Tripoint emperor : a breakthrough

[TBG]

I understand your problem as a reviewer. A lot of audiophiles are (very) sceptical about the concept grounding. Because I am (pretty) sure those who are sceptical have not heard the current Tripoint products like the Troy signature or Thor se (let alone the emperor), they indeed do not know what they miss. Offcourse they cannot hear what you are hearing, that is bringing out the very best out of the audio components through grounding. So yes, that creates a problem for you in your role as reviewer. That said, I am (still) amazed about how many Tripoint 'boxes' Miguel has sold so far. So the community of Tripoint users is growing and so more and more audiophiles have a clue what you are experiencing (although I fully understand that it is not only the Tripoint products you are referring to but the whole system and the synergy you have been able to achieve).

Last weekend was exciting as I discovered the benefits of Miguel's grounding within BMC M2 amps and their MCCI phono stage and he to learn the benefits of the HFCables and power cords and accidentally of the Zilplex room treatments.

I must say that last night I got the full demonstration that a cartridge needs perhaps a full side of a record to reach its best. No doubt that some may not be willing to get realism. I can certainly understand this but would warn them not to hear realism. It is contagious.

 

[Audiocrack]

Last weekend was exciting as I discovered the benefits of Miguel's grounding within BMC M2 amps and their MCCI phono stage and he to learn the benefits of the HFCables and power cords and accidentally of the Zilplex room treatments.

I must say that last night I got the full demonstration that a cartridge needs perhaps a full side of a record to reach its best. No doubt that some may not be willing to get realism. I can certainly understand this but would warn them not to hear realism. It is contagious.

As in your system I can clearly notice when my Kondo amps are or are not yet fully warmed up. And yes, cartridges need also some time to reach their peak. Eg, my Lyra olympos warmes up faster than my Koetsu coral stone diamond cartridge. The latter has offcourse a (stone) body while the former has not. So yes, when a system gets really transparent, that is like a fully cleaned window or maybe no window at all anymore, you can notice these things very easily. This weekend a friend/technician and I worked on the Genesis system because I was - also in the weekend that Lukasz of Lampizator and Wisnon were visiting me - not fully satisfied with it's performance. My friend changed the spring settings of the Halcyonics devices on which my rack with the Kondo preamp is standing and he rearranged my cable loom, in particular the Taralabs grandmaster evolution very thin grounding cables which are apparently very sensitive (and I have contected all Taralabs cables to a Tripoint Thor se and consequently with the Tripoint emperor). Believe it or not: a big difference and the magic was all there (again). Listened inter alia to Hugh Masekela's coal train song (45 rpm record) on my Walker turntable: the dynamics and impact became almost frightening.

 

[TBG]

As in your system I can clearly notice when my Kondo amps are or are not yet fully warmed up. And yes, cartridges need also some time to reach their peak. Eg, my Lyra olympos warmes up faster than my Koetso coral stone diamond cartridge. The latter has offcourse a (stone) body while the former has not. So yes, when a system gets really transparent, that is like a fully cleaned window or maybe no window at all anymore, you can notice these things very easily. This weekend a friend/technician and I worked on the Genesis system because I was - also in the weekend that Lukasz of Lampizator and Wisnon were visiting me - not fully satisfied with it's performance. My friend changed the spring settings of the Halcyonics devices on which my rack with the Kondo preamp is standing and he rearranged my cable loom, in particular the Taralabs grandmaster evolution very thin grounding cables which are apparently very sensitive (and I have contected all Taralabs cables to a Tripoint Thor se and consequently with the Tripoint emperor). Believe it or not: a big difference and the magic was all there (again). Listened inter alia to Hugh Masekela's coal train song (45 rpm record) on my Walker turntable: the dynamics and impact became almost frightening.

I think that ultimately we are right at the edge of what is possible and that it is very fragile. I find that having ANY cable in contact with either the wood or carpeted floor ruins the sound. This includes the grounding wires and, of course, the Tripoint Thor SEs. Zilplex advises to have a 45º angle downward toward the wall. I have always found that with time some cups go flat in their bases and always sought to correct this. But when Miguel was here he found that my moving one of the eleven Zilplexes to 45º ruined the sound stage. I agreed when I went back to about 23º. Everything is so critical to the maximum realism that once achieved I'm hesitant to make any changes, which, of course, makes reviewing difficult. But in addition, it also means that rival products both have favorable aspects. How many reviews do you see where the reviewer say both have outstanding attributes, the choice is yours? I have heard of a guy with two turntables-one used for jazz and the other for classical. I also know of a man who sought to find the proper VTA on a Wheaton tonearm for each record and write it on the album. I ultimately grave up on this as detracting from my enjoyment of music.

I am now retired but still find music relaxing and vital to me. But I really love hearing Sinatra singing and seemingly in my room. I know of perhaps fifty of my precious recording that realistically capture great performances. There are probably more waiting for me to discover them. Life is just too short. Enjoy.

