Perfect Path Tecnologies ‘The Gate’


Having been a music lover and audio enthusiast for more decades than I care to admit to I’ve had the privilege of owning some tremendous components over those years and thought I had attained a level of musical enjoyment that would be difficult to improve upon without spending more money than I could afford. Then along came The Gate to turn my audio conceptions on end. 

While I was quite skeptical of all of the positive proclamations regarding the Perfect Path mats, cards and contact enhancer ( how could they possibly bring about such sonic improvements?) I took the plunge and purchased a nano bundle to see what the hubbub was all about. Much to my surprise they not only brought about improvements to my systems’ ability to recreate a more musical sound but did so in spades. 

When Tim of Perfect Path Technologies asked if I wanted to try his new product, The Gate, I jumped at the chance thinking it would be a nice addition to what the other products provided. I wasn’t prepared for the quantum leap The Gate brought to my music listening pleasure. As much as the other products brought about a much lower noise floor, greater detail and delicacy, improved dynamics, richer tone and more realism The Gate does so in magnitudes difficult to describe. The best way I can describe its affect is unreal purity leading the most realistic musical sound I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing.....outside of a live performance obviously. It has me listening to all of my CD’s as if for the first time again.

I have no idea how The Gate actually works or what it does I just know it’s the most dramatic tweak to my system I’ve ever experienced and I wouldn’t think of being without it. As to how it’s implemented, it’s installed in the electrical panel with one lead connected to the common buss and the other to a breaker ( preferably 220). Hope I got the terminology correct.....I’m far from being an electrician!

At $4,999.00 it’s not cheap but worth every penny to me as I’ve spent more on components with less sonic improvement. 

Lastly, I realize some will scoff at something they can’t understand and I get not understanding it as I don’t, but I would hope people could keep their skepticism healthy and civil. I am not here to promote or sell, nor do I have any affiliation with PPT. I am only sharing something that I’ve found to be transforming in my system. Sorry for the lengthy introduction.
128x128mac48025
@oregonpapa I think the point we were trying to make (obviously over your head) is that there is a difference between consumer items intended to be plugged in by the consumer and an item for professional installation in an electrical panel. For example have any of you had an electrical inspector by and signed off on this? When I had the Environmental Potentials equipment I referenced and my Torus on wall transformer installed I needed an inspection and sign off.
@yoby I have experience with the Total Contact enhancer. My experience was mixed. I found it highly beneficial in the speaker leads to my super tweeter (which I no longer have), neutral to slightly positive on RCA and XLR level interconnect (where it is still in place), no impact on power level connections and highly negative on digital and ground connections. In other words it has an impact but needs to be used carefully and sparingly in an already optimized system. I do appreciate that it is easy to clean off when you change or sell equipment. But overall since getting it some eighteen months ago it's not a product I've spent a lot of time with.
nutella
Unless this company indicates the safety of their product as indicated in @folkfreak  posting, (did any of you look at them) proof of safety testing and operating voltages, anyone who installs one of these will be on their own if it takes their house down in a failure. No insurance company will cover the loss.
My homeowner's insurance policy notes no such exclusion. Will you please cite the language in your policy that leads you to your belief?
^^^
Safety ...

This seems to be the same concern that was brought up in one of the SR fuse threads.

This morning, I went through all of the owner’s manuals for each piece of Audio Research Corporation electronics I own. While there were cautions printed on what to be aware of in terms of potential electrical shock, there wasn’t anything about "proof of safety testing and operating voltage."

I’ve kept all of the boxes and instructions that came along with the SR after-market fuses that have been installed in the system. In reading the instructions, there’s nothing about "proof of safety testing and operating voltage." of these fuses at the SR factory either.

Just out of curiosity, let’s all check the instructions that came with every tweak we have in our systems that are hooked up to either the equipment or the electrical circuit outside of the equipment and check for "proof of safety testing and operating voltage" claims made by the manufacturer.

Are any of us using any Bybee devices? How about after-market wall receptacles? Power Conditioners? What are the detrimental safety effects of all of Herbie’s tube dampeners I have throughout my system? Herbie certainly doesn’t say in the instructions that came with the dampeners. In fact, there aren’t any instructions at all that I can remember.

