SECRETS OF HOME THEATER AND AUDIO
3-D
SIGNATURE MAT
by
Journey to
Another World
My
most recent experience with the Signature 3-D mat was at the home of a
well-known writer/reviewer for major audiophile print publications.
Our
auditioned tracks included Patty Smith’s "When Doves Cry" and Susie
Ungerleider performing "Sacrifice".
After
listening to both vocalists, I asked if we could replay the tracks using the
Signature 3-D Mat. The difference was startling. All of a sudden, voices and
instruments transformed from flat, mono-dimensional presentations to rounded
sonic images that bore a far greater resemblance to the real thing. You could
feel the presence of the drum, the roundness of the strings, and the different
layers of undertones and overtones that comprise the human voice.
Equally
striking was the additional air and depth. Voice and instruments were now
realistically separated, resonating in different acoustic planes rather than
sounding crammed together in mono-dimensional space. Where before the voice had
seemed somewhat dryly miked, it now sounded like it was recorded in a naturally
resonant space. And where sonic images had hung in space as though they were
lovely pictures on a wall, they now seemed to live in the space between and
around the speakers. The most important change was the additional soul that
these women’s voices exhibited. An entirely new emotional component was
revealed, one that allowed me to feel the heart that motivates their singing.
Life is the
key
The
transformation was anything but subtle. It made all the difference in the
world. What had before registered as interesting arrangements of
studio-processed sounds now touched me as living, breathing artistic
statements.
The
essence of music was for the first time revealed through this system. And
that’s what it’s all about.
What about Video Performance?
The difference in picture and sound quality
with the Signature 3-D mat is astonishing.
Picture: With the Marigo Labs Signature 3-D
mat:
1. the colors have far more
life and depth.
2. Images also have
considerably more detail and clarity.
3. There is an extra
weight and roundness to the images that renders them far more engaging.
Sound: With the Marigo Labs
Signature 3-D mat I discovered a previously unheard midrange fullness and
tighter, more profound bass that rendered voices and instruments far more
substantial, colorful, and lifelike. For the first time, I was engaged by the
singing and playing.
After
revisiting my audio set-up, I realize anew what a difference this Signature 3-D
mat makes. One would expect Theta’s top-of-the-line transport and DAC to sound
pretty satisfying without some mat sitting atop a CD. So it comes as a shock to
rediscover just how much of my listening pleasure hinges upon use of the Marigo
Labs Signature 3-D mat.
Take
Reference Recordings’ issue of Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances. After playing
the opening three minutes of this disc at least 350 times,
I
think that I know what to listen for. Without using the 3-D Mat, I have a very
nice sonic experience. Relistening with the Marigo Labs Signature mat in place,
it’s hard to think of what’s not different.
1. The soundstage widens and deepens, providing a stunning sense of
a full orchestra surrounded by an aura of natural hall reverberation. Much of
this air and reverb was absent without the disc. What before sounded like a
high-grade audiophile presentation takes on a life of its own, seemingly
independent of all the boxes and wires arrayed before me.
2. The sound of massed double basses and percussion significantly
increase, and is presented with greater focus. The additional mass and weight
seem far closer to the real thing that I experience on a regular basis in
Davies Symphony Hall.
3. The ring of the triangle, which seems suspended in space in
actual live performance, lifts out of the disc and rings in my room in lifelike
fashion.
4. There is far more life to highs, and significantly more detail
to the entire presentation.
One single $199 Marigo Labs Signature 3-D disc transforms
my system’s gestalt from “audiophile quality” to “musical.”
Every level of player I’ve tried the Marigo
Labs Mat in, including five figure transports and players, the Signature Mat
has taken the listening experience to another level.
Jason
Victor Serinus