I’m curious about this product from Perfect Path Technologies and would like to hear from those that have experience with it. I’ve bought and used the Total Contact enhancer and like what it does for my system so I’m interested in hearing how this Omega E mat performs.
My e mat arrived on friday. The first thing I noticed was the soundstage was wider and deeper. I can now hear even more details that are hidden in the music. The e mat also does lower the noise floor even more. When I cranked the music with the e mat in place for 24 hours everything was more natural and organic. I can't wait to try another one but that may be a little while. Another great product from Tim
My TV system is also plugged into a Synergistic Red duplex. I am definitely experiencing a very satisfying improved 3-D like picture. I will next be trying an E-Mat on top of the Oppo 203 player and then I will try one on the back side of the Sony 4 K TV itself. Four more Mats on the way and so a lot of fun is in store. it is good to know that the cablebox is not a critical location for a Mat.
My wife and I notice more vibrant colors, maybe more 3-D like depth and sharpness on our TVs. We tried an E-mat on top of our cablebox which sits on mini-ultra stillpoints and is plugged into an SR red duplex. The results were that we couldn't see a difference. Maybe we should try the bluray player but I don't want to take away even one E-mat from my audio system. Just one E-mat on the main breaker panel improved the TV audio (outboard systems) with much deeper/fuller bass and overall improved sound.
I tried one inside the circuit breaker box at the same location as the E-Mat.The IQSE certainly did affect the sound. But in my systems the result was too much damping. The sound was less 'alive'. The IQSE seemed to have a greater effect on some aspects of the sound than others aspects. It is less expensive and works well at it's price point. The Tweek Geek was very easy to work with and does sell the IQSE with a 30 day trial. The E-Mat is more expensive and for me does more things right. I am looking forward to how the system sounds and the 4K TV looks at the 10 day mark with the E-Mat in place.
One aspect that has been overlooked is that a mat will affect the component above and below it regardless of shelving according to Tim. My components are in a vertical rack and I have placed one under my Preamp, magnet side down on the shelf. Immediatley below this is my PS 10. My second is magnet side down sitting on top of my Sony Sacd player and below my Meridien 508 which sits on top of the sacd player. My top shelf has my turntable. My VAC monoblocks are on separate floor stands. This was Tim's suggestion. I might add he has been very willing to help me find the best starting place for the mats. I added them a week ago and I have found a a significant improvement in the sound stage in all directions, especially depth. The timbre of each instrument is more there-the only way I can explain it. The result in not terribly subtle-my wife with hearing aids noted all of this without prompting. It's clear from the discussion that the next mat will be in the breaker box.
Impressions after first E Mat placed inside the sub breaker panel. The E Mat is attached to the inside of the outer pannel door so it is not exposed to the outside sun and weather. It is not attached to the metal plate that actually covers the circuit breakers.
I have been following the break in process by watching and listening to Blue Ray movies on my AV system. Forty Five inch Sony 4K TV 2017 model with an Oppo 203 Player ( upgraded with Oppo Mod.com power supply, analog sound board, improved cover to transport mechanism, and SR Blue fuse. Audiophile grade wall outlets, power cords, interconnects, and power conditioner are used. The sub panel individual wire connections- hot, neutral, and ground have all been treated with Total Contact . Also all cable connections have been treated with Total contact. All in all a system that has had a lot of effort to maximize the audio and visual aspects to watching movies.
I use the wonderful Blue Ray edition of the movie- The Fifth Element to evaluate changes to my system.
After three days the visual quality is significantly improved. The edges to images are sharper, details like the weave of fabrics easier to see, and the front to back focus of the images in a scene are sharper. There is less blurring during motion sequences. Colors are richer and the black white difference is greater. Movies are more fun to watch visually.
Audio has also improved with better clarity and a better sound stage that matches the size and depth of what is visually seen.
The E-Mat placed at the whole house circuit breaker position has significantly improved my already optimized AV system.
I next will be evaluating the Mat's effect on the separate audio system and the separate headphone system.
After this Mat has been in this location for seven days, I will add Mats to the components of these three systems to see where additional benefits can be obtained.
I have previously tried several Bybee IQSE in my system and I find the E-Mat to be a better product for my audio-visual enjoyment. David Pritchard
Ozzy, you are perfectly placed to do some great unbiased additive / subtractive/ comparative experimental work, keeping the Bybees in the equation. Just don‘t let popular opinion sway you from grasping this opportunity.
