards and have a couple of questions regarding placement: 1. Are they directional? (label up or down) 2. When placing underneath a component, is it just placed on the shelf below, or directly attached to the chasis with some kind of adhesive, Velcro, etc? 3. dorkwad: What are "magic mounts"? Thank you all in advance. Jeff |
Hi dorkwad: I took your advice and called Tim at Perfect Path and he told me that the E-Cards are not directional and it doesn't matter which way you orient the label. He also added that placing E-Cards inside the chasis is really of no benefit over just placing them on the outside. You also run the risk of the E-Card coming loose and falling directly onto internal components/wiring inside that could cause damage. |
George, lt is still sounding great. The thing that really stands out to me over the long term is the sheer naturalness of instruments & voices. This allows for involvement with, and emotional response to, the music that is very similar to what I experience at a live performance. To have this readily available, in the comfort of my own home, is truly a blessing. My invitation still stands to come by and hear it for yourself, whenever you are up this way. |
| Post removed |
<3 Heya Guys! <3 Just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who called Timmy over the holiday weekend. <3 He loves to talk shop! <3 <3 I am pleased to announce the parts to Perfect Path's latest adventure "The Gate" have been shipped to New Hampshire! We will be working through out February for it's release. <3 <3 DATE PENDING! <3 <3 Yippee! <3 This in-line power conditioner is a game changer! <3 You must hear this! <3 More info coming soon! <3 @oregonpapa , <3 Frank <3 THREE more mats in my car. <3 I swear Mickey Hart was with me today on the ride to Market Basket. LOL. <3 <3 Thanks so much! <3 Krissy <3 |
| Post removed |
yoby I very carefully placed Omega E-Cards in certain locations inside the components, like on top of transformers and such. This is easy in my system as I leave the lids off of the components. Then I got the bright idea of putting E-Cards inside of the wall outlets. I removed the wall plates and found that there was just enough room to slide the cards in on both sides of both outlets. They just barely fit on the outside of the outlet’s internal box. Things are still "charging up" but my initial reaction is very positive. The noise floor continues to drop, revealing more infinitesimal details that were not evident before. Bass control is much better too. I’ve spent the entire morning listening to both female and male vocal recordings that I know very well. Voice inflections are improved, and the personality of the singers shine through even more than before. Backup singers and accompanying musicians are more clearly delenated too ... and I thought I had that in spades before the E-Card experiment. Who knew? *lol* By the way, both of these outlets were treated with Total Contact a couple of months ago. So the E-Cards are a further improvement over the TC. My friend Robert is coming over tonight for a listening session. I didn’t tell him about the placement of the E-Cards. He has a good ear and knows my system very well. We’ll see if he detects the improvements I’m hearing. Stay tuned ... Frank |
Keep letting us readers know about the changes in the sound and where you end up placing the E-Cards for maximum effect. I've only put the PPTC on all my contacts and need to repast several ones I have taken in and out of the system in the past couple months. Will be getting 1 E-Mat to put in the breaker box and about 10-12 E-Cards to do most of the system and things like Core Power Tech 150's, along with the inside of cabinets on my 2 cabinets per side speakers. Through in 'The Gate' and I will enjoy my system to the fullest for as many days as I have left on this earth. Could be a lot. My dad died about 4 years ago at 106. |
@dorkwad Wow 106 that is great for him and hopefully for you too. I spoke to Tim over the holiday weekend and ordered a pack of E-cards. I see they are expected to come tomorrow but I am not sure yet how soon I will put them in my system. I just moved to Tampa, from cold, windy and cloudy chicagoland, a few months ago and I had to reapply the PP TC enhancer to my entire system. When I first got here I connected my system with the original TC on all my connections but the sound after a few weeks never got anywhere close to how it had sounded before the move. Upon stripping off the old TC, from the now broken connections, with alcohol, and reapplying new TC the system made a big jump in sound quality very quickly. I am currently about 41 days out from the reapplication of the TC and might wait until I sense the 8 week jump in sound quality has been realised before I place the e-cards in. Tim said the e-cards pretty much their full potential about 3 weeks after placement. |