Come to think of it, my phono cartridge is in the circuit ... and these miscreants at the cartridge factory didn’t supply any "proof of safety testing and operating voltage" either.

While caution is encouraged in installing The Gate, it is a simple hookup consisting of two screws and two wires. If one doesn’t feel competent working in the breaker panel, then hiring an electrician would be the prudent thing to do.

Oh, and turning the power off while installing The Gate would be a wise thing to do also.

Most of us have after-market tweaks and devises that need to be checked out in the name of caution. Please read the owner’s manuals for "proof of safety testing and operating voltage" and report your findings here. Thanks.

The world is coming to an end...!!!

Frank
Unless this company indicates the safety of their product as indicated in @folkfreak  posting, (did any of you look at them) proof of safety testing and operating voltages, anyone who installs one of these will be on their own if it takes their house down in a failure.  No insurance company will cover the loss.
Correct jafreeman, it can either be piggybacked onto an existing breaker or put into an empty one and yes, putting into a 220 breaker is best. I initially hooked mine up to a 110 breaker and after switching it to a 220 I heard a noticeable improvement right away. 
It appears The Gate is hooked up like any circuit breaker--it is piggybacked onto one. It could even be put in an empty breaker and is best placed on a 240V breaker, where it would serve both bus bars---correct me if I'm wrong on this. 
Hi Simon (folkfreak): Which Perfect Path products are you using in your system?
millercarbon ...

Sorry, no. 

A couple of things ... First, this home was damaged in our last bout of fires. During the repairs, it had a brand new circuit breaker box installed. Its a large custom home with a bazillion switches in the box. Plus, there were two sides to the box with no room in the side with all of the switchs.  So ... we had to feed the wires through the side box containing the mains, into the side with the switches. No problem there as it all went smoothly. Just took extra time, is all. 

We were pressed for time, so we listened prior to installing The Gate, and then again for about a  half hour after installation. Then, we ran out of time and had to leave. It was a very noticable improvement right from the start. 

My friend will post some of his thoughts in a few days or so, after giving The Gate a chance to fully saturate the home circuits. 

Frank
It goes between hot and neutral without exploding?
Refrigerators run colder but kilowatt hours are constant?

What we have here is a single-phase power factor correction device. Or, a five grand capacitor.
So what happened? Did we test the sound with the breakers off before installing The Gate?
^^^
barbapapa


I left the mats in the circuit breaker box. I didn't want to change anything so that I could gauge exactly what The Gate was doing. 

We installed The Gate at a friend's home this afternoon. Right off the bat, there was a nice improvement. By this evening, he's going to really be getting a brand new listening experience. It will continue improving over the next six weeks or so. 

Frank
Hello happy The Gate users 
You now use the gate but you already had Mats installed in your breaker before. 
Did you took them off when received the Gate or not ? Did you experienced the Gare with and without Emats in the breaker ?

^^^ I'm "tapering" my comments also, Mac. If I could find the words to describe what the system is doing now, I'd be under attack here. All I can say is, I've never heard anything like it. 

Last night, I was listening to a recording of unaccompanied cello music played on double bass. When the bassist hit the low notes, it resonated throughout the room. I could feel it in my chest. Only low organ notes have ever done that before ... and then only occasionally.  Zowie!

The CD is Edgar Meyer, Bach Unaccompanied Cello Suites. Performed on Double Bass.

Frank


For a device such as this I would expect a spec sheet similar to the following which clearly states the safety and electrical compliance standards the device was built to

http://ep2000.com/uploads/EP-2050_SeriesSpecifications.pdf

http://ep2000.com/uploads/EP_Ground%20Filter.pdf

While no one is expecting the manufacturer to disclose their trade secrets there is a certain standard one needs to apply when it comes to additions to the whole house circuit

And yes I do own some PPT products, and have no reason to doubt the performance improvements noted, this is a reaction to this particular product
The master electrician who installed my panel last year is coming out to take a look at my Gate and do some testing. I’ll share his findings here but I don’t expect any problems. The Gate doesn’t exhibit any heat at all and there haven’t been any breakers tripped since its installation, so I can’t imagine there’s any short circuits anywhere. 

