The Empress by Tripoint is an "EMI FILTRATION INSTRUMENT". It comes as a pair connecting to the speaker binding post at each channel. The size of each is slightly larger than the Troy Signature. There is no power cable. It is a passive instrument. Most important of all, it is a GAME CHANGER.
The crossover inside the speakers is the most contaminated region of the whole chain because it interfaces with incoming electric current from the amplifiers and the magnetic influence from the drivers within the speakers. In short, this is where electromagnetic noises (EMI) breed in real time continuously. The Empress is designed to eliminate EMI from the crossover. While the goal sounds simple, execution is tremendously difficult. Successful completion took Miguel Alvarez’s tears, sweat and blood (his own words).
The reference system at AE consists of the EMPEROR AC and EMPEROR GROUND which tackle AC and ground noises respectively. Mechanical noises are resolved by SRA's CRAZE rack 3 and VIRGINIA CLASS amp stand. In addition, there are Dalby Ode filter and Pranawire’s Linebacker Extreme in some places. The room is also well treated by special acoustic material by Zanden. All corners are treated by Audio Replaz's diffusor (2015 GOLD ACCESSORIES award in Japan). The system at AE is extremely quiet. Because all types of noises are tackled by specific solutions.
The addition of the Empress to this system is profound. Noise is something you don't notice until they have been eliminated. When the Empress takes away EMI from the crossover, it is a whole new experience. It is difficult to use the "resolution" angle to describe the improvement because it goes beyond the realm of details. In short, the Empress takes "stress" away from the sound. Another amazing phenomenon is much improved integration of all drivers to deliver a "picturesque" listening experience. Without the Empress, the picture disintegrates immediately to a state which most audiophiles (including myself before the arrival of the Empress) describe as excellent separation amongst instruments.
A picturesque experience matters because it opens up new dimensions and perspectives. Energy matters very much how musicality is conceived. When EMI is taken away by the Empress, the differentiation of energy amongst different instruments with respect to their tonal characteristics in a Wagner symphony recording takes my breath away. The switch of tonal centre in Wagner's symphony showcases chromaticism. With the Empress, I was listening to a Wagnerian music drama with rich orchestration. In the absence of Empress, the orchestration reduces to very clear image separation like watching HDTV without energy dispersion in a differential manner. I quickly dig into many famous symphony recordings because of the urge to achieve ear-gasms.
The Empress also enriches musicality at the micro level. A cellist playing the sul ponticello or sul tasto expands the palette of sound available from the cello. Bowing in the ponticello region produces many overtones resulting sometimes in a thinner slight metallic sound. Playing into the tasto region reduces overtones, resulting in an ethereal tone. The sul ponticello refers to the bow close or even on the bridge of the cello, whereas sul tasto is the area near or over the fingerboard. I can visualise Jano Starker's up bow and down bow in such areas on his cello. When the Empress is taken away, bow movement has remained vividly displayed but the area of sul ponticello or sul tasto becomes suggestive at best. The front to back physical volume of the cello is revealed much more completely than before. Realism leapfrogs as though there is a phantom playing Bach Solo inside the studio. I tested this back and forth many times. I could not return to the previous state even though resolution was already staggering. Soul of Starker lives on. This is priceless.
Choral music usually consists of Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bassvoices (SATB in short). They are often arranged as SSAATTBB where each voice is divided into two parts, or SATBSATB, where the choir is divided into two semi-independent four-part choirs. With the Empress, the configuration of choirs is nakedly revealed because of energy differentiation of S, A, T and B. Without the Empress, the differentiation amongst them dwarfs to image separation. Likewise in modern pop music recordings, the Empress is able to reveal the character of the background singer and their musical relationship to the lead singer. That extends the musical dimension of the performance. The prime example is Jacky Cheung's 1/2 century live recording. The background singers add so much colour to the whole configuration of the concert design. In some of the western pop recordings, even the native accent of the background singers is faithfully divulged.