I just want to share some of the spots that I've used TC, though most are a rehash of what others have suggested, done already, or contemplated... I started with the breaker box. First was breakers to bus and wire-ends to breakers + neutral/ground wire ends. Also disassembled ground to copper piping connection, Emory cloth cleaned the connectors and the piping, TC'd and reconnected. Nice... Outlets as part of system were next. However, I found some benefits from doing outlets and plugs not on the system. Not huge gains, but every little bit... I figured (maybe faulty logic?) that doing this on outlets/equip that is notoriously noisy (microwave, fridge, computers, etc...) might limit some of that noise or junk put back onto the lines. Interconnects, speaker cables, binding posts, and plug-ends were next. very nice gains. I took suggestions from DavidPritchard (sp?), GK, and oregonpapa by opening the connector ends of my interconnects and pasted the soldered connection points - that worked really well! Breathed new life into ICs that I had placed on the shelf as potential sale/trade-in's. Also, I have made numerous cords, so I removed the plug & IEC ends, trimmed & restripped wires, applied TC, applied a crimp fitting, TC'd that, TC'd the connection points on the inside of the connectors, and re-terminated. Another WOW! Opening the lids on my amp, pre, and conditioner yielded great results as well. I cannot believe how cheap so many of the crimp connectors are/were in there. Regardless, I purchased some small brushes from Amazon for painting tiny designs on finger/toe-nails so that I could hit only the very specific spots I wanted and not get any where I did not. Work like a charm. I may trim the bristle length to firm them up. I made sure to do all power/crimp connectors, I pasted not just internal fuses, but the compression tabs to hold the fuse - all the way down to the board and over the solder point. Ribbon cable ends and others were also done. Very happy! I did similar with the cable box, connectors, and such for the television, Roku, etc... I have done the binding posts on my speakers, the connection points to the drivers, and am in the process of doing the crossovers. I realized that I did not remove the terminations on my speaker cables and do that yet...on the list. Those of you that have TC and think you've hit all you can - there is likely more possible... I have not tried the wall-plates for outlets or on the external plug shells, yet...my tube gear is tucked-away for the moment, so none there, yet. All-in-all, I am quite pleased with TC (and the mats/cards). I really like how the clarity improves, but the tonality (I think that's the right term) doesn't shift... Using Walker SST Extreme and similar in the past lent a 'sheen' or 'sparkle' almost immediately, but seemed to go downhill from there. I've only been applying TC for about 9-months or so and have not noticed any degradation of SQ. Hope this helps some...and please share other 'discovered' locations for TC, cards, and mats. Oregonpapa, thanks for the card on the outlet box suggestion...I've not tried that, yet, but I have used velcro wire-ties to wrap cards around power-plug-bodies...not bad at all ;) Also, I placed cards in between the 4 binding posts on each of my speakers since I haven't re-popped the drivers out to TC the crossovers. I'll move them to the crossovers at that point. Happy Friday-Eve to all!Doug |
Hi tuffy72651: I'm a little confused about the TC. My understanding is that once it's applied, it basically lasts indefinitely until you remove it. You said "When I first got here I connected my system with the original TC on all my connections but the sound after a few weeks never got anywhere close to how it had sounded before the move". Someone please explain. |
yoby283 posts01-24-2019 4:47amHi tuffy72651: I'm a little confused about the TC. My understanding is that once it's applied, it basically lasts indefinitely until you remove it. You said "When I first got here I connected my system with the original TC on all my connections but the sound after a few weeks never got anywhere close to how it had sounded before the move". Someone please explain. >>>>Too many variables. For example, you could be located over a subway or next door to a broadcast station. There’s a lot more to audio than just plugging a bunch of stuff in the wall and crossing your fingers. 🤞 |
