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.
Thank you for your positive post. Non-judgmental comments regarding what I do with my time are always welcome.
I don't live in Oregon, I live in Southern California, so if you're ever in the neighborhood give me a heads up. I would be delighted to demonstrate my system for you.
By the way, The Gate is way too large to fit inside of a Cracker Jack box. I should know, I've eaten a lot of Cracker Jacks in my time.
Finally, if you "have no interest in the $5,000 white box," then why are you getting your panties in such a knot over it??
I am waiting for the inevitable expose' that like the Tice Clock (that dates me), this gadget consists of $30 of materials wrapped in a nice bow tie for the gullible. Your constant repetitions of banalities does nothing but take up space in this thread and adds nothing to the discovery of the truth. I am no EE but I agree with the earlier assessment that this must be a shunt. How can the materials for a shunt possibly cost more than $30? Based upon it's shape, I am thinking that the shunt in question is based on a vintage Russian oil and paper capacitor such as this https://www.ebay.com/itm/4-uF-600V-Military-Russian-Paper-In-Oil-PIO-Vintage-Audio-Capacitor-KBG-K-K-/253777898791
The Tice Clock? Huh? The Tice Clock worked great. The only problem with the Tice Clock- like a lot of things ahead of their time - was that some newbies couldn’t heat it because they didn’t know what to listen for or they were all thumbs.
You can't debunk something that's not bunk. -old audiophile axiom
I'm always a bit hesitant when a manufacturer at least does not give some information as to what makes a product function as claimed. Although the Gate must make some difference to ones system...it sure would be nice to know what makes it tick. If it was a hundred bucks or so...who cares!!! But... at 5k...it would be nice to know what that much money brings to the table.
Again, thank you for your non-judgemental comments. Kind words are always appreciated around these neck of the woods.
You may not have an EE, but what you do have is an inordinate ability to judge the cost of manufacturing a product before knowing what’s in it, or how labor intensive it is to build. That takes a genius.
So there you go, genius.
One thing is left in order for you to skyrocket yourself into Super Genius status as a few others have on these threads ... just tell us what it sounds like before you hear it.
Please add this post to my large volume of "constant repetitions of banalities."
The Tice Clock? Huh? The Tice Clock worked great. The only problem with the Tice Clock- like a lot of things ahead of their time
I trust and hope Mr. Kait that the last word quoted above was a pun.
One thing is left in order for you to skyrocket yourself into Super Genius status as a few others have on these threads ... just tell us what it sounds like before you hear it.
I don’t mean to show you any animosity. I do question your motivation-why would you repeat the same praises and phrases over and over again without adding anything new unless there is something else going on that you have not shared with us? No, I will not accept your comments as true or valid because I don’t trust the nature of the product. If it quacks like a duck, walks like a duck, and sounds like a duck, it is probably a duck. $5000 gizmo’s that don’t come bundled with a white paper are like ducks. So to sum up, "oops, I must have hit a nerve!"
“....like a lot of things ahead of their time - was that some newbies couldn’t heat it because they didn’t know what to listen for or they were all thumbs.”
"No, I will not accept your comments as true or valid because I don’t trust the nature of the product."
Yes, fsonicsmith ... God forbid that anyone should take advantage of you.
If you've read through this thread, which was not started by me, you would have found a number of members who have bought and installed The Gate, and they are happier than Bill Clinton in a Russian brothel full of underage teenie-boppers.
I know its hard, if not impossible for you, but try to have a little more trust (and respect) in your fellow A'goners. There is nothing nefarious going on here at all.
And by the way fsonicsmigth, my invitation is still valid. If you're ever in Southern California, Ventura County specifically, give me a heads up and I'll demonstrate my highly modified and tweaked system for you. After you've picked your jaw off of the floor, I'll pour you a beer. :-)
To paraphrase Oscar Wilde--"Americans know the price of everything and the value of nothing."
