Great news, Marcus, and sincere congrats! You are the first WBF member with the new NG device and the third WBF member that is sharing his experiences with the Emperor mk ii ground cable. It is clear that you love both products very much (you used the word ”staggering”). Cannot (yet) speak about the NG but the Emperor mk ii ground cables are - as I reported previously on this forum multiple times - indeed phenomenal. Such a pity that most of our members do not have the possibility to experience for themselves how big a difference (for the better) top notch grounding brings to the table.
Tripoint Troy Elite - Installed
- Thread starter SuperDave
- Start date
Marcus,
Congrats on the NG and Emperor grounding cables. I never had the Troy Signature but I imagine you are in new territory with the NG and I do understand the significant impact the Emperor mkii cable made in my system after a few hours
. Enjoy, let us know how things progress.
Dave
Congrats on the NG and Emperor grounding cables. I never had the Troy Signature but I imagine you are in new territory with the NG and I do understand the significant impact the Emperor mkii cable made in my system after a few hours
. Enjoy, let us know how things progress.Dave
Thanks Audiocrack and Dave. The run-in of Emperors is not yet finished but this combo on “good days” alredy provides satisfaction beyond my expectations.
Very nice and clean. It is pity that we wont be able to get how much jump in performance the Elite NG is to Elite. Miguel is disclosing more information about Elite and Signature. Looks like there is some improvement to be made to Elite internal wiring and components.
Unfortunately there are only two persons in the world at the moment that can give you this info - Miguel and Chris.
Amazing...that is really great. Look forward to reading more about this...I am letting the system absorb the Gryphon Mephisto for now which is a great thing...but I am reading all of the grounding and isolation posts with great interest.
Here’s a few thoughts on Tripoint Troy Elite NG...
Although you can place any Tripoint Troy wherever you want these devices do benefit if you pay a proper attention to isolation. I tried various platforms under my ex Troy Signature and differences were clearly audible. Haven’t experimented with isolation platforms under the Elite NG yet, but I have changed spike bases and heard a clear improvement in the bass that became tighter and more defined. If such a minor change was audible, you can imagine the impact of a high quality isolation base. A very thick and heavy ebony platform is in the works and will report on this later.
Troy Elite NG showed its potential the moment I connected the Emperor power cable to the wall socket (this was before I bought Cardas Nautilus). Even without connecting any grounding cable this alone brought better bass articulation, soundstage expansion, and more focus with a subtle feeling of calmness. This was a big surprise, and I was wondering why that happened? How can this influence the sound of the system? Thought it had something to do with the EMI/RFI, so I tried AlphaLab Inc. EMI Line Meter but readings didn’t show anything conclusive.
Then both Emperors Mkii and Silver Signatures went in and after a few hours three things were immediately obvious: bass became a bit stronger, and deeper, soundstage expanded a bit more, and there was a clear improvement in dynamics and speed. As Audiocrack and Dave explained in their reports, Emperor Mkii needs at least 400 hours of burn-in. After a few days of excitement and enjoyment, the expected “down phase” came. Miguel also warned me about the crazy way these grounding cables behave in the burn-in period, but I was not expecting such huge swings between “good and bad periods”. Anyway, after three months cables obviously settled as the sound became consistent.
Unfortunately I haven’t heard the regular Elite to make direct comparison but did own the Signature for several years and can say this: Even if you know the effects of Troy Signature (with or without the Thor SE grounding cables), that can not prepare you for a huge jump in realism the Elite NG/Emperor Mkii combo brings to the table. There is simply no comparison. Some improvements on which the Signature only hinted at are fully developed with the Elite NG (like bass, solidity, soundstage, clarity, and articulation), and then lifted to a far, far higher level, but there are also totally new improvements.
With this combo, there is no highlighting of any frequency at any time. Midrange is seamlessly connected with the treble and everything is more fluid, more natural (unprocessed) with a beautiful sense of completeness. Next thing I noticed and find it interesting is increased serenity between notes, a new sense of calmness and natural easiness.
A minor “complaint” about the sound of otherwise superb conrad-johnson ART mono blocks I have is their ability to articulate starting transients. My previous power amps were solid state Karan KAM 2000 which excelled in transients articulation but adding a new Tripoint grounding system brought this quality with the cj ART on a solid state level. Unbelievable.
Next thing was the truth of timbres. Improved articulation, and clarity can result in improved timbres, but with the Tripoint combo there was also more weight, density, and solidity to instruments. This infusion of weight to bodies of instruments (without softening!), was also present in lower most registers, but the clarity and articulation of each string draw, pluck, or air blow also improved tremendously.
Musical presentation became much more dynamic, agile, and explosive. The sense of speed and agility is incredible and reminds me of a great horn system. Soundstage became not only much deeper, wider, and better defined. More important to me is a rock solid 3D presentation of instruments and their proportional dimensions. I heard this “effect” for the first time in Hong Kong a few years ago and I think it is an important contributor of the feeling “being in their presence” and (IMO) a result of fewer artifacts and less distortion.
