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Perfect Path Tecnologies ‘The Gate’

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.
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sgordon1
407 posts
 
Neodymium magnets seem to enhance the 
effects of the Gate.

In an open breaker box, I have cut a strip of an
E+ mat and used double sided tape to stick it to
the side of the Gate that faces the room.

The small barrel shaped magnets are sitting on
the mat strips and the Gate itself, at 2" intervals.

I use the Walker Talisman in 6" clockwise sweeps
over the total open surface of the box, for ten or fifteen seconds,
before a listening session.
andrewkelley
271 posts
 
Is anyone still using the gate.... im wondering about long term results? 
debjit_g
247 posts
 
a few weeks back I experimented and took out from the main panel and after couple of days, I had to put it back :-) The soundstage seems to collapse and all the details seems to get smeared. It effected my Panasonic plasma picture quality as well. 

millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
What long term results? The Gate is so freaking good how anyone ever manages to disconnect it is beyond me. You went a couple DAYS? I couldn't go a couple MINUTES! 

In my system The Gate is really just the beginning. There's Mats all over the place starting with one on the METER, a few in the panel, strips cut and zip tied along the AC wire, around my step down transformer, inside the conditioner, and speakers, with pieces cut into tubes wrapped around all the wires- speaker cables, interconnects, power cords. 

The amp has Omega e-Cards between and around all the transformers. Total Contact, that stuff is pasted everywhere. Took my electrical panel apart. By apart I mean down to the bare copper bus bars. Pasted those, the neutral bus bar, ground bus bar, and the AC power line its entire length under the house. Coated all the transformers- step down, Active Shielding, conditioner. Pasted caps, inductors, tubes, pretty much everything that can be done without causing a short, inside pretty much everything there is. Tone arm, cartridge, phono leads, the works.  

Long term effects? All this stuff (and more, but Fight Club rules) sounds absolutely fabulous right away, then somehow after a month or so you notice it just got even better. After a couple months though, sad to say, no more unless you buy more. 

Worth it? The last group of audiophiles to drive up from Portland one of them had me play Steely Dan, which I guess must be one of his "reference" things he likes to judge systems with, and afterwards said, "That's the best ever heard that." 

Since then, done even more. Those guys would be shocked to hear how much better it is now! So there's your long term results- sorry if I didn't stand still frozen in place after putting The Gate in but when you got something this good you just want more. And more. And more!
oregonpapa's avatar
oregonpapa
4,867 posts
 
  • "Since then, done even more. Those guys would be shocked to hear how much better it is now!"

Those who passed on the PPT products, especially The Gate, will never know what magic these items bring to an audio system. After all this time, I am still astounded by the sound quality I'm getting. In communicating with other A'goners all across the country who took the plunge, I know that they are getting the same results that Millercarbon and I am. 

As a side note: Before Tim passed, he sent me two power cords he had built. They were on loan for three weeks. I put one in the phono stage and one in the CD player. Like The Gate, they were transformative. This, despite the fact that the system already uses some well-respected, Synergistic Research PCs that sound great. I don't believe Tim's cords could have been produced to sell commercially. They were way too labor-intensive to build. The price would have had to be atmospheric in order to make any sense. 

Miller ... I wish you could have tried the PCs. You would have freaked. :-)

Frank
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