Review: Tritium Technologies Triphazers Tweak

Category: Accessories

It is all about music.

Over the years I have been searching, buying, selling and remodeling my audio system. Being a perfectionist I was never absolutely happy with anything I have. What works for one aspect doesn’t help or even hurts another. I kept going from one gear to the other with the price tags going up, I get some benefit, surely I do, but is worth the money? May be, as they say in the eyes (here in the ear) of the beholder (listener). And, did I get what I want? Well, part of it. The problem was I was looking and searching for, the music, this is it, the music. I was after that proper tone and timing the unveils this emotional experience that the composer had in mind and heart, and his talent transformed it into what we know as music. When you get this, somehow the music makes sense the temporal (time) and spatial (space) and tonal aspects of the composition makes sense to you, you feel why he did it this way and what was he intending to express. It’s like a hidden secret or language with a mystique that only the human mind and ear can really perceive. After all music is a universal language that is tamed and perfected by our personal preference (classical, jazz, rock…etc). The goal of our music systems and expensive gear is music reproduction. At this point you have deciphered the code of those complex sounds into a meaningful emotional and mental experience, we call music.

When I was frustrated with my endeavors, my friend who has far more experience than me came to visit me. He brought ASC tube traps to try, cone vibration isolators and he had something else he did not talk about. We placed the tube taps in the corner, it helped, and it made the bass more defined. The BBC isolation cones increased the definition in my system. But it was more of the same, clear but where is the music that talks to the soul and brings those emotions and pleasure effortlessly out. Yes, recent studies using PET scan (positron emission tomography to see brain function) revealed that music increases human brain activity in the same area as food and sex. So it gives actual pleasure, the bad news is that it can be addictive too. My friend had small black boxes that he placed in the speakers signal path using jumpers. For about 10 minutes. When asked me what do you notice? At first I told him more defined of everything, but after a while, when I went through 10 or 20 CDs and SACDs looking for some tracks in particular. I found that it is not just a clearer presentation of what is there. It is a different music. It was difficult for me to explain, there was more music.

“Triphazers” he said,” they are controversial, some say they make a lot of difference some criticize them. We don’t even know what they are, are they inductors? We don’t know. A guy named Mike makes them; he even has better ones than the one I have shown you.” He had an X-20 speaker triphazers

That day, I understood that what I was looking for is beyond the equipment. My gear is not bad (listed at the bottom), actually it is good. But this black box was a revelation and revolution. Because for its price the magnitude of difference is huge. A tweak in general refines or improves what you already have. But this brings what you don’t have, the music itself.
I searched triphazers on line (google of course) and called Mike at tritium audio. Very nice guy, explains everything to you but the triphazers, he never talks about how they work? I tried many time but I guess it is his secret. Mike will tell you what they can do. Mike has a lot of enthusiasm for music and his products, he also raves a lot about them, which from the first instance made me skeptical. I was skeptical because he was talking about the triphazers as God’s gift to music and second I am scientist, I have to understand what is happening, I don’t believe any data unless they come from a double-blind, placebo controlled prospective randomized study that showed a statistically significant difference or uses a pre-known fact, theory or hypothesis. But here I am not sure.

So I got one pair of speaker triphazers, better (x-80) than the ones my friend showed me. Mike mentioned that they take a while to break n and that the major break in is for the speakers. He gives a 30-day money back guarantee and future upgrade option too.

I hooked them in played music that day for 7 hours. Yes, 7 hours, I sampled about 80 or even 100 CDs and SACDS. The sound was amazing, better, although I haven’t given it time to break in. It was warm, not muffled, not muddy but clear yet warm. It was real; it was closer to real performance than to a recording. It was convincing. That was music to my ears.

The highs were much better. Cleaner, defined yet never harsh or metallic. My Dynaudio esotar on my Eggleston works Andra I is one of the best silk dome tweeters around, if not the best. I did not realize the potential until I put the triphazers on. The sound is anologue like, zero digial harshness and real. The mids were even the most affected, this where most of the music is, and this is where you start to feel and see the true fabric of the music composition, it was timed right and I heard things on my discs in the background and soundsatage depth I have never experienced before. The bass was not changed, neither decreased nor increased yet it was defined. All what is described is nothing compared to the fact the highs, mids and lows, were in harmony as if the danced together to bring the true sense of music, and music started be so pleasant even on disc that I couldn’t listen to because the recording are bad. The music was natural, hard to describe it, effortless performance with immense emotional aspect.

After few weeks I called mike because it kept getting better and better. I asked about what other triphazers he had. He mentioned interconnect ones and A/C power.

I got a pair of his best line triphazers to go between my cd player and my integrated amplifier (musical fidelity KW500). I have noticed the same effects as the speakers triphazers. After a few weeks(about 4-5 weeks). My system sounded as a different system, for the better of course.

