Tripoint Troy Elite - Installed

RogerD

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May 23, 2010
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No it's not. People wouldn't care at all about these if it were just a star ground. I've already explained how an extra star ground wouldn't do anything other than maybe make another loop by connecting it to safety earth; and technically you no longer have star ground once you add one of these, were it to provide bonding - and at least the Entreq is 100% certain not bonding. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Tripoint recommends connecting amps and pre/sources to different posts, right? (I know several others stipulate not to using binding posts combinations with amp and source on the same) There's no reason to do that if you're simply bonding.

I'm happy you get results you like - I believe your stereo does sound different based on what you do. But you're not an engineer yet. And these products do not work the way you think. Again, we have more than enough anecdotal proof. I firmly believe Microstrip is telling the truth that bonding didn't work for him, but the Nordost box did.
You really don't understand do you. The Tripoint is the "single point" and the bonding center. All components connect to the Tripoint. The Tripoint connects to ground. Pretty simple...like I said it is designed for the audiophile.
 

Tango

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Mar 12, 2017
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Sorry Mike for referring to you that way. I reread what I wrote and it could sound differently from my intention. No pun intended really.

Kindest regards,
Tang
 

Folsom

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Oct 25, 2015
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You really don't understand do you. The Tripoint is the "single point" and the bonding center. All components connect to the Tripoint. The Tripoint connects to ground. Pretty simple...like I said it is designed for the audiophile.

Show me pictures with a multimeter. You have no reason to think this except that it validates your own DIY solutions to the tune of thousands of dollars. That or you've seen an instruction manual that tells you that you can connect any ground cable to any post, along with any other one. And the odds that is true are basically zero - AGAIN - especially since we have members specifically stating bonding did nothing for them but grounding boxes work; and multiple other grounding devices distinctly say don't connect amps & sources at the posts. Just because you anecdotally have enjoyed bonding so much does not mean the rest of the world will or has. If it were so popular then why on earth don't you see it EVERYWHERE. From a technical perspective it has limited benefits, but real. Those benefits are only related to providing a better path between equipment and wholly unrelated to making another connection to safety ground that increases loops.
 

Audiocrack

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Aug 10, 2012
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Say what, 1.52 Ohms is that a typo? That's about 1000 feet of 12AWG wire. (3.3 mm sq)

Nope, no typo. The company that hammered in my earthpin had a professional measuring device which showed me with each additional 1,5M what the Ohms benefits were. When we started I was aiming at getting a value somewhat below 3 Ohms but in the end we stopped at 1.52 Ohms. Additional hammering after 45M could not bring us no any further.
 

Barry2013

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Oct 12, 2013
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Why is it that the naysayers direct all their criticisms at Tripoint and Entreq and Transparent Audio cables with their own noise filtering attachments to their cables seem to be untouchable?
 

ack

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May 6, 2010
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Why is it that the naysayers direct all their criticisms at Tripoint and Entreq and Transparent Audio cables with their own noise filtering attachments to their cables seem to be untouchable?

No one said the "filtering attachments" in the MIT cables are untouchable - this is why we shield them. But at least there is real, verified and patented technology inside the boxes.
 

ack

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May 6, 2010
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no. they should not.

Actually, they don't have the guts to do it, because they can't make any arguments that would survive engineering scrutiny; and it shows in their advertising. The most laughable thing is this "chassis ground", as if someone just invented chassis ground.

Tripoint customers are not asking these questions and need no one to 'help' us.

Another elitist comment, like the ML3s sounding their best in your system only. Here's what I observed: you plugged in the ML3s and there was hum; that clearly indicates ground loop problems. It seems to me that plugging the ML3 into that spectacular "grounding" device didn't solve the problem either, and you ended up lifting the ground on the amps, which is not really fixing the ground loop problem. Feel free to correct anything here, but it does feel like you do need help with grounds. It also seems to me you are disputing what Atmasphere (and others like him) are saying, so let's hear it: why is that?
 

analogsa

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Apr 15, 2017
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What an amusing discussion :b

One would think that everything related to high end audio is actually based on accepted engineering and scientific principles. And how could this be if there is no defined engineering objective?

Somehow people no longer get all hot and bothered about cables, yet the engineering POV about audiophile cables remains unchanged: strictly "voodoo". So why would "grounding" boxes be any different? Of course the last thing those offer is grounding in the engineering sense.

They do something. It is audible. So, the makers have decided to market it not as voodoo, but as grounding. Whatever it is, it certainly does not pursue any engineering objective - the complete lack of measurements and specs should make this obvious. Do the manufacturers understand the principles of work? Certainly not, it is entirely empirical, trial and error and perhaps the odd loony hypothesis.

Is this so hard to accept?
 

rockitman

Member Sponsor
Sep 20, 2011
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Wouldn’t have this many discussions in various threads if the magic box cost $1,000 because more people will take a leap of faith to buy and try it and likely be surprised how the sound of their system changes. Many will like it regardless of how it works. While some, likely very few, would think it sounds unnatural. But if I were the creator, I wouldn’t spend a few days to produce one box to get $500. I want a financially well to do life that gives me access to luxury like you all too. There goes the price. A thousand bucks a box and we will all be like Mike saying I don’t care how it works.

Peace :)
Tang

Hide your magic box(s) from David when he comes to install the as2000....:D
 

spiritofmusic

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Jun 13, 2013
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Christian, it’s a really good thing that I haven’t ordered the AS from David
1- my repayments would be awful
2- I’d have an almighty Ding Dong with him insisting on trying my fave power cord to the AS motor.

