The amazing new Marigo Evolution Signature Mat


I want to share my amazingly positive experience with the new Marigo Evolution Signature CD Mat. I have used Marigo's CD mats over the years from their very first offering, I believe about fifteen or so years ago. The Evolution Signature mat is the fourth iteration of the Marigo mat. Each successive "generation" had wrought positive improvements from my Mark Levinson Reference 31.5 transport. (While the top loading Levinson comes with its own CD clamp, I have ordered parts from Levinson and have made my own CD clamp, substituting their carbon fiber disk for your Marigo mat.) The latest Evolution Signature mat's improvement is so substantial that it is a larger "jump" in performance than from the standard Levinson clamp to the last generation "3D Signature V2" mat!
I hear a startling increase in the focus of imaging placement within the sound stage. The focus of everything in that sound stage is both tighter and possesses a three dimensional body that most digital simply lacks. Tone saturation is richer. The bass not only goes deeper, but is more tuneful as well. The highs are better defined and extended. The mid range is the icing on the cake. Voices are much better defined and clarified, combined with the improvement in density of tone and harmonic texture now sound shockingly real and alive. The sense of space and performance venue is greatly improved as well.

Overall the music has so much more of a relaxed quality to it similar to that of master tape analogue that allows me to simply listen to the music and not work as hard having my brain trying to connect the "digital dots". The increased resolution, focus, dynamics, detail, sense of space, articulation, and what I would call a "continuousness" of saturated tone, all combine to literally transform my digital playback to a level that I have never experienced before! I know that this must seem like hyperbole. The overall improvement is SHOCKING!

In the context of my high end system the $200 that I had paid for Evolution Signature mat that replaced the Reference V2 mat, was the cheapest money that I have ever spent for the most improvement in my system!

If anyone has a Reference V2 mat, they may be loathe to replace it, as it is most excellent. I can tell you from first hand experience, that the new Evolution signature mat is on a whole different and much higher level of sonic improvement.

For anyone has never tried a Marigo CD mat or any mat for that matter, this is the one to have. This is not just a simple "tweak", this is an essential and basically "give away" priced in terms of the substantial sonic upgrade that truly must be experienced to be believed. In the context of my high end audio system, this is making an improvement that I did not think possible and at a price that was ridiculously low. Based on my listening experience, this may be the biggest bargain in audio today!
coopersark

Showing 15 responses by geoffkait

"Every listener interprets them differently." So, you know what everyone thinks, eh? Interesting.
Badwisdom, I am also referring to ripping. I know, it disobeys the laws of science.
Pretty cool, Tom. Ours are located at the critical interface between the CD and the tray.
Didn't the bits is bits theory die a gruesome death about 20 years ago?
You got it backwards. The examples you gave actually illustrate the negative expectation bias - if you think the device in question is so preposterous that it can't possibly work, then guess what? It won't.
Ballywho, since you don't know me and have no experience with my products, perhaps it's actually you who has no integrity, although I can certainly understand your anger and frustration. For your information, not meaning to make you even more angry, I have one of the highest ratings on the site, if not the highest.

Cheers,

Geoff Kait
Machina Dynamica
Disagree re soundstage. Soundstage is inherent in the recording. I.e., room size and room acoustics are embedded in the fabric of the recording, at least for live music.
It certainly makes sense that the naysayers don't understand the meaning of the word musicality.
It's not that difficult a concept. Musicality is the inherent realism of the sound as determined by dynamics, microdynamics, tone, rhythm, detail, density of sound, size of soundstage, and emotional impact. Insiders know what the word means.
While I don't subscribe to online dictionaries, it's nice to know the dictionary agrees with most of my terminology. I'm quite sure all real audiophiles cherish soundstage and dynamics. I know I do.

Cheers
You are being argumentative and cannot support your claim. Furthermore, name calling is childish and unprofessional.
I am rather certain the color(s) of the inks used in the manufacture of the CD label influence(s) the sound, as well as the results of various mats. While I'm keen on the color turquoise, it appears that different CDs often respond differently to a particular color - either the color of pen used to paint the edges or CD mat. A prime example is Mercury Living Presence classical CDs that have black and white labels. While most CDs respond well to coloring the edges green, the Mercurys sound worse with green but better with red.
Color is an important issue for sound, aside from the way color influences the sound of cd players. For example, all things being equal a room with blue walls will sound considerably better than a room with white or green walls, and a room with a green ceiling will sound superior to the same room with a different color ceiling or white ceiling. Another example how color affects the sound is a power cord with a white jacket will sound superior to the same power cord with a black or different color jacket. In fact, wrapping a power cord that has a black jacket with white tape will improve the sound.

Geoff
Machina Dynamica
Advanced Audio Concepts