Like Frank, I checked out every component and cable in my system and not a single one is UL listed. It never occurred to me to look before now. While having the listing gives some additional confidence in a products safety I’ve had many electrical devices without it for decades without issue......so unless my electrician says otherwise I’m good without it. 

On an audio note the Gates sonic benefits increase daily, something I didn’t think possible. It amazes me as to how much purity, clarity, detail and ambience is now so effortlessly brought forth that I never heard before. I couldn’t go back to an audio life without the Gate. I know it sounds so hyperbolic but to be honest I’m actually tapering my enthusiasm over it. 
My last statement is all. No one should install anything in their service panel that has not been independently tested for safety. 

Anyone considering such a purchase should verify that this has occured, for any product. Audio, heating, car charger.

Best,

Erik
Correct, talk to Tim as your concerns are leading you towards extreme statements of no real value here. Erik, you have gone from claiming snake oil to crying “fire...fire” in a crowded forum. Your desire to know more is both understandable and reasonable. It is really part of who you are. I enjoy reading your many posts and inquisitive nature.  However the extreme statements are really not helpful.
Frank

I Will be over shortly to relieve you of the stress those components are causing you.

Can you have them all boxed up ready to go please.....

😁😁😁😁

Hi Tim,

Does The Gate only work with U.S. voltage? The standard voltage in Singapore is 220V/240V, 50 Hz, would it work here?

Also is it applicable to apartments and does it come with installation instructions?

Regards,

Fazee

^^^

Oh man, after reading some of these posts, I panicked. I started looking around at my equipment and wires for UL approval tags.

Do my SR power cords have UL stickers? Nope. How about my Von Gaylord speaker cables and IC's? Nope. I even checked my box of spare cables ... no UL stickers to be found.   

Well surely, my Audio Research gear would have UL stickers attached, right? Nope, none there either. Not on the amp, the line stage or the phono stage.

Oh, then it occurred to me to check out my Legacy speakers. I even opened up access to the crossovers. Nope, no UL stickers there either. 

My God!!! ~ Would someone come over and take these fire hazards off of my hands before my house blows up? Hurry, please!

Frank
I am sure Tim will read this thread and post regarding the safety of the Gate.
I'm not about to fork over $5K for this.

Any potential buyer should ask to see industrial certifications and test results for anything before they attach it to their electrical panel.


Best,

E
Erik
I hear you.
But don't you think you should at least discuss your concerns with its creator Tim?
Rather than just blanket diss of it without knowing if your concerns/questions already have answers?
Before I even get into performance, the main issue I have is fire safety.


I don’t even want to have discussions about their other products or how effective this thing might be.


First and foremost discussion should be about it’s construction and testing as being safe to attach inside an electrical panel. What independent lab has verified it is safe? How does the material respond to excess heat or another fire inside the panel?


I’m not joking around. You don’t home brew stuff and throw it in your electrical panel and I don’t care what veils it lifts of the sound. They don’t even bother to list the necessary amperage rating of the breaker it may be attached to. Seriously? And it doesn’t have a built in fuse/breaker? NO no no no. This shouldn’t even be on the market.


But hey, it's $5k, and has innumerable benefits, so sure I'll fork over the cash and risk the safety of my home without a moment's thought ..... ???? NO NO NO NO. I don't want to hear about it's audible performance. You don't screw around with life safety and fire hazards like that, regardless of the money back guarantee so please don't ask.


Best,

E
From the description of the sound quality improvements with the Gate installed... it sounds like an exact copy of what I am hearing with the Akiko Audio Corelli and the Akiko Audio DIY Harmonizer Unit [also installed in the breaker box..via ground connection only!] used in tandem together as a complete noise reduction system I now have installed in my system. Which by the way, sounds glorious!!!

I would have to ’guess’ the Gate is using some type of crystal optimization like Akiko Audio...albeit at a far higher cost to the audiophile consumer.
Maybe Perfect Path Technologies could elaborate a bit more on how the Gate actually does what it does without giving up any trade secrets...
Not just on this thread, but in general, there is an obsession towards lowering the noise floor.  Maybe its because I have good electricity, but I have to say when I step back and look at it objectively, lowering the noise floor of my audio system is just about as important as having the blackest blacks on my television.  

