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.
I just wanted to report that the e cards / mats and TC have upgraded my office and main systems, for less than the cost of a single high quality cable upgrade or power conditioner for one system. (I had been doing so for about two and a half years prior to trying the TC products listed) I have stated this before and will state again, as others have, these products are a bargain and work very well in my system.
If I had the money now, I would try The Gate so I could further upgrade both of my systems. Further, if it did not work or give me a “5K” upgrade in performance, I could just get my money back. I would do this because of my experience with ppt products, great service and easy access to the owner/inventor
I had interaction with Tim after purchasing TC with a simple question and he was helpful and friendly. He was never a pushy “sales guy”. He was just excited about his product. Prior to purchasing the mats and subsequently the cards I called Tim to ask for some specifics about placement. When I received the orders he through in a “Pelone” (Spanish slang for freebie) or two. I never asked for them but they are greatly appreciated. At no time did Tim ever ask me to post positive comments about these products. I am too busy to post consistently, but do so when I can because am truly excited about what the product has done for my enjoyment of music.
stfoth - In answer to your question - I bought PPT because of what I read on Audiogon. I paid full price and have never been offered anything for my comments. I received some extras in my orders that were a pleasant surprise, but that was before I made any comments. My comments are always totally for real, rest assured.
And I agree with Frank that fully treating an existing system with PPT products (in my case I do not have the Gate yet), is a far greater and more profound improvement than upgrading an electronic component from good to great.
I too got the preliminary information about TC from Frank and others within the earlier threads. A huge thank you to all those folks. I have never enjoyed my old and new music more.
PPT products seems really interesting and along the lines of SR products. I have SR fuses and have been quiet impressed. Though PPT products have a trial period, I would hate to buy anything thinking I could return it. At $5k, the Gate seems an expensive proposition at this time. Hence I would like to know from your experience what cheaper PPT products I can buy to taste the waters ? Is the Omega e-mat makes a great deal of difference or it’s effect is shuttle at best ? How many of them and where should it be placed ?
debjit_g If you got the Mega-Pack bundle you should be really happy. That’s what I started with. After I received it and installed everything, I was totally inspired to go further, and then I ordered a Giga-Pack. Even after getting all that and some bonus product, I still wanted more and ordered 4 more tubes of Total Contact. Waiting for it to arrive is driving me crazy, haha! I'm treating all my SR grounding cables with it, the entire lengths.
The E-Mats are way more than subtle. It’s a case of once you have them in place, you might suffer anxiety and withdrawal symptoms if they were removed, haha. So are the little Alpha cards, which have a similar effect. I would say 12 cards have equivalent EMF blocking power to one mat, but each has its own use because of the size. The Mats can be placed under turntables, amps, preamps, D/A and A/D converters, etc. Inside breaker boxes is a popular recommendation, but somehow that did not seem to work quite as well for me. Australian breaker boxes are different from the USA variety. On the other hand, I have a mat draped over the power outlets at the back of my PowerCell line conditioner, and the improvement there is incredible.
The cards can be taped on top of sockets and terminals, inside speakers near crossovers, etc. I use 3 of the cards as barriers to stop tubes and transformers interacting on each of my PrimaLunas - very, very effective there. How many mats and cards? Well, 3 mats is nice, but I have 12 and any fewer would be possible cause for an anxiety attack. You could never have too many cards (at least 10?) , if your system is large like mine.
Total Contact paste is a must have. There’s so much info available about it on other threads that I don’t need to repeat. The main thing to remember is to start out treating the usual things like interconnect pins, tube pins (carefully!), speaker terminals, power pins, wall outlets. One fantastic way to use the remaining paste, is to brush an ultra-thin coating onto TA-32 fo.Q tape and then wrap the tape around cable terminations, grounding cables etc. Remember it is very conductive.
My earlier question went unanswered. As a potential customer, I’d like to know if The Gate has any internal components that are subject to failure in thunderstorms or surges? If so, what would be the average cost to repair? Also, would it be wise to install a whole house surge protector?
Excellent questions! <3 Sorry, must of missed your post in the flurry.... Tim is OUT STRAIGHT, and doesn't look at the threads much. <3
The Gate has NO internal components that are subject to failure during a thunderstorm. Lightening strike will follow the path of least resistance, and The Gate is NOT in that path. <3
For the minimal cost, a house surge protector is an EXCELLENT insurance policy. Tim wired one into our house 20 years ago. It's a must no matter what part of the world you live in. <3 Especially if you have nice gear. <3
Things are sounding great at my place. The Gate is fully broken in and the house circuit is saturated with The Gate’s goodness.