The whole listening experience has become just so complete. Never have I ever experienced a product that improves the integration amongst drivers and the result is musically phenomenal. There is a natural tendency to turn on the volume louder and louder and yet the sound is completely stress free. I tested the 45rpm Gladiator LP with the Robert Koda K15EX volume set almost at MAXIMUM position. My hands were sweating after the crescendo was fading into quieter passage. It was a test I could only do at late night. Energy expanded the room as though the physical size of it was enlarging on all fronts. But there was no stress on my ears at all. Subsequent visit by PolyPaul verified such experiences. But we did it at lunch time. Before the arrival of the Empress, I could not go for maximum volume position even after all corners were treated by the magnificent diffusors by Audio Replas. At around 3 o’clock position, the volume of K15EX had to be brought down as my ears could not withstand the SPL.
I can go on and on with different examples. It is better to stop here because it is your experience that matters. Miguel has done something that is truly original and recreate a new product category that did not previously exist (not counting tweaks). I truly admire his courage and the time he had spent to convince me. Now it is my turn to introduce the Empress to you. The queen has arrived.
Hi guys. I just experienced something crazy this afternoon. Empress is really a crazy stuff. It makes the system so clean and unveil the true music. Without comparison, you will never feel there is problem, but once you tried, there is no turning back. The biggest impact is, it removes a great deal of high frequency noises, making the music so pure and so real. If you have ever listened to live Beethoven 9 finale, you will never believe any systems on earth can reproduce the ambience, energy, harmony and the emotion of live performance. The live choral can really force your tears out, which is something I cannot imagine before. However, I was shocked that AE showroom can reproduce some of that feeling with Empress. The choir's voice filled up the room, and it seems so spacious as if I were brought to the live performance again. I was not just listening with my ears but my whole body was immersed in the music and energy, like when I was enjoying live performance. For other types of music, all notes and instruments become incredibly clear and coherent. The depth and layers become so touchably visible. The flow of music is so smooth and natural. This Empress is something that can close a big gap between hifi and live music. I understand now why it is a game changer. It's not something you can imagine before you really ear-witnessed it. Crazy.
It has been a very exciting read on the comments on empress. I was told by PT that the super Wadax dac already arrived over the weekend. Are you listening to it as a source when you were testing Empress?
Had you seen FMR EE speaker cable? I am away with my family in Japan and will come back for the show this Sat. Can't wait!
Yes, with Wadax super dac and FMR EE. Just like what PT said, like phantoms playing in front of you. I did listen to Jacky Cheung's song. Indeed, I am not a big fan, but I also feel deeply touched in the middle of his singing. I can nearly "see" the background vocalists as their voices are separated clearly in different spots behind Jacky. It is really so real and so close to live performance. It shocked me on the level of improvement with all these crazy things orchestrating together. I think it is more than 3 levels up compared to my last auditioning experience a few months ago.
After visiting AE showroom I could not stop thinking about what happened last night. The outcome is so unbelievable and shockingly good!
As we all believe that it is pretty good for the whole system treated by a number of noise filters, for example Tripoint Emporer for ground noise, Linebecker for macro noise, the Tripoint Empress really sharpens our awareness of noise filtration! The Tripoint Empress convinced me the most importance for noise filtration is at the crossover inside each speaker where the intersection of electromagnetic noises at a maximum level occurs. The smoothness proved the Tripoint Empress took the good job to bridge the gaps between the drivers.
After listening to several tracks, then we tried disconnecting only ONE of the Tripoint Empress, the discrepancy in terms of resolution, image clearance, bass definition, micro dynamic is so great that the comparison told me we really cannot go back once plugged in the Empress. The improvement is significant.
At last PT put a LP on the turntable and asked me to get ready for this moment. The sound track of Gladiator made me go through a breathless music journey! The sound of instruments was sweeping the theatre, the showroom floor and my body.
So, I strongly recommend all of you make an appointment to PT for experiencing by yourself.
Guys, you are killing me. Miguel has told me about the Empress filters. I have all High Fidelity Cables Pro series and am still paying for them and now there is the Empress. It seems I will have to find the way. I wish I was there, but suspect I will be traveling to Florida to hear the Empresses.