Perhaps the effects of these devices is proportional to their suface area, and the greater perceived effect of the E mat is due to their greater size?
I placed my mat on top of my CD player disc drive because I have stillpoints under it. There are no cooling vents on top. Sounded great within an hour.
tommylion, After one week, I haven't experienced any treble or bass anomalies, just mid-range for the first 24 hours. The treble and bass improved immediately. It proves every system is different.
I would try either on your main power panel, or underneath a front end component (CD Player/Transport). You should hear significant improvements within the first 24 hours, but two weeks will show you what it is really capable of. You may experience some temporary break-in anomalies in the bass and treble during the two weeks.
I hit two weeks yesterday, and that wonderful relaxed quality has really come into bloom today. The difference between yesterday and today is readily apparent, and quite remarkable.
As far as the Bybees (and other similar tweaks) it would be good to remove them, just so your results are not skewed by any negative interaction.
Is what pesky stated true? It would be a pain to remove all of the Bybee units.
tommylion,
I do plan on trying the mat in every possible position. I think you stated that it takes about 2 weeks to achieve its potential. But where do you recommend it will show the fastest results?
If anybody who has a mat and streams a lot of their music like from Tidal I’d be curious to know how a mat under or near the modem/router affects things.
If you have a TV service like Direct TV, try putting an Omega E Mat under your satellite box by the TV. I tried it last night with Tim's suggestion. Wow! The color saturation and clarity is improved by a very noticeable degree. If you have cable for your TV, try it under the cable box.
I do have one of the E-Mats. I just got it a couple of days ago. I tried it first over my dac for 2 days, and now its over my CPT 1800 balanced power. Since I only have the one I'm not sure where the best spot is to try it. I do have Bybee IQSE (8) inside all of my components so it may be too much of a good thing, I'll find out.
All four mats in my system have been in place for 14+ days, and that relaxed quality is in full bloom. It's like the icing on the cake of the other benefits they bring. I don't want to be without it, that's for sure.
My approach to placement was to simply pick the spots I thought were likely to provide the most benefit, and leave them there. The nice thing, though, is that one could experiment with placement for a week, then leave it/them in place for two weeks, and still be well within the 30 day return period.
@perfect path technologies, thank you for your reply, good to know that the mats properties should be long lasting. Interesting that they work better on there own.
@ozzy, I read your post about the Akiko Corelli and how it’s performance may have been diminished by all the other noise reduction components you are using. It will be interesting to hear your review on the E-Mat and wonder if the same might apply? Are you prepared to try the mat without the other noise reduction components in your system, that would be an interesting test?
How do these mats differ from Bybee QSE's and IQSE's? Observing similarities in their form, function and mode of operation it would appear that very similar technology is at play. However, because nothing is published it would be very easy to deny this hypothesis, as I suspect it will be.
The Mat increases the reactivity of my cello endpins by about 30%. They have by design a reactive core. Now I need to find a way to implement the Mat in conjunction with an installed endpin in a performance cello.Tom
Just curious, but has anyone put a mat under a transistor radio yet? or even a microwave oven? Does it effect the cooking time or quality of the food? It would be an interesting scenario.
If the room treatments are anything like Total Contact or the Omega E Mats, I can hardly wait. The first two items have completely transformed my system.
I already have a multitude of various room treatments, some of which were quite expensive. It will be interesting to see if your new product will allow for the elimination of some of the old to make room for the new. :-)
As much as I would like to talk about what is going on with the mat well............I can't.
Fleschler is correct about the mat in regards to acoustic room treatment. That is about to change by the end of summer. We have developed a 3 step approach to achieving absolute musical nirvana. #1 TC paste, #2 Omega E Mat, # 3 forthcoming Acoustical room treatment. All I will say is #3 will be the icing on the cake!!
I'm sorry I can't tell you what one or two E-mats will do to your system because I've only tried six at a time and 12 at Frank's home. However, 6 are superior to adding an Atmosphere XL4.
Hi, the E-Mats do not change the acoustics of the room; however, I just don't feel that the Atmosphere is improving the sound of most recordings now. The increased clarity, image precision and frequency extension by the E-Mats negates the effects of the Atmosphere except for a few mono LPs and 78s where I want to add more ambience to the sound. The HFTs are essential to my enjoying music while eliminating all acoustical room treatments other than the Hallographs.