 

[spiritofmusic]

TBG, can you post a link to Ziplex? I'm struggling to find relevant info. Regards.

 

[Audiocrack]

TBG, can you post a link to Ziplex? I'm struggling to find relevant info. Regards.

www.zilplex.com This company is Dutch based. You can find tests of Zilplex in stereotimes, inter alia by TBG.

 

[Audiocrack]

I think that ultimately we are right at the edge of what is possible and that it is very fragile. I find that having ANY cable in contact with either the wood or carpeted floor ruins the sound. This includes the grounding wires and, of course, the Tripoint Thor SEs. Zilplex advises to have a 45º angle downward toward the wall. I have always found that with time some cups go flat in their bases and always sought to correct this. But when Miguel was here he found that my moving one of the eleven Zilplexes to 45º ruined the sound stage. I agreed when I went back to about 23º. Everything is so critical to the maximum realism that once achieved I'm hesitant to make any changes, which, of course, makes reviewing difficult. But in addition, it also means that rival products both have favorable aspects. How many reviews do you see where the reviewer say both have outstanding attributes, the choice is yours? I have heard of a guy with two turntables-one used for jazz and the other for classical. I also know of a man who sought to find the proper VTA on a Wheaton tonearm for each record and write it on the album. I ultimately grave up on this as detracting from my enjoyment of music.

I am now retired but still find music relaxing and vital to me. But I really love hearing Sinatra singing and seemingly in my room. I know of perhaps fifty of my precious recording that realistically capture great performances. There are probably more waiting for me to discover them. Life is just too short. Enjoy.

Yes, Miguel informed me about this experience with Zilplex. He was flabbergasted. Miguel has very good ears so I am sure this change - although at first sight maybe hard to believe - had a serious impact on the sound quality. And yes, everything is critical when you have reached a certain level of high fidelity. Sometimes I only dare to approach the system with utmost care because I am afraid to break/ruin the magic. I suppose for a lot of people this soundsike voodo but it is very difficult to achieve audio magic and even much more difficult to keep the magic audio flow going. Fragile indeed!

 

[Audiocrack]

Yes, Miguel informed me about this experience with Zilplex. He was flabbergasted. Miguel has very good ears indeed so I am sure this change - although at first sight maybe hard to believe - had a serious impact on the sound quality. And yes, everything is critical when you have reached a certain level of high fidelity. Sometimes I only dare to approach the system with utmost care because I am afraid to break/ruin the magic. I suppose for a lot of people this sounds as voodo but it is very difficult to achieve audio magic and even much more difficult to keep the magic audio flow going. Fragile indeed!

And I totally forgot to add: the Tripoint emperor is for me a key factor in order to reach and stay in audio heaven. The additional impact of this 'beast' is for me still hard to believe. Talking about purity and serinity! Although the emperor - after being two months in my system - has still not fully stabilized, in combination with the Thor se grounding cables (and I believe we agree that the Thor se's are incredible cables) it already adds so much to the emotional involvement that I sometimes wonder: how is it possible that I enjoyed myself before starting my Tripoint journey?

 

[TBG]

TBG, can you post a link to Ziplex? I'm struggling to find relevant info. Regards.

http://zilplex.com/index.php/about-zilplex This is largely a one man operation, which, of course, takes nothing away from the merits.

 

[TBG]

And I totally forgot to add: the Tripoint emperor is for me a key factor in order to reach and stay in audio heaven. The additional impact of this 'beast' is for me still hard to believe. Talking about purity and serinity! Although the emperor - after being two months in my system - has still not fully stabilized, in combination with the Thor se grounding cables (and I believe we agree that the Thor se's are incredible cables) it already adds so much to the emotional involvement that I sometimes wonder: how is it possible that I enjoyed myself before starting my Tripoint journey?

I'm hoping, Audiocrack, that the Troy Signature is a close approximation of the Emperor, as it is all that I can afford. But I do certainly agree that the Thor SE grounding wires are vital to appreciating what the Troy Signature can do. But I think there are other vital elements in my system, such as the High Fidelity Ultimate Reference ics and speaker wires and, even more, their Ultimate Reference Rhodium power cords, and the Waveguide power center, the Zilplex room treatment cups, the Koda K-10 preamp, and the Star Sound Apprentice platforms.

I had to chuckle when you said you were afraid to even approach your system for fear that you would break it. Every time I do anything to my system I always hope that I can go back.

 

[Audiocrack]

I'm hoping, Audiocrack, that the Troy Signature is a close approximation of the Emperor, as it is all that I can afford. But I do certainly agree that the Thor SE grounding wires are vital to appreciating what the Troy Signature can do. But I think there are other vital elements in my system, such as the High Fidelity Ultimate Reference ics and speaker wires and, even more, their Ultimate Reference Rhodium power cords, and the Waveguide power center, the Zilplex room treatment cups, the Koda K-10 preamp, and the Star Sound Apprentice platforms.