Here’s a music recommendation. If you still have a turntable (sorry if you don’t), this two-album set offers great performances and it sounds amazing. I’ve had it in my collection for years. It is mono, but you won’t care:
Tim was going to come up with a YouTube video. He's been busy making Gates, mats, etc, and developing new products, so I suspect the video has been put on the back burner. Maybe Tim or Krissy will chime in here.
It is a very simple installation and comes with directions. The improvement in SQ is astounding. No joke.
Mark my words; within ten years, probably five, this scam will be busted and you who keep chirping like lemmings on PCP that the products are worth it will be hiding behind new posting-names. Too bad this is not a real names-only Board. Indicator number one; the PPT website has no "About Us" section with a photo and bio of the man collecting your hard earned dollars. Not even a full name. Indicator number two; the products are listed without good photos and descriptions of the product in terms of materials, circuits, etc. The scam artist hides behind "why should I disclose my intellectual property?" Indicator number three; very high prices without any attempt to justify them. Even exotic cable manufacturers show their bling connectors and diagrams of their proprietary weaves or designs. Indicator number four; other than one quote from "Stereo Times", the guy taking your money relies on you A-Gon'ers to hype his product on his site. Send this stuff to Stereophile and let's see what happens. That won't happen anytime soon. Indicator number five; there is no address listed for the business. The phone number comes back as somewhere in Manchester New Hampshire and that is about as close as you can get with reverse number look-up. Like all cheaters including athletes who dope, it take a while, but the cheats and scammers are eventually revealed. Y'all know how "con artist" got it's name don't you? "Con" stands for confidence. The con artist relies upon your confidence that the scam is for real. I shall be back. To say "told you so". See you later. Hopefully before too many others get swindled.
Now that’s funny? Has anyone that has actually purchased the Gate said they’ve been scammed? On the contrary, nothing but praise. Yet fsonicsmith knows better than all of us without even trying any of the products. I’d be impressed if I didn’t know how wrong he is. No hard feelings though, can’t fault him in his ignorance too much as he knows not what he speaks of.
I love my Gate and you’d have to pry it from my cold, dead hands. Good luck with that. 😎
Good grief man. PM me and I’ll happily give you Tim’s phone number. You can talk to him until you’re blue in the face. Ask him any questions you want. I’ve always found him to be as open as can be.
Will he tell you exactly how he builds his products, or what is in them to make them work. Hell no he won’t. Why should he ... and why would you be entitled to the information?
Dude, it is primarily a startup company. What do you expect, glossy publications and lots of bells and whistles? Ask anyone who has bought any PPT products about the great service, the fast shipping and the fairness of Tim and Krissy. In the case of doing business with this small company, you usually get more than what you’ve paid for. Perhaps others will comment on this aspect as well.
Quite honestly, with all due respect, you know nothing of what you speak.
Frank
PS: You don't really trust Stereophile do you? Really?
We are Perfect Path Technologies, established 2018. Timothy Russell Mrock's business is located at 19 Mill Falls Rd, Pembroke NH. 03275. His phone number is 603-203-4486.
<3 Not ONE customer has returned an item in his gracious 90 day return policy <3
Tim is so far from a narcissist, he likes to say, it's not about him..... it's about a revolutionary technology. That's why the missing About Me page. However.... I'll get the webmaster to get right on it ;)
<3 Oh, and you can come hear for yourself at the Capital Audio Fest this fall. <3
It kinda makes me wonder which competitor fsonicsmith is working for. Either that or he has some really good Scotch or Bourbon.
And speaking of that, if you like tequila and are a Costco member, Costco has some really nice silver tequila for sale under the Kirkland label. Eighteen bucks for a 1.75-liter bottle.
As a new-ish customer of Perfect Path, I would like to thank Frank for his steadfast and truthful enthusiasm for the PPT products. If I had listened to wilfully ignorant posts such as fsonicsmith, I would never have placed my initial order. I almost didn’t, because of people like him who have posted similar ignorant garbage here.