@Geoffkait All the connections between the interconnects and components, speaker cables & terminals and between power cords and iec's or outlets were severed for my move. When my system was reassembled the sound wasn't even close to what it had been just before the move. I waited two weeks for some type of break in to occur, but decided it was time to bite the bullet and reapply the TC to all the connections again. I used alcohol and deoxit to thoroughly clean all the connections before reapplying the TC. My understanding is that you can break TC connections once or maybe twice during the first 30 days of the curing process without much degradation.. My system had already gone at least 90 days since the initial application of TC by the time of disassembly right before the move. Upon reapplying the TC the sound within a few days was already a lot better than it had been before reapplication. I'm at day 43 now since the reapplication and the sound quality is progressing nicely towards where it was before the move. |
Well, the E-Card experiment is working out nicely. Like all of the PPT products, it takes time to reach full potential. As reported above, I put E-Cards inside the equipment on top of the transformers and then also along the sides of the aluminum boxes that the receptacle fits into. Basically, the effect was to "charge up" the receptacles themselves. The results during the listening session last night with my friend Robert was an even more solid 3-D effect and much better bass. Lower strings on orchestral recordings were really fleshed out. Gotta love bowed basses and cellos when they are aggressively and beautifully played through a good audio system. The realism continues to advance. It was even better this morning. How much better can this get? I still can’t believe the sound I’m getting from a pair of Legacy Signature III’s. Amazing, really. Thank you Tim and Krissy. Frank |
tuffy72561 My understanding is that you can break TC connections once or maybe twice during the first 30 days of the curing process without much degradation.. My system had already gone at least 90 days since the initial application of TC by the time of disassembly right before the move. Upon reapplying the TC the sound within a few days was already a lot better than it had been before reapplication. I’m at day 43 now since the reapplication and the sound quality is progressing nicely towards where it was before the move. >>>>Not sure why you would think your new abode would sound just like your old abode, most likely an entirely new set of variables in terms of room acoustics, RFI/EMI, seismic vibration, House AC wiring, local power company or transformer, perhaps others...perhaps others beyond scope of the discussion. |
About a week and a half ago, I bluetacked an Alpha card on the back of each speaker, where I believe the crossover is. I already had two stacked Omegas on top of each speaker, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. They have settled in, and I am hearing another nice improvement in naturalness, clarity, and musical detail 😁 |
I had about 1/4th of a tube of Total Contact left, so yesterday, I had a friend (fellow audiophile) come over to help me paste my circuit breaker box with "Total Contact." We pasted the mains, the grounds and the breaker that controls the audio system. That's as far as we got due to running out of TC. There was an immediate improvement in the overall sound. Again, the lowering of the noise floor was readily apparent. Where things were sounding great before in terms of transparency and 3-D layering, its even more so now. The separation of instruments and delineation of voices of back-up singers are more visceral than ever. Everything that was there before has been improved upon. I've never heard a system with this kind of silence. No grunge. No distortion. Just music. My friend Robert is coming over in about an hour with another person who is into audio. He's never heard my system before, so I'm really looking forward to the listening session. I'm kinda blown away by the improvement afforded by this latest pasting. I haven't told Robert about this latest TC application, so we'll see if he notices the improvement.