I had to chuckle when you said you were afraid to even approach your system for fear that you would break it. Every time I do anything to my system I always hope that I can go back.

I am very sorry to dissappoint you TBG but the Tripoint emperor plays in another league than the Tripoint Troy signature se. The latter is a fantastic product - see my earlier comments on the WBF - but the former brings a serenity, liquidity, transparancy, smoothness, explosiveness and expansiveness to the table that the Troy signature signature does not come close to. But this cannot come as a surprise if one takes the price difference into account. Furthermore Miguel explained to me all the extra effort he put into the emperor and the additional measures he took in order to achieve this level of high fidelity: I can tell you, that is really impressive. And you know as well as I do with what kind of audio fanatism (in the good sense of the word) and extreme eye for detail Miguel works on the Tripoint devices.

Good to see I made you chuckle. A hostage of his own audio system, how mad is that, hé? But keeping the magic audio flow going is no small task. And believe me, I have learned this lesson the hard way.

 

[TBG]

Audiocrack, I know full well that you are right as Miguel has told me this many times. But reality is reality; I can neither afford to pay for the Emperor nor to deal with its weight. Furthermore many have come here is been shocked with what they hear, including Miguel.

 

[Audiocrack]

Audiocrack, I know full well that you are right as Miguel has told me this many times. But reality is reality; I can neither afford to pay for the Emperor nor to deal with its weight. Furthermore many have come here is been shocked with what they hear, including Miguel.

As mentioned earlier the only thing that really matters is whether you are happy with the performance of your audio system. Miguel was indeed seriously impressed and and I have no doubt whatsoever that you have a marvellous sounding system. So please enjoy yourself. Most probably you are must wiser than me in this regard: although I have reached a level of fidelity that I did not think possible say five years ago, this crazy audiophile bug keeps me pushing and pushing. However, I hope and believe that I am nearing the end of my audio journey, also because I need to stop to invest these stupid amounts of money in audio components. But without doubt it has been an exiting and rewarding audio journey so far and I am really happy to be able to use inter alia the Tripoint products like the emperor, troy and thor se. They have attributed tremendously to the quality and fun I am experiencing right now.

 

[TBG]

Audiocrack, were you ever to get to Texas consider that you have an open invitation to visit and hear my system.

Last night I sat and listened to digital all night and had this complete sense of satisfaction and pleasure with the music. Had I been in a MRI, I would expect that the "pleasure" portion of my brain would have been very active.

 

[Audiocrack]

Audiocrack, were you ever to get to Texas consider that you have an open invitation to visit and hear my system.

Last night I sat and listened to digital all night and had this complete sense of satisfaction and pleasure with the music. Had I been in a MRI, I would expect that the "pleasure" portion of my brain would have been very active.

Thanks for your invitation, TBG, much appreciated. If you ever visit Europe, please let me know and maybe we can arrange you visiting me (as well).

 

[Audiocrack]

Here is a link of Norm's review of the Thor se. A glowing report I would say. Enjoy reading this well written review. Enjoy!

http://www.stereotimes.com/post/tripoint-thor-se-grounding-cable/

 

[TBG]

You know what, Audiocrack, you actually told me it was out. Thanks.

 

[Audiocrack]

You know what, Audiocrack, you actually told me it was out. Thanks.

You are most welcome Norm. I liked your review.

 

[Audiocrack]

You know what, Audiocrack, you actually told me it was out. Thanks.

Forgot to ask you one question Norm after reading your review, in particular your conclusion: lately I disconnected all my four Thor se's from the emperor but left these cables on the various audio components. In all honesty, the differences - if any - were small. Is there any technical explanation for this? Do I understand you correctly that a fair comparison requires that the Thor se's from the components as well as removing the pc of the emperor/Troy from the power outlet? Just trying to understand what I experienced.

 

[TBG]

Forgot to ask you one question Norm after reading your review, in particular your conclusion: lately I disconnected all my four Thor se's from the emperor but left these cables on the various audio components. In all honesty, the differences - if any - were small. Is there any technical explanation for this? Do I understand you correctly that a fair comparison requirers disconnecting the Thor se's from the components as well as removing the pc of the emperor/Troy from the power outlet? Just trying to understand what I experienced.

With the components all connected to the grounding unit be it the Troy Signature or the Emperor, they are in effect star grounded through the innards of the grounding unit. If you want to hear the grounding unit out, it is best to disconnect the grounding cables from the component although this is a pain. Also remove the connection to the wall of the grounding unit.

 

[Audiocrack]

With the components all connected to the grounding unit be it the Troy Signature or the Emperor, they are in effect star grounded through the innards of the grounding unit. If you want to hear the grounding unit out, it is best to disconnect the grounding cables from the component although this is a pain. Also remove the connection to the wall of the grounding unit.

Thanks much Norm. Just that I understand you correctly: this star grounding remains (for a while?) if you only disconnect the Thor se's from the emperor/troy but not from the components and leave the pc of these units in place?