I’m so glad I did indeed take the plunge. Total Contact, PPT E-Mats, Alpha Cards, and Stop-It plugs not only work as advertised (or better than advertised), they are the future of audio. I really mean that. The Future/Now (sonically speaking). It’s the most excitement and enjoyment I’ve ever had since geting interested in audio in the early 1970s. My real name is Mark Taylor, I have run the G45Central 60s garage collectors website since 2006, which fsonicsmith may know if he knows anything about the real Fred Sonic Smith (RIP).
Don’t be put off by 100% uninformed posts such as those spewed in ignorance by fsonicsmith. As Frank said, and as my own experience has confirmed, you’ll most likely get more than you bargained for.
And if fsonicsmith would like to hear a PPT-enhanced digital transfer of one of Fred Sonic Smith’s first 45s with the MC5 on AMG (maybe "One Of The Guys" or "I Just Don’t Know"), let me know and I’ll put up a link in a day or two. Mark
As a former ignorant jerk, I’d like to chime in.... fsonicsmith, PPT owners are good, honest folk who are passionate about enhancing their customer’s musical experience.
Indicator number 1- All purchases (except TC) come with an industry leading 90 day no questions asked full refund guarantee. Point out another comparable company that does that. I see you failed to mention that tidbit when you were picking apart their website. Hard to get swindleded with that guarantee, wouldn’t you say?
Indicator number 2- Owner’s personal number to discuss product info and ask questions. Doesn’t appear to me they’re hiding behind anything.
Indicator number 3- Generous to a fault. They were offering free Alpha cards for anyone to try. Simply pm your address. Well, I took them up on their offer and they graciously sent me one. They also added something else for free that was very generous and completely unexpected. All this after I was a naysaying jerk. No stipulations, no strings attached. They also send extras along with most customer orders, no strings attached. You tell me the last company you dealt with that does that.
Indicator number 4- The products actually work! Know this comes as a shock to you, but everyone here praising their products are not a bunch of ignorant rubes that will fall for any tweak du jour. These are intelligent, successful people who know their audio.
So, before you judge without having a shred of evidence to the contrary, try one of their products at zero risk. If you are not willing to do that, you are talking from a position of literal ignorance.
As someone who does not like to buy my Hi-Fi gear on line, save for a few items on AG, all I can do to in response to the negative things said about PPT and the owner/inventor, are not at all true in my experience.
If had not worked I would have returned it and demand my money back. However, none of the products I have tried and used from PPT have ever failed to work as discussed in this forum. In fact, they have surpassed my expectations.
As for Cutomer service, last Friday I placed my fourth order to PPT, on Friday morning and received it in priority mail, without being charged or asking for it, on Monday afternoon. It was an Oder for 10 e cards and got a “pelone” that I did not ask for.
I will continue to do business wit PPT because the products are reasonably priced for what they do, the service is fantastic and the owner is reachable by phone or email for if you have sincere questions about the product.
Heya, <3 Thanks for the question. <3 The Gate is compatible with all of these products you've mentioned above. <3 What our customers are experiencing... well.... the feedback is extraordinary. <3 Here's what's up....
After our products have been in for awhile, customers have removed certain other devices, allowing our technology to increase the sound quality vastly further. Astounding. <3 I've experienced this effect for myself with magnets and Bybee devices. <3 ;)
YOU WOULDN'T BE UNHAPPY leaving everything as is, and installing a Gate. It is an unusual device, the first of it's kind. It has many, many positive attributes, some of them yet to be discovered.
When you experiment and move the other devices out, it's truly bizarre. The Perfect Path effect is greatly increased! @drpie great set up you've got there! This level system will benefit from installing a Gate.
I just took a look at your system. It is awesome. It deserves The Gate for sure. With a Gate, E-Mats and Total Contact, as good as your system is now, it will be transformed into something beyond what you ever imagined possible. No joke.
drpie... like you, I had Bybee IQSE and ARN, Stein harmonizers. I aslo had big box Entreq.
I just kept the room acoustic treatments : Harmonizers and ARN. I sold Entreq and IQSE when I installed the Emats in my system and after using total contact enhancer.
Tim’s products work better without them.
I can’t speak for every power treatments but for the one I am speaking that’s a fact (in my system and room of course).
When I will be able to buy the gate, maybe I can put my Torus out, who knows ?
So the PPT.s products are not that expensive in the end...
