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.
Last evening I had a listening session after about a week of not turning my system on. I wanted to have fresh ears and listen again after the 30 day mark of The Gate installation. Well, I was once again amazed that more realism had somehow made its way into the sound of my system. I can’t describe the experience better than the the word “real”. The Gate has been described as a “major component upgrade”, but I’d say it’s more like you upgraded every component in your system! Just imagine upgrading your amp, cables, speakers, front end, etc. That’s the best description I have for what I’ve experienced. Many thanks to Tim for his work on this and other products, as well as Frank (Oregonpapa), with whom I’ve had several phone conversations about the products. Its been a fun summer! Happy listening, everyone!
"Stop It's" is the latest product from PPT. They are little two-prong devices that plug into unused wall sockets. Think in terms of those child safety plugs that keep little fingers from getting poked into the outlets. When treated with the PPT formula, they become small power conditioners. I have them in every open outlet in my place. It took 25 of them to do the job. I haven't spoken with Tim for a couple of weeks now, but when I got mine, they were $10.00 each. Very effective, and highly recommended. Same 90 day return policy.
^^^ Guys, if you haven't done so yet, get enough of the new Stop Its to plug into every open electrical outlet in your home. They really enhance every PPT product you've invested in so far. It's like someone fed "The Gate" an overdose of testosterone.
That energy room must be awesome, especially with the Gate. There was another member here who had one but I think ended up selling the house to move. I have Apprentice platforms under all my components and Rhythms under my speakers. Really love what the Star Sound stuff does along with the addition of my Omega mats.
I have had the Gate in and out of my system for about three months. My music (Energy Room) is dedicated area with a highly advanced approach to acoustics and vibration management. There is a dedicated breaker box mounted to a Star Sound platform. All AC wire is cryo treated and terminate at Furutech outlets.
When I indicate the Gate has been in and out that is because I was stunned at the difference it made and I wanted to confirm what I was hearing - multiple times. As I have experienced with Tim's other products they do take time to reach full potential and with the Gate removing it leads to a gradual decline in performance until you are at baseline. I would put in back in the circuit and everything already posted occurs: more air, higher level of detail, lower noise floor and expansive, concert-emulating sound stage. And, it improves day-to-day while the system reaches potential.
I agree with the others that this is not a tweak which to me references a small, incremental change. The Gate should be viewed in the same context as major changes to a component or number of components. At this point it is indispensable. I have a very nice setup but with the Gate it reaches an entire different level of performance. The cost is by no means high given the outcome. With the generous trial period and ease of installation I would say, go for it.
I have tinkered with my sound system and tv setup for years always wanting to tweak and get the most out of them. My previous use of HF mc-2.5's and various Mad Scientists discs was really good and was quite happy with both the sound of the stereo and picture quality of my tv. Yesterday marked around one month I have had the mats in my system and I'm getting not only the best sound I have had thus far in my two channel setup but also an incredible tv picture. I still have a 2013 Panny plasma and really have no desire to get a new OLED but I'm sure I'll be tempted to some day but these mats really are amazing and are much more discrete in their presence around the house versus having magnets sticking out everywhere.
My listening room cost $165K and my analog front end is $22K. My old/great speakers are only $2.5K today. The dozen E-Mats make a significant difference and I wouldn't want to be without them. I would probably need to buy $35K to $70K speakers to get me close to my current sound without E-Mats. My high end TVs have enhanced color and sound with them. E-Mats work as advertised.
I’m going to leave it at that. If what you say is true, then be assured that I am in total disagreement with phone calls to your home. I, however, am getting a completely different story. Nuff said ...
Take care, Ozzy ...
Frank
PS: To replicate my system at this point, at full retail the cost would be right around 100k. Modest, indeed.
Well lets say that the owners wife posted some ugly untrue things about me on the now deleted thread. The owner has called my home several times threatening lawsuit. And by your own admission you have so many of the products it must number into the $20,000-$30,000 range yet your system page shows a average modest system.
The products may be good, to me they seem to be overpriced for what they actually are. There appears to be about 6 people posting on these forums promoting the products that are probably more than just happy product customers.
Steve ... I have my mats on the inside of the breaker box door, resting right up against the switches. I haven’t tried putting them on the outside of the door.