My system always sounded best from 9 am to 4 pm and then late at night, at other times the sound could be often boring, but with the Elite NG/Emperor Mkii these differences simply vanished. System now sounds great no matter when I listen. I’m not sure this effect would be heard in every system but in mine, this combo also acts like a completely invisible power line filter. This is like a dream come true. System performing optimally no matter when you listen to it! Crazy.
One more thing. Everything I have described above is easily heard also at very low volumes. Especially airier and expanded soundstage, denser colors and fuller bodies of instruments stand out.
Years ago I bought Troy Signature blind. I simply couldn’t have imagined that every review and report from users (and there were plenty) I read and basically described identical sonic gains, could be wrong. I was right and became a huge fan of Tripoint from the moment the Troy started to make it’s magic. I’m in the process of changing speakers, so I’ll write more about the Elite NG/Emperor Mkii combo in the future. What I wrote here are only the most obvious hi-fi superlatives but I also hear new dimensions of sound beyond that and this is hard to explain. Will try to expand on this in the future.
Although you can place any Tripoint Troy wherever you want these devices do benefit if you pay a proper attention to isolation. I tried various platforms under my ex Troy Signature and differences were clearly audible. Haven’t experimented with isolation platforms under the Elite NG yet, but I have changed spike bases and heard a clear improvement in the bass that became tighter and more defined. If such a minor change was audible, you can imagine the impact of a high quality isolation base. A very thick and heavy ebony platform is in the works and will report on this later.
Troy Elite NG showed its potential the moment I connected the Emperor power cable to the wall socket (this was before I bought Cardas Nautilus). Even without connecting any grounding cable this alone brought better bass articulation, soundstage expansion, and more focus with a subtle feeling of calmness. This was a big surprise, and I was wondering why that happened? How can this influence the sound of the system? Thought it had something to do with the EMI/RFI, so I tried AlphaLab Inc. EMI Line Meter but readings didn’t show anything conclusive.
Then both Emperors Mkii and Silver Signatures went in and after a few hours three things were immediately obvious: bass became a bit stronger, and deeper, soundstage expanded a bit more, and there was a clear improvement in dynamics and speed. As Audiocrack and Dave explained in their reports, Emperor Mkii needs at least 400 hours of burn-in. After a few days of excitement and enjoyment, the expected “down phase” came. Miguel also warned me about the crazy way these grounding cables behave in the burn-in period, but I was not expecting such huge swings between “good and bad periods”. Anyway, after three months cables obviously settled as the sound became consistent.
Unfortunately I haven’t heard the regular Elite to make direct comparison but did own the Signature for several years and can say this: Even if you know the effects of Troy Signature (with or without the Thor SE grounding cables), that can not prepare you for a huge jump in realism the Elite NG/Emperor Mkii combo brings to the table. There is simply no comparison. Some improvements on which the Signature only hinted at are fully developed with the Elite NG (like bass, solidity, soundstage, clarity, and articulation), and then lifted to a far, far higher level, but there are also totally new improvements.
With this combo, there is no highlighting of any frequency at any time. Midrange is seamlessly connected with the treble and everything is more fluid, more natural (unprocessed) with a beautiful sense of completeness. Next thing I noticed and find it interesting is increased serenity between notes, a new sense of calmness and natural easiness.
A minor “complaint” about the sound of otherwise superb conrad-johnson ART mono blocks I have is their ability to articulate starting transients. My previous power amps were solid state Karan KAM 2000 which excelled in transients articulation but adding a new Tripoint grounding system brought this quality with the cj ART on a solid state level. Unbelievable.
Next thing was the truth of timbres. Improved articulation, and clarity can result in improved timbres, but with the Tripoint combo there was also more weight, density, and solidity to instruments. This infusion of weight to bodies of instruments (without softening!), was also present in lower most registers, but the clarity and articulation of each string draw, pluck, or air blow also improved tremendously.
Musical presentation became much more dynamic, agile, and explosive. The sense of speed and agility is incredible and reminds me of a great horn system. Soundstage became not only much deeper, wider, and better defined. More important to me is a rock solid 3D presentation of instruments and their proportional dimensions. I heard this “effect” for the first time in Hong Kong a few years ago and I think it is an important contributor of the feeling “being in their presence” and (IMO) a result of fewer artifacts and less distortion.
My system always sounded best from 9 am to 4 pm and then late at night, at other times the sound could be often boring, but with the Elite NG/Emperor Mkii these differences simply vanished. System now sounds great no matter when I listen. I’m not sure this effect would be heard in every system but in mine, this combo also acts like a completely invisible power line filter. This is like a dream come true. System performing optimally no matter when you listen to it! Crazy.
One more thing. Everything I have described above is easily heard also at very low volumes. Especially airier and expanded soundstage, denser colors and fuller bodies of instruments stand out.