Hi drpie: Fantastic system you've assembled! Like barbapapa I too found that removing 7 High Fidelity MC 0.5 waveguides (which are for sale BTW) from my system after installing Perfect Path paste and E cards was a real improvement in my sound. It was not subtle either. Also, I was using a couple of Audio magic Pulse Gen devices (one inside the sub panel for my stereo and the other inside the power supply of the CD player). After removing them and replacing them with E cards, the sound was even more improved with less glare and bite. Good listening. Jeff
I wonder about Synergistic Research products such as Atmosphere, UEF Acoustic Panels, UEF Acoustic Dots, HFTs, ETCs, etc. Better to remove them when using The Gate?
I'm using a ten-pack of SR HFTs throughout the room. They are staying where they are. They are great for getting a difficult room under control. Other than SR Level III power cords and the SR Blue fuses, the HFTs are the only SR products I'm using at the moment, so I can't speak for the rest.
One of my friends will be installing his HFTs shortly and he has The Gate already installed. He has a real need for room treatments. Perhaps he will chime in here after the installation.
Also, I believe that A'gon member Steve Fleschler had some experience with removing some SR products after installing his Omega E Mats and pasting his system with PPT's Total Contact. If he becomes aware of this thread, maybe he will share his experience as well.
I cannot understand why you would remove other different and complementary products after adding a PPT product? As the basis of operation of each product is different why not see them as complementary?
Acoustic treatments such as HFTs, Atmosphere etc affect the room, which is not anything the PPT products touch. Grounding solutions provide a common ground for all elements in the system, again nothing anything from PPT will affect (although the Gate may affect the overall ground you still need all components to share that).
The only exception might be power conditioners and the Gate, but even there one acts only passively while isolation transformers and most conditioners act on all legs of the power and provide additional benefits.
All of this is to say that in my system which includes all of the above, the Gate provided an incremental, and clearly differentiated, benefit strongly suggesting that it is complementary rather than duplicative.
I removed all my ECTs after installing only one Emat. When I removed them the sound was obviously better. I keep all my room treatments. I agree with Folkfreak they don’t work on the same plane... well I hope so. Never tried to put them out.
barbapapa... Yes, that makes sense. I have the SR Panels and UEF Dots. Those would most likely stay. I have some ECTs on my Amp and CD player which would be easy to try both ways. Actually, who am I kidding?...I’m a long way from being able to buy The Gate. Looking at starting with the E Mats for my CDP, Integrated amp, and curcuit breaker panel.
My findings were that there was a definite improvement upon installing the Gate in my system but I incurred even more sound improvement when removing my Equitech balanced power conditioner and SR Active Grounding Block.
I surmise that in the case of the power condition that it wasnt needed any more once the Gate was installed as the Gate provides an even blacker background than a power conditioner without any of their limitations. With the Gate in and the power conditioner out there was an increase in dynamics and more life to the music.
There was less less of a difference with and without the SR grounding block with the Gate. When used together there was a small increase in background blackness but upon removing the grounding block the music was more alive. Basically it didn’t make sense to me to keep the grounding block as I couldn’t warrant its cost when the Gate seems to be doing all it can.....and more.
The Gate just may be the one tweak to rule them all. I consider it to be much more than a tweak but not sure there’s a sufficient product category for it......yet.
mac48025... I have a Shunyata Hydra V-Ray2, which is a passive conditioning/distribution unit. I bet that The Gate would render that obsolete in my system. Maybe selling the V Ray could raise a few bucks for The Gate, but I’d be giving up the surge protection it offers.
I have a dozen E-Mats installed on equipment and power panels. I kept all SR 32 HFTs, SR fuses in my amps and SR power outlets. I rejected the SR black box because it cut off frequencies about 8Khz and shrunk the soundstage. The SR Atmosphere XL4 will be challenged in my new audio room as the former room had eccentricities which the XL4 sometimes helped. The new room is totally superior, comparable to the finest sound studios but constructed for listening only. The Hallographs and Stillpoints also remain. I don't use Total Contact. I hope to experience The Gate in the future but cannot afford it at this time due to the high cost of my listening room.
IMO, I’d keep the Hyrda, unless you need the funds for The Gate. ……......…………………………...