This could also apply to the willingness to part with $5k without having any idea whether they are being ripped off. Perhaps a big high voltage shunt cap has the same effect for $10.
I bought PPT Total Contact. I bought one tube and used it. It was mindblowing. I bought another and used it. That’s 2 tubes. Then I bought 4 more tubes which haven’t arrived yet. That will be 6 tubes. That doesn’t include the free tube that arrived unexpectedly. I must like it!
I bought PPT E-Mats. I bought 3. I must have liked them because I bought 6 more. Somehow I received 12 even though I only paid for 9. How did that happen, isn’t PPT supposed to be a rip-off? I would say emphatically not.
I bought a bunch of PPT Alpha E-Cards. But I ended up with a very big bunch of E-cards, several more than I ordered. Somehow I also ended up with 10 gold RCA caps that I didn’t pay for either.
I don’t know anyone at PPT except for some friendly emails. When I ordered from them, I didn’t know what to expect because of all the crazy negative posts I read here before taking the plunge. The mindless negativity nearly turned me off buying from PPT. It really grates with me when people call PPT a rip-off. They’re not, they are the exact opposite. I haven’t heard the Gate, but I have no doubt, no doubt at all that it will be as good as has been claimed. Like everything else they sell.
@noromance, I believe the Gate comes with a full, no risk 90 day money back guarantee. So the assertion of anyone being ripped off does not apply to the Gate, agreed?
There seems to be an amazing resistance to the term "ripped off." I am not saying it doesn’t work or that the company is not giving some perceived value. Think about it. If you went back in time and visited a great king whose child was dying. You told him you could cure his child for $5000. He gladly agreed. You gave the child $50 worth of antibiotics. Child lives. King pays up. You have exploited his ignorance. Now imagine a company discover that putting a high quality $50 600v 4uF cap across the mains line filters noise. They market the product correctly knowing that niche products in audiophile circles can command untold markups. That is being ripped off.
Very simple If you think at 5k it is too expensive then do not buy/try it. BUT do NOT then come here claiming PPT are a rip off or scam artist company when you do not have the BALLS to step up and try yourself and think EVERYBODY else here who has is an idiot. That is deeply insulting and demeaning
If you're sure it’s a $50 600v 4uF cap, why don’t you buy some, put it in a box and sell the alternative product for one tenth of the price of The Gate? You’d clean up, and you’d do us all a favour. If you can’t be bothered doing that, then what can I say?
"gizmo"? Like the guys who said Total Contact was "goo". Wrong. And fo.Q tape was "snake oil". Wrong again. Common theme - ignorance of the subject under discussion.
@uberwaltz I am merely stating my opinion and counter argument. Your post telling me not to do this is not in the spirit of debate. I'm sorry if you feel demeaned. It is not my intent.
BUT again I will say everyone is entitled to their opinions and this is a free posting forum but if all anybody is intending to do is say things like it's scam or rip off WITHOUT any actual facts to back it up then my point stands.
It is is insulting and offensive to both those who have taken the plunge and more importantly the manufacturer.
Obviously I have no problem with spirited intellectual debate but I have seen very little evidence of that so far.
Yes some of the positives can be construed as a bit overblown but until you try you will never know what truth there is to it.
The negatives consisting of statement along lines of it may just be a $50 part is also extreme and very unlikely.
But sure why does someone not go ahead and buy the Russian Vostock, install and report back, then at least we have some reference and not just idle thoughts.
@uberwaltz Ha! Mea culpa. For my part, I’m intrigued as to what is inside the box. Pandora? Fortunately my AC power is clean enough and I’ve no desire to strap a cap across breakers.
That's what I thought before The Gate was installed.
Prior to installing The Gate, the system was pasted with Total Contact and the Omega E-Mats were under each piece of equipment, along with two placed into the circuit breaker box. At that point, I didn't think there was any more line noise to eliminate. Enter The Gate ...