I have the Troy Signature with the special grounding cable to the wall and four of the SE grounding cables. Grounding my quad DSD dac and music server to the Signature was just shocking.
So, the Empress is in the spotlight at the moment and it is obviously something a lot of us will dream about in the future. But what about the Prince AC and Emperor ground cable? I suppose these two Miguel's new products are special too. How much better is the Emperor in comparison to the Thor SE and how effective is Prince in dealing with the AC noise, EMI and RFI?
Only PolyPaul can tell you because he bought them all.
But it I can tell you for certainty that the Zanden room was the most beautiful amongst 3 rooms on my opinion. And both prince and emperor ground cable were in this system.
I am now having Three Tripoint Signatures/Empress/AC Conditioner serving my system, I call them Triangle Tripoint system, when you put them together, they can really build up some kind of synergy to maximize the performance in dealing with noises. I have a audio room in my office which is in a industry building, electricity is more polluted and complicated than a home environment, with this Triangle Tripoint system, my audio room reaches a "quiet" level that I do think it is impossible before.
I used many ac conditioners before, Prince AC definitely leads the way in many aspects, Prince AC should be in the spotlight as the Empress. For the Emperor grounding cable, I still need more time to experience with it, but this grounding cable makes palpable differences from the Thor grounding cable, at least 2 levels up.
also, there is a tips from Miguel, we may use contact cleaner to clean up the connecting pole of The Tripoint Signature to rejuvenate its performance periodically. The improvement is also remarkable.
Comments
The crossover inside the speakers is the most contaminated region of the whole chain because it interfaces with incoming electric current from the amplifiers and the magnetic influence from the drivers within the speakers. In short, this is where electromagnetic noises (EMI) breed in real time continuously. The Empress is designed to eliminate EMI from the crossover. While the goal sounds simple, execution is tremendously difficult. Successful completion took Miguel Alvarez’s tears, sweat and blood (his own words).
The reference system at AE consists of the EMPEROR AC and EMPEROR GROUND which tackle AC and ground noises respectively. Mechanical noises are resolved by SRA's CRAZE rack 3 and VIRGINIA CLASS amp stand. In addition, there are Dalby Ode filter and Pranawire’s Linebacker Extreme in some places. The room is also well treated by special acoustic material by Zanden. All corners are treated by Audio Replaz's diffusor (2015 GOLD ACCESSORIES award in Japan). The system at AE is extremely quiet. Because all types of noises are tackled by specific solutions.
The addition of the Empress to this system is profound. Noise is something you don't notice until they have been eliminated. When the Empress takes away EMI from the crossover, it is a whole new experience. It is difficult to use the "resolution" angle to describe the improvement because it goes beyond the realm of details. In short, the Empress takes "stress" away from the sound. Another amazing phenomenon is much improved integration of all drivers to deliver a "picturesque" listening experience. Without the Empress, the picture disintegrates immediately to a state which most audiophiles (including myself before the arrival of the Empress) describe as excellent separation amongst instruments.
A picturesque experience matters because it opens up new dimensions and perspectives. Energy matters very much how musicality is conceived. When EMI is taken away by the Empress, the differentiation of energy amongst different instruments with respect to their tonal characteristics in a Wagner symphony recording takes my breath away. The switch of tonal centre in Wagner's symphony showcases chromaticism. With the Empress, I was listening to a Wagnerian music drama with rich orchestration. In the absence of Empress, the orchestration reduces to very clear image separation like watching HDTV without energy dispersion in a differential manner. I quickly dig into many famous symphony recordings because of the urge to achieve ear-gasms.