@folkfreak ,
Personally, I’m glad you chimed in. Your system is one we all should be in awe of. Given that...I’m wondering since you now have The Gate, and apparently like it......how would you classify it in the following terms:
(1) How much improvement to your current system did The Gate provide in %? (This would be based upon all of your system history). (2) In terms of any one component, how does The Gate rank in the positive (moving forward) aspect of your system? (3) Was there any area of SQ that suffered?
@slaw thanks for the questions. I don't really do % improvements as in my experience any improvement is always substantial (in the sense that once you have it you value it greatly) but at the same time inconsequential (as the next improvement will overpass it as you move on) -- similar to the idea that there's no such thing as diminishing returns
A better way of thinking is by analogy. To my mind the gate is less impactful than introducing top quality power cords or power conditioning in the first place (bear in mind that this is in the context of a system that already has this, absent the multiple layers of conditioning I already have the impact may be different -- audio is if nothing else heavily path dependent). It's perhaps closest to introducing a grounding solution -- it brings a new element to the mix that is not otherwise accessible (see my musings on this topic here).
The "negative" is that at least in my system it changed the tonal balance and smoothed off some top end edginess that I'd been managing by placing my ears slightly below the plane of my M3 tweeters -- post Gate I raised the listening seat and was rewarded with superior top to bottom linearity -- arguably less forgiving on edgy recordings but such is the nature of the Magico voicing -- truth 'oer all.
I've had several similar experiences when introducing new products into my system that mandated raising/lowering speaker plane.
Your statement that said:The Gate will be more/less impactful dependent upon the current state of one's system,( IS ) and should be taken to heart to those of us without The Gate, going forward.
I have previously read your grounding solutions topic.
Hey @folkfreak , Curious if you put the Gate in your panel , or did you install it some where else? Judging from your description it is NOT in your panel. . . . <3 Is it? Krissy
The Gate is such a significant improvement in every system in which I've heard it, that I find it interesting that you're not bubbling over with enthusiasm.
I'm wondering if you've installed it incorrectly. Did you connect it to a 220 amp breaker switch? If not, then you are totally missing out on what The Gate does so well. It will work off of a 110 switch, but will not be as effective as when attached to a 220 switch. If you have it on a 110, try the 220.
If you have installed it elsewhere in the system, take it out and put it in the circuit breaker box, then sit back and enjoy your new, very improved audio system.
@mrs_ppt the Gate was installed by Ron Hedrich (Marigo Audio) based on advice provided by Tim. It is on the 240V input side of my Torus WM-75BAL wall conditioner. Electrically this is identical to installation across the 240V breaker that the Torus is connected to - just at the other end of 30' of Romex from the breaker box to the Torus. This was the best compromise between space/ease of installation and closest to the main system -- I accept that it may give up something in "whole house" treatment (although again electrically it's the same as being in the breaker) but in no way compromises the impact on my audio system. I added a photo in my system so you can see -- the black lead is hard to make out but is connected to the 40A block just under the left side of the transformer.
By the way having a dealer to work with you is a major positive and I hope Ron is only the first of many local dealers that you will be working with.
@oregonpapa this is me being enthusiastic -- I am British after all and we are reserved. Perhaps another way of looking at it is to realize that in a system with $200K invested in acoustical, power conditioning and other tweaks (not including cables btw) the addition of The Gate made a positive and differentiated impact not achievable by any other such change -- that's quite an endorsement is it not?
Just as an addendum to my last post when taking the shots of the Gate in situ I wondered if as the Torus wall case is a noisy (actually, it's quite hummy) environment if some additional isolation for the Gate via fo.Q damping material might help
Answer is "don't do it folks" -- having fo.Q anywhere near the Gate messes things up big time. Think collapsed soundstage and rolled off highs. Clearly the squidgy material the Gate is made of has some special properties and trying to second think it with other footers or damping materials is not advised. I'd also guess there's some of that eMat special field source in there as well that a second type of damping material interferes with
Anyway hopefully this advice can avoid anyone else wasting their time -- and also act as another good demonstration of how effective the Gate is
Thank you for the response. I'm really happy that you're enjoying your Gate. It is an amazing device.
I'm sorry I took your reserved comments to be a lack of enthusiasm and I apologize. I am, after all, a "Yanker" ... and as you know, we can at times be Wankers. :-)
You must have a verified phone number and physical address in order to post in the Audiogon Forums. Please return to Audiogon.com and complete this step. If you have any questions please contact Support.