It's very hard to describe what The Gate does, or better said, what it allows the listener to hear. The usual terms like transparency, dynamics, speed, etc., just don't complete the picture. The Gate affords a huge helping of realism, way beyond what I've heard before in over 40 years in the hobby. It really has to be heard to be believed.
Once tried, how can one not be enthusiastic about the product? If gushing with enthusiasm is a sin, count me in as guilty.
I have to admit there may be more to this than first realized.
I’ve been reading up on Spintronics, Nanoribbons and other very new nano technologies.
As an engineer, and given the possibility that PPT are utilizing new scientific breakthroughs involving patent expense and/or expensive research, I am going to quit denigrating the product as a "rip off." I feel it is only fair until other evidence becomes available.
Thanks for taking the effort to do some research before labeling the Gate a rip off, noromance. There’s much more to it than meets the eye, I’m sure. I can definitely tell you it’s not a rip off as it’s provided me with as much or more musical pleasure than an component upgrade I’ve made ( some costing much more than the Gate).
I fully understand ones skepticism about something not understood.....I was there myself before giving these products a try. They’ve been some of the best audio purchases I’ve ever made.
I have no idea how this thing works or what’s in it and I couldn’t care less as I know what it delivers.....a purity and realism to music I’ve not previously experienced. While I don’t know for sure I’d bet my entire system that it’s not a mere capacitor. There is no way a capacitor could bring so much life and energy to the music. I believe removing RFI and EMI is part of the PPT magic but it’s not the full story.
I look forward to hearing what your research brings and I hope you get the chance to hear the affects a Gate brings to table, it’s quite eye opening and jaw dropping to say the least.
Where is PPT and his wife? They were chiming in previously and now they are silent. I've been in this hobby long enough to know that PPT and his wife know exactly who Oregonpapa and Mac48025 are along with any other happy customers who chimed in here and they have traded emails here and there about this thread. So again, I ask; where are you? How about taking the time to give some clue as to what justifies the price? Or not-just tell us that like an original Shun Mook Puck
http://www.shunmook.com/hifiproduct_1.html there is "really rare stuff from ancient swamps in Africa" or maybe rare earth obtained from ancient Mayan ruins or a meteor recovered from Aboriginal tribesman or maybe as alluded to above some nano-somethingorother and we can all get on with our lives and derive our mirth elsewhere.
@fsonicsmith Here is another new word for you to look up........ Intellectual Property.
White paper? Explanation? How about this, which is on the website.
You have 90 days to return all purchases except TC, no questions asked. I felt this carries a whole lot more weight then meaningless drivel, You know like the type your spewing.
Fsonicsmith, I only know Tim from being a customer. I have had limited contact with Tim ( a few emails and three phone calls) and have never conversed with the Mrs in any manner. I don’t know what you’re trying to insinuate but I have no affiliation with PPT other than being a satisfied customer. I started this thread to share my experience with this incredible product.
I realize youve never never heard a system utilizing the Gate so I can’t expect you to appreciate the value of this product but if it bothers you so much that it’s technology surpasses your ability to surmise as to how it might work, by all means feel free to ignore this thread altogether as we’d hate to contribute to any high blood pressure on your part. 😀
Neither Tim, or any inventor, owes you or anyone an explanation or justification regarding their technology. Their customer satisfaction speaks for itself. I doubt most of us could fully understand it if he did explain how it works and I don’t blame him for wanting to protect his intellectual property in the least.
As Tim stated his 90 day return policy is very generous and speaks volumes about his confidence in his products worth. This policy definitely outweighs any marketing jargon or scientific hyperbole as far as I’m concerned. It was this policy that prompted me to give the mats and cards a try and I couldn’t be happier that I did. Maybe I should have never availed myself of the opportunity to try these products and griped about what I knew nothing about instead?
Has anyone else's buy and sell searches recently started coming up with ton's of totally unrelated items when doing a search?
When I do a search for perfect path technologies or the gate 40 or so items (guessing), including the matts, cards and tc are displayed, but not the gate.