Years ago I bought Troy Signature blind. I simply couldn’t have imagined that every review and report from users (and there were plenty) I read and basically described identical sonic gains, could be wrong. I was right and became a huge fan of Tripoint from the moment the Troy started to make it’s magic. I’m in the process of changing speakers, so I’ll write more about the Elite NG/Emperor Mkii combo in the future. What I wrote here are only the most obvious hi-fi superlatives but I also hear new dimensions of sound beyond that and this is hard to explain. Will try to expand on this in the future.
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Thanks Tang. One of my “audio obsessions”, but its only an hour of work and you can have the same Ordnung. Don’t think any system sounds at its best with a mess behind racks.
Great news Marcus! Reading this took me back to when I first got the Elite hooked up. The ease and weight notes carry still amazes me. The Emperor cables are a tough break-in but well worth it IME when they are fully settled. Let us know how the new speakers respond.
Dave
Dave
Amazing...Question for fellow Tripoint owners...if you have a Tripoint Signature...is the next move Elite or (gulp!) NG...or is it upgrading grounding cables from stock Tripoint cable? (And please dont say both! too easy...
Hi Lloyd,
Congrats on the Mephisto! I'd love to hear those some day. I started with the Elite and Thor SE cables but firmly believe upgrading the cables will benefit all of Miguel's products. I'm not sure if you need an Elite or NG to fully realize the results of the Emperor cable but I "think" the NG is built to compliment the them. Maybe that answers half your question
Dave
Amazing...Question for fellow Tripoint owners...if you have a Tripoint Signature...is the next move Elite or (gulp!) NG...or is it upgrading grounding cables from stock Tripoint cable? (And please dont say both! too easy...
i can only comment on the Troy Signature relative to the 'regular' Elite, and the Thor SE relative to the stock grounding cables.
the standard Elite is a significant step up from the Troy Signature. maybe a X3 impact result (although numbers don't do justice to the scope of the change) and possibly it covers more gear effectively. at essentially twice the price.
i use 2 of the Thor SE cables, and when i only had one it mattered where i put it. adding another was a clear step up.
right now i'm in a 'spend no more money' phase. but one thing on my mind is adding 2 more Thor SE cables to upgrade the standard ground cables to my darTZeel 458's. i know it would be significant.
if i was choosing one and i could swing the Elite that would be my choice. for me i'm at the end game point and so any step is just fine tuning what i have already. i've thought about the Elite NG or maybe adding another standard Elite but that's more than i can see doing. i've got a significant investment in grounding already so only baby steps left for me.
there is no limit to what you can do, but life does dictate limits.
Thanks, SuperDave and Mike! Very helpful and one to consider. I am expecting a shipment of a 2nd hand, deeply discounted set of SRA Ohio XLs calibrated for my Zanden digital.
I currently 'sandwich' my DAC and Transport: HRSM3X under/HRS Dampers on top of the DAC, and Stillpoints U5s under/Artesania Dampers on top of the Transport.
Will be interesting to see how SRA compares...if it goes well, I have other areas for the HRS/Stillpoints.
Once that is settled in...will turn my attention back to finetuning the system which will include consideration for:
- Tripoint Grounding Unit addition or upgrade
- Grounding Cables upgrade
- Possibly grounding the amps which everyone who has done it seems to swear by
I currently 'sandwich' my DAC and Transport: HRSM3X under/HRS Dampers on top of the DAC, and Stillpoints U5s under/Artesania Dampers on top of the Transport.
Will be interesting to see how SRA compares...if it goes well, I have other areas for the HRS/Stillpoints.
Once that is settled in...will turn my attention back to finetuning the system which will include consideration for:
- Tripoint Grounding Unit addition or upgrade
- Grounding Cables upgrade
- Possibly grounding the amps which everyone who has done it seems to swear by
Buy the Elite (or NG) first and upgrade grounding cables later.Amazing...Question for fellow Tripoint owners...if you have a Tripoint Signature...is the next move Elite or (gulp!) NG...or is it upgrading grounding cables from stock Tripoint cable? (And please dont say both! too easy...
Hi Mike,
One emperor mk ii ground cable will do (much) more for your audio system than three Thor se’s. Believe me, you will be surprised what a difference for the better one ‘Anaconda’ will bring to the table.
hi Rudolf,
sometimes it's better not to know how good something might be.
for my mono block darTZeel amps i need 2 ground cables. i don't know how much the Emperor MkII ground cable costs, but while i can at least contemplate acquiring a pair the Thor SE's, i must avoid the temptation to even think about two of the E II's.
i don't doubt your opinion of the result on the performance side.
Fair enough and it is none of my business of course. But my point is that one Emperor mk ii ground cable connected to your darTZeel preamp will be more effective than three Thor se’s connected to your preamp and both
poweramps.
Anyway, please imforn us about your next ‘grounding’ upgrades.
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