@flescher - Interesting regarding not using your SR Atmosphere XL4 once you put the E-Mats in place. Any idea how the E-Mats could be affecting the acoustics of your system? - as I'm sure you know the HFTs are resonators that the Atmosphere interacts with - how could the E-Mat have anything to do with that? Maybe @perfectpathtech could give us an idea what the E-Mat is doing to the signal? For instance, High Fidelity claims their magnetic conduction technology actually changes the electrons in the electricity to help with sound quality. I don't think High Fidelity claims it changes the acoustics of the room. I used Shakti Hallographs for a number of years, they are good stuff.
sbayne I am not using any signal enhancing devices that are electronic unless they are built into my power distribution boxes (part of the wiring, not additional products). I tried a few and determined that I didn’t need them or they had negative sound consequences (I don’t want to name them either because some friends are manufacturers of them). However, I know that the SR HFT system and Shakti Hallographs are essential for me to enjoy music in my slap echo ridden music room. They are acoustical treatments rather than electronic.
I have not tried the green ATM on the Atmosphere. Maybe it would be better. The red ATM is like too much HFT-X for my large listening room (25 X 23 X 12.5 plus equipment area). I haven’t turned on the Atmosphere since I installed the Omega E-mats. I'm into day five and the sound is very impressive, I just find that early stereo recordings appear to be more locked into the speakers than between them. This maybe a more accurate rendering of the recording or not. I want to give the mats more time and play with my Hallographs more (the HFT 2.0 speaker locations required just a 1/16" downward adjustment after Monday to balance the new mat sound, really small adjustment for a big difference).
Thanks Joe. Based on your strong recommendation, and others, I'll probably order an E-Mat at some point. I'm not exactly sure what the E-Mat is doing so I'm going to do some experimenting first as explained on my system page.
@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.
@perfectpathtech - yeah makes sense to not name specific products. I find all this all quite interesting and agree the user base should and will make their own decisions.
@sbayne I currently use a mixture of Synergistic Research, Akiko, Bybee and DIY
products. I know this is all very system specific and obviously
subjective but f the E-Mat eliminated the need for all of those products
that would really be "saying something".
I really do not want to name specific brands or products that I feel the E Mat is superior to. I am confident that in time that the user base will determine on it's own if the E Mat eliminates the need of all previous known enhancers.
Geoff's new footers tweak, "The Sole Patch" may just give the fantastic Omega Mat a real competitive "run" for the money! All of his old Converse cut-out bottoms, cryogenically treated and nano-tunneled!
@perfectpathtech - ok, thanks for the info. When you said "removed all signal, room enhancing devices from our system, except for my products" I thought you meant a lot more than Bybee (first generation) products. Over the years I’ve had mixed results with Bybee stuff and removing a large number of those makes sense to me. I currently use a mixture of Synergistic Research, Akiko, Bybee and DIY products. I know this is all very system specific and obviously subjective but f the E-Mat eliminated the need for all of those products that would really be "saying something".
First, let me say, I did not get the Total Contact for free nor did I get paId for writing how amazed I was by the dramatic changes I experienced in my system! The only way I even heard about the TC was because a friend of mine is a reviewer and he also paid for his tube as well. He has one of the best systems I have heard and he invited me to listen to his system after treating almost every component power supply and cables. His system became visceral and holographic in a way that made me a bit nervous. Not in a bad way, but I felt almost as if I was being overloaded or overwhelmed by the purity of sound I was experiencing. I myself don't have an extra $600.00 laying around but I will be setting a goal to put aside every mouth some spare coin and will also invest in at least one Omega E mat This forum should be about the positive experience we can share with each other and not this internal bickering between the skeptics and those that have the knowledge.You see, the lack of knowledge leaves one ignorant. So lets stop the infighting and educate each other
I’m not totally sure I would intimate that everyone else would experience your results.
Neither would I! however I have 2 customers that followed suit. One had 16 IQSE's now gone, the other was using 4 I think, which are now gone from his system.
What other parameters besides dynamics and air did you look for? We did not look for anything, just conveying what happened. This was also confirmed by both customers.
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