In my opinion - based on my observations of what the tripoint is doing - it’s important to have a solid foundation and if one does the addition of tripoint can help take everything up a few levels and the music mind to a different place all together... as I mentioned my room is far from optimal and the hope was that the tripoint would help me achieve closer to full potential of what my speakers and electronics are capable of... the results have been beyond my expectations...
I was already very pleased with the degree of harmonic richness I was achieving with my system as well rhythmic righteousness. In other words I felt like I was getting excellent decays that lingered in the room giving a feeling of continuity and flow to music... also speed and timing were top notch - so the jump factor was there and I was able to enjoy a good tune - toe tapping away - so to speak...
What I was hoping to address was to take away some of the strain my ears were feeling when I turned up the volume and to improve left and right speaker integration (I have a wall of windows on the right side of the room and almost no wall at all in the left (open layout)... so no material standing wave issues but an imbalance due to lack of symmetry...
I know tripoint users such as Mike Lavigne had achieved great results with a highly refined dedicated room but the reason (& my hope) was to resolve my room dificiencies and this was the primary premise for my exploration into tripoint...
Fortunately, the tripoint Elite NG has been able to more than meet what I was expecting/hoping it will help alleviate...
Just plugging in the power cord without even connecting the ground cables already had a meaningful impact... there was enhanced clarity (as if a haze had been lifted from the sound field and everything sounded fresher/more crisp instantly), better articulation with greater textural detail (to voices and instruments) as well as more information/delicate details... more refined timing and speed (which was already exceptional in my mind) with further cues/delicate details which added clarity in terms of musical intent (being able to follow more nuances in musical rhythm)...last but not least bass definition improved and became more fleshed out...all this happened almost instantly after connecting the power cord..
Afterwards I connected the signature SE ground cables - it was initially more subtle relative to plugging in the power cord and not connecting anything else (but I did hear more calmness and openness) but by the next day the musical landscape which was already starting to sound more wholistic/better integrated with just the power cable went to another dimension with the ground cables... the ground cables after they settled in took the whole system to a point I don’t need to think and analyze music - it just fully resolves and transports me and I feel I am within it...
It’s difficult to explain this dimension but I will try...
I think what is happening is that musical notes have opened up and have been liberated and there is less distortion so my mind is not getting distracted as much as it may have been before I added tripoint (I didn’t think it was but I clearly wasn’t connecting to music to this level)... I think because everything sounds much more open it gives the perception that decays are elongated and this adds harmonic expression to music without ruining timing and speed. So flow and continuousness is enhanced making music feel more calm and relaxed... at the same time there is no compromise on attack and bass is more visceral - so rhythmic energy is maintained and so the excitement is still there - last but not least it’s just not speed... timing seems more nuanced allowing me follow musical intent even more so than I was before...
I hope all this makes sense... but this is what I mean by being in another dimension - effectively in a state of mind - where I can shut the brain off and let music pour over me and deliver whatever it has to offer... it’s very gratifying and very emotive...
I imagine different users will have different experiences with tripoint - ultimately it is taking the system’s building blocks including the room and helping these building blocks achieve their potential more fully and for the room to get out of the way more...
In my mind there’s no absolute truth when it comes to musical/audiophile preferences and we all hear and perceive music in our own unique ways...
For me the tripoint is adding a great deal of emotional content to my system and I felt it was so substantial that I had to share this as I have benefitted so much from this forum over the years...