I like and feel I have a low noise floor, but its just something I would have never thought to be overly concerned about until it became the subject du jour. 
Erik

Please do not go down the same path another long standing member did and end up out of sorts over it.

Yes some of the claims seem over the top for sure but I am using emats, ecards and TC ( along with SR Blue fuses and duplex) and these all work extremely well to lower the noise floor and open up the music in my system.

With a money back guarantee ( except the TC) what do you have to lose by trying any of Tims products.

No affiliation at all, just one happy customer.
@erik_squires

Erik put aside the Gate for a second. Have you tried the Omega Emat or Total Contact yet? If not you should and let us know if its snake oil or not. You get 90 days with the Emat at least. Just put one on your break panel door or a component, like a CDP or DAC.
I know. Part of us all feel this way, but you have 90 days to determine if it is snake oil. No risk, no games, no snake oil with this fact. Also the builder has integrity as a person and professional. You will indeed be refunded if you don’t love what it does in your home. So our anxieties about the product as well as our ignorance as to how it specifically works doesn’t have to escalate into broad brushed negative hyperbole. One should also call Tim for more information if genuinely intrigued and interested.

It is very easy to quickly dismiss and think the worst of products when we don’t fully understand them. That is the easy button reaction for most of us. When in this situation I am curious enough to look into it more, ask questions of the inventor and try it for myself for first hand experience. Absent that I try not to become negative and assume the worst about things I don’t fully know about or understand.  
For a product designed to be attached to an electrical panel, or sub panel, it appears remarkably home made. I wouldn't allow it anywhere near my electrical until it was UL tested.

And ... it has 2 leads ? One of which is neutral? So what happens to the other leg of the transformer? Does it only treat one?

No no no, this product gives me snake oil and home going up in flames type hives.
Tom Port of Better Records told me when he was seriously listening to music, he would unplug all household equipment except the frig.  I believe he was correct that he gained better sound by doing so.  But I wouldn't do that, I'd rather install the Gate to do the equivalent.
Ad says its sized to fit inside those panels. Not that its sized to handle those loads.

In fact it doesn't seem to handle any load at all. I thought maybe someone was mistaken but sure enough this is what the ad says:
One lead connects to an existing breaker, the other to neutral bar. That's it!
Connected that way, if you know anything about electrical panels, the breakers are hot and the neutral is the utility ground that completes the circuit, in other words if it was a wire it'd be a short. Now since nobody has said anything about these things glowing red hot before bursting into flames I'm gonna go out on a limb and say its not a wire.

But also, the size or number of circuits or even the panel can't matter because it doesn't have any current flowing through it. What it almost certainly does have however is something that shunts any and all noise riding on the AC line to ground. 

Its interesting its wired to neutral and not ground. Three wires come into residential panels- two hot and one neutral. In addition to this we are required to add an earth ground. I notice they do not say to wire to earth ground. Also notice they do not require connecting to both incoming legs. Well, all circuits from either leg are completed by connecting to neutral. So if the goal is line noise then connecting one leg to neutral in effect connects everything in the house. This is why flipping breakers off improves sound even when its circuits with nothing connected or running. The wires themselves even with nothing running are antennae feeding RFI into the system.

All the review comments so far sound to me exactly like what I get when I go flip off all the breakers. Noise floor drops dramatically, grain and glare disappear, everything just sounds incredibly real. 

So Frank you're gonna put one in tomorrow. Got to flip the breakers off anyway. Only take a few minutes to flip them all off except the system, see how it sounds. To compare no breakers before to breakers Gate after. Be very interested to hear what you hear. Very interested. 
Frank, I noticed that the ad for the Gate is only for 100 or 200 amp main power panels.  My new home has a 400 amp main power panel.  Would I need two Gates or only achieve a smaller percentage gain using one Gate (like 25% or 50% of a smaller main power panel)?
We're going to install a friend's Gate tomorrow. He's in for a real treat. 

Frank
Post removed 
Mikeg & Mac ...