I too share Batmobile and Mac’s experience in dealing with Tim, he is extremely responsive, and occasionally on big orders throws in some unexpected goodies, always appreciated, but never expected. He is fair, easy to deal with, and I find his products have allowed me to enjoy the music, focus less on gear. i echo Papa’s views, before you slam some of these innovative unique concepts, try them risk free. I am not a shrill, and only rarely post, but I feel an urge to defend integrity of other ‘Goners that I know and respect. lets just enjoy our hobby, and learn how some tweaks might help us achieve those goals. Bob
It's fairly common knowledge and practice that early adopters in our hobby, especially with brand new products / technology, may get pricing that is slightly better than a negotiated (street) price once a product is established.
More importantly, would a few percentage points of additional discount serve as motivation to discard one's reputation? I think not.
I personally know a few of the members who have tried PPT products and I know they would not sugar coat or be inaccurate or overblown in their assessments of this or any product.
I was the first beta tester for PPT's "Total Contact."
When Tim first approached me with the offer, based upon my experience with other contact enhancers, I was really reluctant to try it. Well, long story short, I did try it and loved the results. The rest is history. Did I pay for the product that I tested? Yes, but not with money. Here's a portion of a post I made answering a similar question to yours:
If you think something is "free" when you spend a year evaluating a product in three different versions, taking each one off before the other one is applied, then taking copious notes as the product "breaks in," continually being in contact with the person you are doing the testing for, and finally writing about your conclusions, I have a bridge to sell you.
Testing a product "for free" doesn't require a positive evaluation. It just requires honesty. If Total Contact was bunk, I would have said so.
I didn't understand why some took issue with your posts above. I understood exactly what you were saying. I'm glad you have the knowledge/understanding/willingness to do the research you described above and look forward to what you discover.
In my system, I think clean power is a top consideration. It continues to amaze me the sonic benefits from the products I own and use.
Regarding The Gate, in terms of value, if it performs as others have said, IMO, it's a great value in that it will provide sonic benefits over and above what most have experienced with their components.
For the money conscious, it would be a hard pill to swallow if one discovered after buying The Gate, at a later date, that one could have accomplished the same or similar sonic upgrade for 1/10th of the cost.
A question for PPT...is their any component inside that is subject to failure with a surge or a lightening strike?
"Regarding The Gate, in terms of value, if it performs as others have said, IMO, it’s a great value in that it will provide sonic benefits over and above what most have experienced with their components."
The Gate outperforms anything I’ve tried in my system no matter the cost.
Prior to installing The Gate, I was seriously thinking about upgrading my line stage from the ARC Ref-3 to the Ref-6 ($14 000). At this point, barring a failure, I don’t feel any need what-so-ever to upgrade the electronics in my system or my speakers ... ever.
The combination of liberally applying Total Contact to every place I can think of, and installing the Omega E Mats in various places, and then placing The Gate in the circuit breaker box, has brought my system to the level that was totally unimaginable two-plus years ago. I still can’t believe what the PPT products have done for my sound. I’m still in awe.
I know some members think that I’m over the top, or exaggerating what these products do, but it is just the enthusiasm of a hard-core audiophile in disbelief of what is attainable once dirty AC line noise is reduced to almost nothing ... and a willingness to share the information with other like-minded folks.
Very interesting Frank. If I was going to summarize the whole of the PPT threads, it would be that the improvement in sound from eliminating the "spark" from less than perfect contacts (total contact), electromagnetic interference, i.e. RFI (matts), and dirty AC (Gate), this total improvement exceeds that of a new component such as the REF-6. I hope I got this right, if not sorry.
Yep, that's exactly what I'm saying. Don't get me wrong, I know the Ref-6 is a better sounding line stage than the Ref-3. I just don't have the desire to upgrade anything at this point because its totally unnecessary. The PPT products have gotten me off of the equipment merry-go-round. And besides, the Ref-3 coupled with the Ref-75se is a remarkably fine sounding combination.
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