Happy listening, guyz. :-) Frank |
Frank: Glad you have started treating the electrical panel with Total Contact. I do hope you will go ahead and treat every connection in the panel you can reach. The hot, neutral, and even the grounds all will benefit. This includes even the non audio circuits. It is a lot of connections to do but it is worth the effort! About 80 connections for my panel. Don't forget to find the connection to the main ground - this connection really does benefit from Total Contact. David Pritchard |
Concerning crossovers and Mat placement: I did not have improvement on top of my 48 inch tall loudspeakers. I did put an Omega Mat inside the speaker cabinet so the crossover sits on the Mat. This was effective. I would put the smaller Alpha Cards as close to the crossover as possible. David Pritchard |
I have ordered some Alpha Cards. I am going to evaluate these location: on the modem- router, cell phone, main fuse box of the Honda Acord, and the incoming box where the telephone service enters the house. I think this will be most interesting as the house and systems are already extensively treated. David Pritchard |
David ... Thanks for the tips on further pasting the circuit breakers. That's our intention when I get more TC. We pasted the circuit breaker box this past Friday afternoon. I got up really early this morning and fired up the system. The improvement overnight is astounding. We all know how treating with Total Contact improves over time. There's that four/eight-week thingie that happens. I just can't fathom how good it's going to be then. Frank |
@davidpritchard My Honda Civic had a solid copper bus bar. Timmy was shocked with the quality of the fuse box. It was like a miniature home panel. They come completely apart. He painted my fuse box with TC, so it'll be neat to see what a tiny Alpha card will do. The newer Japanese cars are the same way, and are totally worth doing. <3 <3 <3 Inside? I now have quite the collection of mats in my Scion, and it's incredible. A rolling sound room. <3 LOL <3 <3 Enjoy! <3 Krissy |
I recently reinstalled my Ayon Audio Odin MK3 Build 4 stereo amplifier (last Sunday) which I hadn't had in my system since last February (pre fully treated system with PerfectPath TC , new ac panel with copper bus bar and TC treated, and many Omega Mats). I was shocked how good the Ayon sounded. The PerfectPath products are perfect path to nirvana. Based on many hours of play time and my memory, the amp now sounds super charged in comparison. Bass with b_lls, holographic, highly resolving, musical, etc and the most noticeable change is how consistent it now sounds (have listened to it four days straight, multiple times a day). This amp in my system is a totally different animal now. I've turned it on at least 8 times and never once has the dedicated 20 amp breaker been tripped with the initial relay switching. I would have never thought that anything out there would have such as profound effect on my system and solve one of the most perplexing issues. |
So, it’s been a week or so since we pasted connections in the circuit breaker box with Total Contact. My friend Dave came over for a listening session last night. Dave is the audiophile friend who helped me paste the circuit breaker box. There was a definite jump in SQ over previous sessions. TC is funny that way ... it improves as the paste begins to cure. During the session, I dug deep into the record vault and pulled out three gems that haven’t been on the turntable or CD player for a couple of years. These recordings have been transformed into some kind of magical thing that defies reality. If you have them and haven’t played them since applying TC, E-Cards, and E-Mats, dig them out for a great listening experience. Here they are if you want to buy them: The first album is available on both vinyl and CD. Lee Oscar was the harmonica player for the rock group "War." This album is kind of a cross between jazz, rock and classical fusion. It plays huge. A music lover’s and an audiophile’s delight. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lee-Oskar-Lp-1976-Harmonica-9-Songs-United-Artists-UA-LA594-G-G-VG/22301966... The second album is the soundtrack from the movie "Mission." It’s also available on both LP and CD. https://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Mission-Original-Soundtrack-from-the-Motion-Picture/273618867171?epid=1... The third album is by harpist Andreas Vollenweider. It's more jazz/rock/classical fusion. Amazing! https://www.ebay.com/itm/ANDREAS-VOLLENWEIDER-WHITE-WINDS-SEEKERS-JOURNEY-CD-CBS/382754290762?hash=i... I had no idea what kind of information was buried in these recordings. Prior to the TC treatments, E-Cards and E-Mats, they were really good. But now? Who knew? For all three albums, you will want to really crank up the volume, sit back and be totally immersed in sound. Highly recommended. Frank |
My Omega Mats and Alpha Cards arrived Thursday and I had time to install all but 1 Alpha card on Friday. First I placed an Alpha Card inside the IPhone protector box. Indeed the processing speed is now noticeably faster, but better yet streaming music (Qobuz CD quality) is noticeably improved. Highly recommended placement location. Next location was the telephone wire incoming boxes- a total of two different boxes outside the house. This is for my internet connection - CenturyLink. First box had large coax size cables x 2- here I wrapped the two cables with an Omega Mat placed inside the service box. The second phone service box is a small box mounted on the house exterior wall. Here I placed an Alpha Card inside the box. I then put an Alpha card on my Router, and finally I put an Alpha Card oh the external power supply to the Sony 4K TV. Today there is an obvious improvement in the TV Picture and Sound and a significant improvement in streaming music. Finally I added a second Omega Mat to Mother's Synergistic Research Power Cell 10 and the last Alpha Card was put on her external power source to the computer she streams music with. Big improvement in sonic qualities in her system. David Pritchard |
| Post removed |