By the way ... you must take some time to come up for a listen. Robert is playing air guitar between the speakers now. He actually thinks he’s Chet Atkins. *lol*
"Too bad the Audiogon Moderators don’t remove this thread!It looks to be PURE advertising!"
You’re certainly entitled to your opinion, Ozzy, but try to keep in mind, that what one person sees as "PURE advertising," others see as enthusiasm for innovative products that improve the overall sound quality of one’s audio system.
My whole point of being on this site is to discover the new innovative products that improve the SQ of my stereo system. When discovered, I like to share that information with others. Also, I’m here to learn from others about their own discoveries, old or new.
Let’s put things into perspective here, Ozzy. Please list the ways in which you’ve been treated unfairly on this site by me or by Tim and Krissy, or anyone else in general. Once you do that, then I’ll be more than happy to supply you with a list of the more than fair treatments you’ve received over time by those involved.
It has been said before, but here it is again ... The answer to ideas you don’t agree with isn’t to shut down those who express those ideas but to come up with some innovative ideas of your own, then discuss them as well.
Take care, Ozzy ... and keep a positive mental outlook.
I have one E-Mat in the main breaker box over the audio breaker and two E-Mats on the outside panel of the audio breaker box. I thought that the E-Mats work just as well through a sheet of metal (the breaker box cover) as inside. Should I keep the breaker box cover open with the E-Mats attached to the inside of the cover?
Two Omega E Mats in the breaker panel is a good idea and very effective.
I managed to fit four Omega E Mats into the circuit breaker box by stacking them. They barely fit, but I got them in there. Also, I pasted as much of the interior of the box, including the breakers, the connecting wires, and the inside of the interior metal door with PPT's Total Contact. So, the circuit breaker box now sports four mats, tons of TC paste and a "Gate." The result of all of this was stunning.
After you put the additional mat into the breaker box, you'll want to get enough of the new PPT "Stop Its" to plug into all of your unused electrical outlets inside the house. They are not just icing on the cake ... these little plug-in devices are very effective in lowering the noise floor even further, and cost-effective to boot.
For those who have multiple Omega mats on the breaker panel. I have one currently on the door that when closed has the label facing the breakers. I would like to add another at some point but was curious do most of you stack them or place them next to the other?
Yo Frank, no the extra load at work got me. Finally, tonight will get back in gear. Plan to read and absorb what I can. Was hoping the website would be up also, maybe soon. Plan to call tim this weekend to garner what info i can. Marc
Thanks guys I do plan to call tim just hope I have time this weekend. Just found out our editor had a heart attack this morning so need to find someone, till he recovers, or to delegate his work to other coworkers. Hope all is good for you. marc
I’ve been away from audio the last few months and am pleased to see this discussion still going on.
I installed 20 or so Stop It’s to great affect. They add to what the Gate provides. I think it’s time for more mats as I’m constantly and pleasantly surprised with each addition of of PPT’s products.
As as far as removing other products after adding PPT I will say that I experienced a nice sound improvement after removing the six MC 0.5’s I had. The sound opened up with greater dynamics and purer tone after removing them.
I concur with frank, marc777......a call to Tim would be very informative and beneficial to you.
Wow! You’re as much of a tweakaholic as I am. You go about tweaking as I do ... one at a time in order to gauge the effectiveness of the tweak.
I haven’t tried any of the products you’ve listed in your above post. The closest one is the Shakti stones. I don’t have the stones, but I do have four Shakti Holograms, one in each corner of the room. Very effective, setting aside their flimsy construction.
On what to remove when installing The Gate ... I know that some members have removed devices using magnets and have gotten better results with the PPT products. Other than that, I don’t have a clue. Maybe some other members will chime in here with their experiences. My suggestion would be to call Tim Mrock, the PPT designer, and ask for his advise. You’ll find him to be very helpful with no BS.
By the way, there’s more than one way to skin a cat, and more than one way to reach audio nirvana. Your description of how much you enjoy your system parallels mine for sure. I’m still in disbelief that a home audio system can do what this system is doing. Honestly, there is no longer a system involved ... only the performers spread out around the room.
Last night my friend Robert came over for a listening session. I put on a reissue of the Chico Hamilton Quintet from a Mosaic box set that I haven’t listened to in ages. My God ... that group was so present, I felt that I could reach out and touch Fred Katz’s cello. Oh, and these are early recordings before plastic was used for drum heads. We could clearly discern that Chico Hamilton, the drummer, was using drums with animal skins and not the modern acrylic.