Finally I tried the A/C triphazers. They are very good, but their effect was not like the speaker ones and line ones. However, I had those already on and it is hard to tell the pure effect of the A/C triphazers. I could have tried them without the speaker and the line triphazers, I couldn’t , I dare not take the triphazers out of the system, I love the way it sounds. I also did not like the A/C triphazer on my amp I run the amp on a dedicated 20 amp outlet and shunyata hydra-2 conditioner. The A/C triphazers made the sound better but I believe had some limitation on the dynamics. So, I ended putting triphazers on everything but the power amplifier. As for the CD players, or transports, the benefit of A/C triphazer is 2 fold. In addition to it’s effect on the sound. It isolated the digital noise the player put back to line. For that I carried out an experiment. I played the cd, and selected another source on the amp(tape) then turned the volume to the max, now I can hear a little buzz ( digital noise of the spinning disc going back to the A/C line, but not directly coming from the interconnect) in the speakers that goes away when I stop the cd player form spinning. I turned the cd player off added the A/C triphazers, turned it on and sound was gone by 90-95%, that is another benefit. You can use a balanced power conditioner like the BPT ones (Balanced power technologies) to isolate the digital noise generated by spinning of the players; I have one of those. The problem is that the power on a balanced outlet is limited 2.5-3.5 amps. Which theoretically is enough for the CD players and transports but if you attach the player to a 15-amp outlet it sound fuller and better, at least in my system. With the a/c line triphazers I can plug my cd player anywhere without getting that digital noise.

After all this experience with Mike I asked him if he has any other products, and he mentioned the platinum interconnects. I got a pair to try with the triphazers. These are actually made of platinum. All I can say, to make a long story short that interconnects are so perfect that I am not buying in another interconnect again. I have tried many expensive interconnects that are good but not perfect. All had strengths and weaknesses. This one is neutrally warm!! Yes, I just wanted to say they are neutral but also warm. Some may disagree with the description, but this is what I found, they never take sides, whether with sound stage, highs, mid lows, tones, transparency, warmth. They are just where I wanted them. Now if they were ridiculously expensive like some other cables, I would say they are expensive, but they are worth the money. But for the price I paid for them, it is the real deal!

All these products: triphazers and platinum interconnects that mike makes originate from the fact that mike loves music, he is enthusiastic about his products as much as he about the music. Has has other products that I haven’t tried, like fancy turntables, and modifications for CD payers. Unfortunately, he doesn’t make Platinum speaker cables, which would be an addition to his excellent and relatively fairly priced products.

Home Theater
I thought about trying triphazers on my home theater. So I got seven x-20 speaker triphazers from Mike, for my 7.1 system. I can’t use line triphazers for my denon has a digital proprietary link called denon link III. I also used a power tripazer for the CD player and again I left the receiver without triphazers. The results were amazing. The sound was real. And the phasing with the subwoofer got better. The sound is full and real. Most important , the music that was hiding was all those sounds was clear and delineated that I can enjoy it and it adds to the emotional experience that some scenes are really thrillers in every sense, it involves you in the music. You feel in the room you don’t listen to speakers anymore. I tried one movie after the other; lord of the rings, superman, armegaddon, chronicales of narnia, pearl harbor, gladiator and many others. The result, I love my home theater to the extent that I just turn on to so a scene for 10 minutes enjoy the thrill and the goose bumps and then turn it off.

Bottom line

If the triphazers ended my search for a lot of things, a lot of expensive things, like equipment and tweaks it may work for you. However, any addition to a given sound system depends on the components and personal taste. I have to throw this in because may be for somebody out there it may not do what it is supposed to do. I doubt that but I haven’t listened to every piece of equipment and I don’t know every personal taste. However, I am sure if you love music you will love these. If you think you are Einstein and argue before you listen to them then you will miss them. If the scientist’s ego kicks in remeber this, morphine the prototype opioid used for pain relief world wide was discovered hundreds and thousands of years ago by tribal chiefs who used to smoke it and eat and get high. If you asked the knowledgeable people or so called scientist back then they would tell you this is voodoo, because their ego did not want to say I Don’t know his one so I will not even look at it. Well this voodoo now is the bench mark for pain management worldwide, however we found how it works(on opioid recptors in the spinal cord called mu receptors). The message to take, because you know something it does not mean you know everything. I only tried them on my system; you try them for yourself, on your system, and see how it works. Just give them sometime. To solve this problem Mike offers 2 things: a 30-day money back guarantee and future upgrades.

I have no financial interest in Tritum technologies or from writing this article. I haven’t received any compensation, or products discounts or gifts to write this article. I volunteered to write this review for Mike because I believe he has an excellent product that is well designed and made but not well known and poorly marketed. I am just spreading the word that you can get much more out of your gear, without bigger holes in your pocket. It is all about music, nothing else.

Stereo Equipment

Musical Fidelity KW SACD

Musical Fidelity KW 500 integrated

Eggleston works Andra I speakers

Acoustic Zen absolute speaker cable with speaker triphazers(x-80)

Synergistic research Tesla 3 Power cords and shunyata Hyrda-2 for the KW 500 on a dedicated 20 amp line

Synergistic research Tesla 2 Power cords, balanced power technology power conditioner and line triphazer for the CD player

Tritium platinum interconnects with line level triphazers(x-500).

Music I listen to

Classical: variety of CD and SACDs. Beethoven, Mozart, Mahler. Yo-yo –ma is my favorite.

New age:eg. Enya, Yanni, and fusion music

Rock: eg.Pink Floyd.

Jazz collections as well as Diana Krell and Patricia Barber.

Associated gear
Musical Fidelity KW 500 Integrated
Musical Fidelity KW SACD
Eggleston Andra I speakers
AcoustiC Zen Absolute speaker cable
Tritium Platinum interconnects
BBC cone islolators
BPT power conditioner
Synergistic research Tesla 2 and 3 Power cords