That certainly must have taxed your patience. I'm happy that the unit has finally revealed its potential.
(Nothing similar, but the Sony SCD-XA5400ES I bought exhibited an equally long break-in)
Regards, |
I wonder if it was the piece that did it.Sometimes a word or a dream or another person or.........,ah well,what a feeling,cheers,B |
very kool. True breakthrough moments like this are rare in audio. Congrats.... |
I have the Tripoint Troy and my first impression was wow! Each component that I added to the Troy made the listining experience more and more thrilling.Finally with all the pieces in my system connected I sat bewildered!I too took a leap of faith.For the next 30 days it got even better. Then after about 3 months I went to the trouble of finding better grounding points.This was another pleasent surprise! The Spartan will be my next step to goose bump, giddy,hubba-hubba sound!Some words that come to mind are....lucious,pristine,spectacular,unforced,organic,mirage,summit,magical...you get the idea. |
Again, what a pleasant surprise to have a piece of "conditioning technology" that many philes view as an after-thought completely transform a system. It is amazing to me how little we know about this hobby. Someone claimed in another thread that the Tripoint boxes uses Jensen 4 pole capacitors. From my conversations with Miguel, this is patently false. |
Yeah his stuff is completly passive, NO current limitation.It is funny how some people will fight new inovations kicking and screaming. All I can say is that I am glad that people like Miguel are passionate enough and stubborn enough to get it right. Rock on Tripoint! |
After another month of break-in time, the word that comes to mind is 'pure'. There is a clarity and beauty, like a finely cut diamond. Yet, everything is relaxed and effortless. Whereas the Troy added a beauty and palpability, the Spartan clears away all traces of haze. The Troy and Spartan seem to be doing slightly different things, and the combination is very synergistic and complementary. |
I agree with Rtn1. Nothing I've heard is so pure and natural. |
I wish i can afford one, $35,0000.00 for a power conditioner. Wow!! |
I believe it takes Miguel several weeks to create a Spartan and the material costs are relatively high. |
I have achieved significant gains by using Quicksilver Gold on the connections. It really let's me hear more of the Troy and Spartan. It has taken me from the "they are here" presentation, to the "you are there" presentation. For some recordings, it literally sounds like you are sitting in the balcony of a concert hall. Large choral works are particularly striking, but even quartets and solo pieces have a lovely sense of note decay into space. I have no negative traits to report. |
You guys are driving me crazy. I had the Troy for a review, raved about it, but ultimately sent it back. I regret it now. I don't even want to hear the Spartan. |
Norm, I'm not sure how you were able to remove the Troy. It will poison the mind....
I am unsure that this stuff can be effectively demo'd at an audio show. Both pieces take a long time for initial break-in, and days to stabilize after being disconnected. |
Rtn1, I had just bought the Tidal Contrivas and felt very poor. You are absolutely right about the Troy taking time to breakin. I noticed the benefits most when I removed the Troy, the effortlessness and sound stage resolution were gone.
I hope that the Troy and Spartan will be demonstrated at the RMAF where they can be taken out so that I can hear what they are doing, then I can stew about being unable to afford them.
You speak about the Troy poisoning your mind. This is exactly what the Tidals did to me on Sunday at the last RMAF. |
Just a comment on the Maestro outlets used in the Spartan. I got an outlet and installed it. It is the best outlet I have heard and still is breaking in. |
I purchased a Maestro outlet (which is used in the Spartan).One would think with qualty power cords that one would have all the bases covered! One was wrong. The improvement that the outlet made is so cool. How did we get to the point of such crazy stuff? Pay close attention, the improvement is incredible. I have a hard time telling my audiophile friends that an outlet makes such a huge difference. They sometimes chuckle and say that I am hopeless. Get the outlet it is that good! |
Booboobaer, I have lived with friends' and my wife's comments such as you have received. It is part of the life of an audiophile as well as one who races cars or boats or collects things such as silver or dolls.
If yours is newly installed as is mine, you will hear great improvements for three hundred hours. |
Cool Tbg, that is excitng since the Sound Labs are begining to portray music even more naturally than in the past. If this is going to get better then whoo hoo! Happy listening! |
I am glad everyone is enjoying their new outlets.
Now, in regards to the other 99.8% of the Spartan...