Here’s the Chico Hamilton album. The original has been one of my go-to demo albums for at least 30 years. This one is mono ... you'll want to find the stereo version. No stereo versions offered on eBay at the moment.
Frank, that is one subject that will take time. I like to limit variables to ascertain effect of individual tweaks. I have many bybee quantum signal enhancers, versions 1 under cables and units and the two version-2 of enhancers on speakers.. A 4 box stein music system. From nordost two qx4 units with a qv2 and qk1 also. Many dark matter and sonic tonic units from the tweek geek along with shatki stones and onlines placed at crossovers, plugs, connections,ect. recently added an ipurifier by ifi which is an active ac power purifier that surprised me with improvement. All contact points are first cleaned with kontac and then furutech’s nano liquid contact enhancer for all contact points. Also some of furutech’s new ncf products. This took months to sort out and am frankly thrilled to the marrow with outcome. Some, supposedly, use spintronics and slipstream. Some combat rfi and emi and other improve power issues. All improvements are obvious to anyone. Not knowing the mode of operation of the gate and other product from ppt i want to garner all the info i can gather before testing the gate. Hoping to be forewarned of any potential issues and what may have to come out per users experience. I am so energized by my stereo, as is, that my legs tire out due to music that is so alive sounding i rarely ever sit down as the music draws me in and i do not want to insult the band there with me. So maybe you can see why i am slow to jump. Thanks! PS Any help pointing out potential conflicts are welcome.
You won't be disappointed with The Gate. It is a revolutionary device that improves audio and/or video systems to beyond what you've ever expected. This is especially true when combined with other PPT products.
Adding the new PPT "Stop Its" throughout the house was like supercharging The Gate. I was surprised at the improvement these little gems brought to the system that was already way beyond what I ever thought was possible.
So far, I'm using the Total Contact (lots of it), Omega E Mats (lots of them), Alpha E Cards (lots of them), The Gate, and now the Stop Its (25 of them).
I keep saying it can't get better than this. Knowing Tim and Krissy, there will be something coming down the pike to prove me wrong. :-)
Remember ... there's a 90 day, money back return policy on The Gate if you're not satisfied with the results. To date, I don't believe that anyone has returned one.
Frank I had noticed the 90 day trial when I quickly read through this forum the other day. Also noted that some tweaks may need to be taken out. Since I did not hear from mrs_ppt (probably asked too many questions) my plan is to read through this info again so I can know what to expect from the gate. And what other tweaks may have to come out or adjust. Work wore me out last week, but now I can turn my attention back.
Just as Tim said to expect, the soundstage has expanded further. It now washes over me from the front of the room to the back of the room. Taller and wider too. Beautiful!
I just listened to Blues in Orbit last week. I have 3 Omega E-Mats on 2 breaker boxes and no Gate. I also experienced really wonderful 3-D soundstage with this ordinary CD. Great sound, great performances.
Nice review. Last night I was listening to Duke Ellington's "Blues in Orbit" CD. The three-dimensional presentation you described was there in spades. The Gate is a phenomenal addition to a serious stereo system. When you get around to it, put a couple of Omega E Mats in the circuit breaker box. That will further enhance the effects.
Remember ... there's a 90 day, money back return policy on The Gate if you're not satisfied with the results. To date, I don't believe that anyone has returned one.
Yo mrs_ppt, happened to notice this link and I am very intrigued about the gate. I am at work and will call tim to ask some questions when caught up this weekend, but i have a few questions i hope you can answer when you have time. My stereo system has 3 20A dedicated lines, one for each JL Audio F113 sub and other for main system. The unused plug-in from stereo outlet has a Nordost Qv2, Qk1 and a ifi ac purifier plugged into it. I have 5 bybee quantum signal enhancers under cables and such and 2 of new v2 enhancers on speakers. There is a 4 box stein music system with harmonizers. Also 2 Nordost qx4s purifiers. I am totally turned on by my system, but by either turning off the stein system, the qx4s or remove the bybee units will cause music to collapse and lose that ability to seem alive. What issues do you foresee? What may need to come out, ect. I am a 67 year old rocker and my stereo, thru tweaking connects with me to such a degree a rarely ever sit down so I am skeptical there is room for improvement, BUT that is same thing I thought before the stein music system and the qx4s. So wrong i was. thanks for any feedback
Day 4 after installation: The noise floor has dropped again which now reveals more micro dynamics. I didn’t think this was possible since I had already treated my system with Total Contact and installed dozens of Stop It A/C plugs in my house. But, somehow more detail is being revealed in the music. Amazing!
