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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
jfz
570 posts
 
Coopersark,

I thought I was respecting your privacy. I simply asked if you would share what your system is.

Just to be clear: I asked only because, for me, it is crucial to know the context when trying to estimate how much "weight" to place on a poster's comments about what he hears. That's all.
tmsorosk
1,013 posts
 
Jfz , your totally right. In fact I could go a step further and say everyone on this site should have a system link complete with pictures. It really has nothing to do with privacy and gives the person credibility and helps others understand what a poster is trying to convey. Is one picture worth a thousand word's? About. My music room door is always open to anyone that wants to come over and have a listen.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Badwisdom, I am also referring to ripping. I know, it disobeys the laws of science.
coopersark OP
16 posts
 
I have said all that I am going to say on the subject. You have myself using a Mark Levinson Reference transport, Spectron using a new Esoteric Transport, and Jonathanhorwitz who is using the mat in his disc mastering all hearing similar improvements. These are in the context of three different systems.
I have mentioned my secondary system where I am hearing improvements as well. The Marigo Mat is a low cost item that I am sure is returnable. We are not talking about a high risk proposition here, try one for yourself and decide. I have a couple of these and am awestruck with the results, as far as what you do or don't do about trying one of these Marigo mats is really none of my concern.
maril555
619 posts
 
Badwisdom,
Before you appeal to someone's common sense, I would suggest, you do some homework first.
CD playback is strictly an analog process, there are no "ones and zeroes" on the disc!
"CD data is stored as a series of tiny indentations known as "pits", encoded in a spiral track moulded into the top of the polycarbonate layer. The areas between pits are known as "lands". Each pit is approximately 100 nm deep by 500 nm wide, and varies from 850 nm to 3.5 µm in length. The distance between the tracks, the pitch, is 1.6 µm"
So, the CD playback is a subject to pretty much the same rules, that apply to a vinyl playback, the only difference being a laser, "reading" pits and lands, instead of a stylus, more specifically vibration control and such.
Before I go any further, I would like to say, that I never heard any of the Marigo products, so, I don't have an opinion on any of the mat's virtues.
With regards to Simon (Spectron)- the only comment, i can make is this- I heard his sytem quite a few times, and if i had to make a bet, there is a chance, that his hearing and ability to notice differences in sound reproduction, are at the very least equal, and likely much higher, than mine, yours, or anyone else here.
And if he reports an improvement, I'm willing to bet moderate amount of $$$, that it is real.
I checked that quite a few times myself, when I cross- referenced his impressions in my own system, such as power cord, etc.
Coopersark,
So, you are saying, that if the OP liked the product "he is a shill", and if his system costs more, than yours, then "he is an arrogant A-hole"???
That's very original and insightful.
Then, by analogy, if somebody with more expensive system, than yours, called you "a stupid looser" for instance, he would have been right? Right?
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