The Empress also enriches musicality at the micro level. A cellist playing the sul ponticello or sul tasto expands the palette of sound available from the cello. Bowing in the ponticello region produces many overtones resulting sometimes in a thinner slight metallic sound. Playing into the tasto region reduces overtones, resulting in an ethereal tone. The sul ponticello refers to the bow close or even on the bridge of the cello, whereas sul tasto is the area near or over the fingerboard. I can visualise Jano Starker's up bow and down bow in such areas on his cello. When the Empress is taken away, bow movement has remained vividly displayed but the area of sul ponticello or sul tasto becomes suggestive at best. The front to back physical volume of the cello is revealed much more completely than before. Realism leapfrogs as though there is a phantom playing Bach Solo inside the studio. I tested this back and forth many times. I could not return to the previous state even though resolution was already staggering. Soul of Starker lives on. This is priceless.
Choral music usually consists of Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bassvoices (SATB in short). They are often arranged as SSAATTBB where each voice is divided into two parts, or SATBSATB, where the choir is divided into two semi-independent four-part choirs. With the Empress, the configuration of choirs is nakedly revealed because of energy differentiation of S, A, T and B. Without the Empress, the differentiation amongst them dwarfs to image separation. Likewise in modern pop music recordings, the Empress is able to reveal the character of the background singer and their musical relationship to the lead singer. That extends the musical dimension of the performance. The prime example is Jacky Cheung's 1/2 century live recording. The background singers add so much colour to the whole configuration of the concert design. In some of the western pop recordings, even the native accent of the background singers is faithfully divulged.
The whole listening experience has become just so complete. Never have I ever experienced a product that improves the integration amongst drivers and the result is musically phenomenal. There is a natural tendency to turn on the volume louder and louder and yet the sound is completely stress free. I tested the 45rpm Gladiator LP with the Robert Koda K15EX volume set almost at MAXIMUM position. My hands were sweating after the crescendo was fading into quieter passage. It was a test I could only do at late night. Energy expanded the room as though the physical size of it was enlarging on all fronts. But there was no stress on my ears at all. Subsequent visit by PolyPaul verified such experiences. But we did it at lunch time. Before the arrival of the Empress, I could not go for maximum volume position even after all corners were treated by the magnificent diffusors by Audio Replas. At around 3 o’clock position, the volume of K15EX had to be brought down as my ears could not withstand the SPL.
I can go on and on with different examples. It is better to stop here because it is your experience that matters. Miguel has done something that is truly original and recreate a new product category that did not previously exist (not counting tweaks). I truly admire his courage and the time he had spent to convince me. Now it is my turn to introduce the Empress to you. The queen has arrived.
http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showthread.php?21008-Tripoint-Empress&p=402065#post402065
The biggest impact is, it removes a great deal of high frequency noises, making the music so pure and so real. If you have ever listened to live Beethoven 9 finale, you will never believe any systems on earth can reproduce the ambience, energy, harmony and the emotion of live performance. The live choral can really force your tears out, which is something I cannot imagine before. However, I was shocked that AE showroom can reproduce some of that feeling with Empress. The choir's voice filled up the room, and it seems so spacious as if I were brought to the live performance again. I was not just listening with my ears but my whole body was immersed in the music and energy, like when I was enjoying live performance.
For other types of music, all notes and instruments become incredibly clear and coherent. The depth and layers become so touchably visible. The flow of music is so smooth and natural. This Empress is something that can close a big gap between hifi and live music.
I understand now why it is a game changer. It's not something you can imagine before you really ear-witnessed it. Crazy.
It has been a very exciting read on the comments on empress. I was told by PT that the super Wadax dac already arrived over the weekend. Are you listening to it as a source when you were testing Empress?
Had you seen FMR EE speaker cable? I am away with my family in Japan and will come back for the show this Sat. Can't wait!
It shocked me on the level of improvement with all these crazy things orchestrating together. I think it is more than 3 levels up compared to my last auditioning experience a few months ago.
I have the Troy Signature with the special grounding cable to the wall and four of the SE grounding cables. Grounding my quad DSD dac and music server to the Signature was just shocking.
Happy listening, Norm
But it I can tell you for certainty that the Zanden room was the most beautiful amongst 3 rooms on my opinion. And both prince and emperor ground cable were in this system.