During last night's listening session, the sound was spectacular. I had the lights down low and was nursing two fingers of single malt while listening to Diana Krall's "Live in Paris" CD.

While listening, the clarity was such that it occurred to me just how good of a pianist Diana Krall is. Her touch and phrasing came through like never before. Very intimate, indeed.

It also occurred to me how brilliant the design of my ARC gear is. With the pure power afforded by "The Gate" flowing through the electronics, it sounded as though any remaining distortion had been eliminated. The ARC Ref-75se is an amazing amp. I knew it was good, but THIS good? I had no idea.

Bottom line ... The Gate allows one to hear into the music like never before. If anyone wants to hear what their gear is really capable of, install a "Gate." There's a 90-day return policy ... but once heard, I guarantee you won't be returning it.

Frank
Thanks Mike, reality sums up best what the Gate has brought to my system. The sense of ambience is unreal. Tone is to die for.  The noise floor gets lower seemingly every day. With it only being in my system for 10 days I can’t imagine what it will sound like in another 3-4 weeks. 

Spending this much on anything audio isn’t something I do lightly or easily but it’s a no brainer for me after hearing the results. It allows every component to perform at its best, or at least close to it. It’s as if I upgraded every component in my system, which would be much more costly than the Gate. And for those with multiple systems the Gate will be even more beneficial and cost effective.

Interesting idea ozzy, would like to hear Tim’s thoughts on that.  Could be a way for apartment dwellers to use it. 

Thanks t_ramey but the congrats go to Tim, he’s created something very special with the Gate. 

I look forward to hearing from others as they receive their Gates. 

Frank, Bobby Hutcherson has never sounded better on my system!
I've had the Gate in my system for a few weeks and I am in full agreement with everything Frank stated above.  Nothing I've ever added to my system comes close to what the Gate does. "Reality" is the best single word to use to describe how my system sounds.  The noise floor is reduced to such an extent that all aspects of the system's performance is improved.  My digital system is completely grain and glare free and really get a better sense of the acoustical space.  One of the biggest differences I hear that no other component has done is the effect on the musical pace.  Ground breaking product for sure.
@ozzy 

Thanks Ozzy. Definitely something to consider that may work for me. Now to just come up with the scratch. My guess though is once people hear how good it sounds in a system they will find a way to buy it. Put off all upgrades and tweaks until you can buy The Gate first!
^^^

When it comes to price, I look at it a bit differently.

First of all, The Gate isn't a "tweak." Once installed, it will be considered by the owner as an absolutely necessary component much like an amp, line stage or phono stage. The difference is, it allows all other components in the system to reveal their best attributes. 

If you had the money to spend, would you spend 5k on the best amplifier you've ever heard? How about the best overall system you've ever heard? Most of us would gladly spend 5k to get those kinds of results. 

There will be others chiming in as more "Gates" are installed and up and running.  Upon hearing the results in my system, two of my friends have stepped forward and ordered one and they will be installed soon. Hopefully, they will post their results here. 

I'm eleven days into The Gate now and it still continues to improve. Last night's listening session took a big jump in SQ. It was truly astounding.  

Frank
While I agree 5k is a lot of money for what some may consider a tweak, compared to some other upgrades it is not astronomical.
Indeed I figure we have some here who have already spent way more on ecards, emats, fuses etc in pursuit of excellence.

The way I see it right now is you are likely to consider The Gate if you already have a good resolving system that you are pretty happy with the flavour and balance of overall , and just looking to maximise its impact and strengths.

With that being said I am unlikely to dive in head first but will wait and see a few more positive reviews.

Yes I know there is a 90 day returns policy which is very generous and tells me a lot about both Tim's nature AND his confidence in this product.
Wow, the gate sounds like an end game for power conditioning. Congrats to mac48025!
The point I was making was for those who don’t want to get inside the breaker box.
Plus having the unit closer to the Audio system may increase the effectiveness.
ozzy
^^^
Now that The Gate is installed in the circuit breaker box, not only is the stereo system sounding incredible and beyond belief, but the bedroom system is better than ever, as is the TV. Now then, if only I can keep the vegetables from freezing in the refrigerator, I'll be all set. :-)

Frank