I am learning so much about music and how we perceive sound. After some experimenting with different cables, I am now of the mind that the Spartan does not impart its own signature, as it lets one hear the present components. New experiences I thought the Spartan added, disappeared when I changed components. Thus, the Spartan is like sprinkling Fleur de Sel on the finest foods (the creme de la creme of sea salt, literally). The Spartan puts your system under the microscope, and reveals everything. It is not a bandaid. By microscope, I am not talking about etched detail in the upper frequencies. Rather, you can hear all the subtle cues that construct note texture, harmonics, evolution, spatial cues, and ambiance. If you have a musical system with a natural and beautiful sound, then it will sound more musical, more natural, and more beautiful.
My stereo is so responsive. I can change a single of anything in my system and hear the difference usually in 10 seconds. It will shine a light on your weak links. Is this a good thing? I think if one wants to get the most out of a reference stereo, then yes. I am closer to sitting in front of a live performance than ever before. You've been warned... |
Rtn1, someday I hope to hear the Spartan in a demonstration with and without, but even then it is way beyond my means. |
What's the Maestro outlet break in period for max performance? |
Knghifi, I noticed some improvement the first two days and little after that. |
Tbg, for the 1st 5 hours it sounded tight so was wondering about break in. It sounds excellent now and the BEST bang for the buck investment. Most noticeable improvements are reduced noise and bass.
I found my new SS Mono amps best plug into my two 20 amp dedicated outlets so lucky I tried the Maestro. |
I have to echo the improvements brought to my system by Maestro outlets. I was very skeptical about them or any other outlets. As an electrical engineer, I do understand a little about those electrons but these outlets somehow make my system sound so much cleaner with larger sound stage and clarity. If there's a scientific documentation on how these outlets do it, I'd like to read them. |
Sacman,
I am not aware of any scientific investigation or meaningful measurements of outlet quality from an audio perspective. My experience is that everything that transmits power or signal has a sonic signature. There are many means to modulate that impulse which are not well understood from the perspective of recreating a musical event.
Usually, discussion of scientific measurements in audio ends in a bloody brawl with extremism and hurt feelings. I can already hear the footsteps of short, pointy-eared creatures. |
i have heard the Tripoint Spartan and the Troy...and we did get an opportunity to do a with/without on the Troy. Smokes, that puppy does work. just removing ONE of the silver grounding cables from one of the amps brought in a haze, tiny, tiny but noticeable.
The system was the AE reference system in Hong Kong...all Tidal Sunrays w the 2 6 foot tower subs, 3 sets of Tidal monos, the 4-stack Tidal pre and the full stack of Stahl-Tek digital. |
There is no question that the Troy works. It is just too expensive, unfortunately or I would have one. |
My opinion is that it is important to heed proper attention to all components. I feel that many people become speaker poor, and never quite get the sound they would like. It's the same concept of being house poor - big house but no furnishings.
Personally, I would rather distribute my budget to include at the very least, a Troy. The Spartan drove me crazy for the past year. Just within the last couple months did I weed-out every weak link to complete the circle. The Spartan/Orion is that demanding. The Troy makes everything sound better. The Spartan lets you hear all your components.
The cost of the raw materials is surprisingly expensive. Add to that an obsession to sourcing from the manufacturers whose raw goods have the best sonic attributes. Plus, these products are wholly unique and innovative pieces. Can't think of anything else that does what these do.
I feel very fortunate to have access to a lot of work so I can fund this hobby. I will readily admit that these pieces are excesses in terms of what most people are seeking, but for me it has always been about taking the system further than what I thought possible. As a music lover who is an enthusiastic about audio equipment, my goal has been about pushing the state-of-the-art to recreate a live event. The Troy and Spartan are vital parts of that goal. |
Rtn1, I agree. People often lose a balanced approach, and SOTA power components are the first to be overlooked even though they may contribute more than any other piece.
Tbg, you have some fairly expensive gear. The Troy is not that outlandish.... |
Agear, I had just bought the Tidal Contrivas, eating was too expensive. I really did like the Troy. What is the Orion, a lessor Spartan? |
"Tbg, you have some fairly expensive gear. The Troy is not that outlandish...." Agear
...yes, though $35 large for a power conditioner is pretty extreme..."
...still i will personally wait til they come out very discounted/s-hand. it really sensational... |