I always found the tale of yr cooling on Entreq a bit unfinished.
I mean I’ve found Entreq much less useful in my new setup, but I didn’t need an avowed skeptic to come over and rip the whole lot out to tell me this.
 

Speedskater

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Sep 30, 2010
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I hope you're telling that for everyone else's reference, because it's not for me since I specifically said the same thing in different terms. The impedance to the transformer feeding your house is obviously better than 25ohm.
.................................................................
It's way better than 25 Ohms! The Hot to Neutral impedance in your home will be less than 1 Ohm. At your hi-fi system the Safety Ground to Neutral will be a small fraction of an ohm.
For day-to-day listening, it doesn't matter what the Safety Ground to Planet Earth impedance is. It only matters when real bad things happen.
 

Speedskater

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Sep 30, 2010
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Nope, no typo. The company that hammered in my earthpin had a professional measuring device which showed me with each additional 1,5M what the Ohms benefits were. When we started I was aiming at getting a value somewhat below 3 Ohms but in the end we stopped at 1.52 Ohms. Additional hammering after 45M could not bring us no any further.

Or I see, by 'earthpin' you were referring to what in the US is called a 'ground rod'.
And the 45 meters is the total length of the earth pins/ground rods in Planet Earth.
In that case, 1.52 Ohms seems to be extremely low. It's not an easy measurement to make, it requires an expensive meter, and skilled technician and lots of time.
 

Mike Lavigne

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
Apr 25, 2010
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Actually, they don't have the guts to do it, because they can't make any arguments that would survive engineering scrutiny; and it shows in their advertising. The most laughable thing is this "chassis ground", as if someone just invented chassis ground.

Another elitist comment, like the ML3s sounding their best in your system only. Here's what I observed: you plugged in the ML3s and there was hum; that clearly indicates ground loop problems. It seems to me that plugging the ML3 into that spectacular "grounding" device didn't solve the problem either, and you ended up lifting the ground on the amps, which is not really fixing the ground loop problem. Feel free to correct anything here, but it does feel like you do need help with grounds. It also seems to me you are disputing what Atmasphere (and others like him) are saying, so let's hear it: why is that?

respectfully, i will pass.
 

spiritofmusic

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Jun 13, 2013
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Ack, I think Mike’s picking up a certain vibe, but I could be wrong.

Luckily he doesn’t do that kind of vibe in return.
 

spiritofmusic

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Jun 13, 2013
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When my 8kVA balanced transformer was installed, the engineer was enthusiastic to add a ground rod, especially since the chapel sits less than 20’ from water.

Not just one, but six to nine of the little critters.

This would have meant taking a cable from the dedicated ground terminal on the transformer, to the exterior wall, down to ground level, out to the waterside, and then drive ground rods as deep as possible, 6-9 at 10’ centres daisy chained by mesh.

I broke into a cold sweat at his suggestion and changed the subject.
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Here's what I observed: you plugged in the ML3s and there was hum; that clearly indicates ground loop problems. It seems to me that plugging the ML3 into that spectacular "grounding" device didn't solve the problem either, and you ended up lifting the ground on the amps, which is not really fixing the ground loop problem.

I have read this thread with great interest as I know nothing about Tripoint but I do know something about star grounding and of all of the posts I read, this statement stuck out for me. Without the flames flying can someone explain to me why there was a ground loop hum with all of the grounding equipment in place such that the only solution was to lift the ground from the power cord.
 

Mike Lavigne

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
Apr 25, 2010
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I have read this thread with great interest as I know nothing about Tripoint but I do know something about star grounding and of all of the posts I read, this statement stuck out for me. Without the flames flying can someone explain to me why there was a ground loop hum with all of the grounding equipment in place such that the only solution was to lift the ground from the power cord.

ask David. he talked me through the diag process and recommended my solution. and said it was not unusual for the ML3's. when i received the ML3's the power cords enclosed had the ground pins removed already. so it seems typical.
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
ask David. he talked me through the diag process and recommended my solution. and said it was not unusual for the ML3's.

so the Tripoint will ground most components but not all components??
 

Al M.

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Sep 10, 2013
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So basically use a single power outlet and plug all components into it? That's what I do.

That will make sure the equipment is not at different potentials. But dedicated lines work well for this, too. What works poorly is just using whatever sockets are in the house from multiple walls that are tied to all sorts of different things.

"Ground loops" exist in some way shape or form to all audio gear. For example if your DAC to amp used balanced cables forms a loop from safety ground at your power distribution strip/box or 2 socket wall receptacles then through each component to it's chassis, connecting on the shield of the XLR cable. That is a loop. But if your amp is on another circuit then the loop is the size back to the breaker box from both AC wall receptacles. Generally both of these loops are fairly benign on a balanced system. But you get the idea that depending on how the equipment is made you can grow or shrink loop paths pretty quickly. But the potential difference starts to play a factor to increase the noise when your receptacles are not running off of dedicated circuits, and there are other devices screwing everything up on the AC lines.

SO Dave's advise is good if you don't need the extra power. It is just easy assurance that you won't have a bigger than necessary loop at any time. Some gear will be immune to massive loops, other will not - both can still be good pieces of equipment.

Yes, a large outlet strip plugged into a single wall receptacle is an excellent plan.

Thanks, guys. I guess I got lucky then, without even knowing what I was doing ;).

Question: I do use an isolation transformer for the digital front end (transport + DAC), fed from the same power outlet as everything else. I don't know if this lifts the ground or not, but does that introduce any ground loop problems? My system has no balanced connections.

(Not that I am aware of sonic problems, just asking.)
 

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