The biggest thing I heard yesterday, on day 4, was the holographic imaging changing. There not only seems to be a better defined space and localization for the instruments (guitars are most impressive) and lead vocals, but there even seems to be a three dimensional presentation of the lead vocal and acoustic instruments such as acoustic guitars, etc. They have a depth and realism that actually make me “see” the three dimensional source of the sound coming from between my speakers...not just the strings on the guitar, but the body of the guitar; not just the mouth of the singer, but the entire head and shoulders, front to back, of the vocalist. I usually end up listening to music with my eyes closed but I really enjoy opening my eyes and sort of “seeing” the source of the sound in space. In three demensions. Crazy, huh?
I will post more comments as the days of break-in progress on The Gate.
Also, many thanks to Tim at Perfect Path Technologies, as well as others, especially Frank/Oregonpapa, who have posted here. The PPT products have changed this hobby for me forever!
Whoa! What?! Hey, it sounds like my idea for anti RF inserts for unused wall outlets throughout the house is catching on. Good on ya! Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Flying Saucers for Unused Wall Outlets. Accept no substitutes. When you have the itch but you don’t have the scratch. 😬
geoff kait machina dramatica We do Artificial Atoms Right!
According to Tim, putting the "Stop Its" throughout the house is more effective than putting them in the listening room. But, you should get enough to do your whole house, including the listening room.
Again, Steve ... come on up for a listening session. These Signature III's are sounding amazing.
I have 8 unused outlets in my dedicated listening room. 5 are among the 8 outlets controlled by the separate sub-panel audio wiring and the other 3 are just house panel power outlets for lighting. The rest of the house has about 80 outlets of which only 20% are unused and on three other subpanels. Will the biggest difference be heard in the listening room outlets or equally by placing them throughout the house? I suspect the biggest impact should be in the 5 unused audio only subpanel/wired outlets. Thanks
P.S. I already use a dozen E-Mats. As well as SR outlets, SR fuses and SR HFTs Great combo with Shakti Hallographs in a very live room.
Frank - I've had them for weeks now. When I ordered my Gigapack Tim included a 10-pack at no charge. After hearing what 10 of them could do for my system, I ordered 20 more. Now the whole house is decked out with Stop It duplex plugs. Wow! I'll write about my experience when they are released on the PPT site which shouldn't be long now. I even made a video to demonstrate how they work. Pity the video can't show how they sound...
I just installed 18 of them in my place last Mon day and could hear a difference for the better as I turned my system on an hour later. The sound has continued to improve almost daily. I dont own the Gate but had Tim put his special sauce used in his new products, new since the Total Contact including the Stop Its, on the outside of the transformer that is within my Core Power Technologies 1800. That improvement was shoc kingly good as it continued to improve for 75 days before I installed the Stop Its in my system. Whatever this stuff is it makes the tone and timbres of the instruments in your system sound more lifelike, more dynamic and your soundstage increases in all directions with more space between instruments. This stuff is amazing. It has eliminated my need to spend money on new speakers.....at least for a while. Lol
Have any of you Gaters (or non-Gaters) installed any of the new Perfect Path Technologies "Stop It's" throughout your house? I installed 25 of them to fill every unused outlet in my home. The result was like supercharging "The Gate." Another amazing product from PPT, especially at only ten dollars each. Not subtle at all ... highly recommended.
I decided to check out this thread. Without haveing read the previous pages, can anybody explain or offer something about what this device "the Gate" is and how it works? I visited the manufacturer's web site and I could not find any technical explanation. That is not a good sign. I feel that it is a device that employs graphene, paramagnetic materials, or cyrstals, etc. So maybe it is a passive material tweak ala Bybee v2? Or a hot-rodded v2. Graphene does have interesting effects and they are not always for better musical sound.
Congratulations on ordering The Gate. You are in for a very positive experience. Remember, it takes a while to reach its full potential. Once there, you will be wondering how you ever enjoyed the hobby without it.
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