When I installed the plus mats ,I was flabbergasted by the immediate improvement. I was expecting to wait several days for the installation of the Plus mats to do their thing . Maybe since I already had a couple of the original mats in the system it shortened the break in time or maybe the pairing with the Gate supercharged everything, I dunno.
I placed the additional plus mat under my Synergistic Research UEF power conditioner. The original mats were placed under my Modwright Oppo DVD player and the power supply for my Cary SLP 05 preamp.
Now getting to what I am hearing or not. First Frank hit the nail on the head by mentioning tonality. Pianos especially the high notes have that tinkling sound that is very close to being in the same room with the piano. Bass might at first seem weaker but that is only because it is more accurate. I found that I am playing music at lower volume levels because there is an improvement in the amount of information.Closing my eyes and listening to Melody Gardot it is like she is in the room with me. My wife wouldn’t be happy about that ! All the instruments have better placement in the soundstage which is wider and deeper as Ozzy has already mentioned. To use an analogy the sound improvement is like a sharpened pencil. The lines are cleaner and there is no smearing. The entire presentation is clearer.
In summation, the Omega Plus mats are a game changer. They are more than a step up from the original mats. As a plus,I am hoping to get a further reduction in my electric usage since I installed the Gate. Except for my gas stove and my garage heater my house is all electric and at almost 4000 square feet it takes a fair amount of energy to heat it especially in northern New England winters.