Tice Audio: fun reading
Rick Auricchio
If you've never heard of George Tice and the Tice Clock, you'll enjoy these.
Come to think of it, if you *have* heard of him, you'll still like 'em.
--rick http://www.comet.com/~rick/
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Rick Auricchio/ri...@taligent.com 408-974-9742 voice, 408-446-3376 FAX
Apple Computer,Inc. 1 Infinite Loop M/S 301-2FM Cupertino,CA 95014
I acknowledge the existence of a higher power,
and have therefore installed surge suppressors.
Rick Auricchio
Russ Novak July, 1991
George Tice is a nice guy, well known to New York area audiophiles, who
has done original engineering and research work in producing his Tice
Power Block. There has never been a demonstration of that device which
has failed to prove its worth. But the clock. The Tice TPT Clock is a
problem for most people. A controversy.
You will have read essentially positive reviews of the technology in
the November Absolute Sound and essentially negative ones in the March
Stereophile. You are familiar with the controversy. You are as familiar
with the theory as you can be given the fact that the technology is
proprietary: the clock (the vehicle) is "treated" by the manufacturer
and when plugged into the AC outlets which power your stereo, causes
the electrons to move in a less random manner throughout the system,
thus lowering noise, and producing sonic benefits.
No radiate of the RCA Institute was ever taught such thins and some
audiophiles are not ready (or do-not have a system good enough) to hear
a difference. This is a $30 clock selling for $350. What it does is not
an obvious frequency related phenomena. It is an ephemeral thing.
I brought the clock home on a Saturday night (thank you for the loan,
Charles Kuttler). I thought that a CD player would be the source most
likely to need help so I put on the recording I am most familiar with
in the world: Frank Sinatra Sins for Only the Lonely (Capitol CDP
748712). I have been listening to this recording since 1958 and can
easily detect nuances in playback systems with it.
I bean by not expecting much. Listening to the system for 10 minutes
prior to using the clock gave me a fix on the sound and presentation of
the recording. I then plugged in the clock and relaxed on the couch
with a book and waited. At about the 10 minute mark I thought I heard
something but dismissed it as being imagination. At about the 15 minute
mark I felt I was definitely hearing things I hadn't heard before, but
didn't have a fix on what it was.
At the 20 minute mark I had permanently put down the book. It seemed
that the soundstage was several feet deeper than usual and the music,
while not different in frequency it seemed to bloom from the background
in a more relaxed, effortless manner. Son of a bitch! The thin works!
I unplugged the clock. Nothing at first. Was I crazy? Then slowly the
sound deadened, seemed less lifelike. Later experimentation showed an
initial. collapse of the soundstage at around the 6 second mark with
all vestiges of the effect absent after about 30 seconds. Do we assume
that it takes this long for the electrons to deprogram themselves?
I listened to the system, sans clock, for another 15 minutes and the
music bean to sound better. Was my initial impression of improvement
the result of just paying closer attention? In went the clock. 20
minutes later with the Tice clock in full stride I was hearing the same
improvements, this time with some additional observations: the
instruments were less localized at the face of the speaker with each
instrument or section (we shouldn't get too dramatic) better separated
from the others.
The next morning I couldn't repeat the experience. Was it the night
mist, dim lighting, the lilac wine? I played records and CDs and
experimented with using the clock at my listening position with an
extension cord made of Distech power cord running back to the outlet
(this in order to stay in the listening position when the clock was
removed to better hear the effect).
I took the clock to the Jersey meeting. No dice, but then there were a
lot of people, an unfamiliar system, and many competing interests.
At home again Sunday evening I still couldn't repeat the effects. I
have another length of Distech power cord running from the AC outlet to
a multiple outlet box in back of the equipment. Not willing to admit
that I had just been imagining things on Saturday night, I bean to
wonder if the Distech could affect the action of the clock and I bean
to wonder about plug orientation.
By Monday night, the day before I had to give it back, I knew I had to
make a last ditch effort to reveal its mysteries or consign it to the
forgotten tweak pile.
You can just reach a part of the clock's chassis through the plastic
case on the back. I measured the chassis for the minimum AC voltage and
marked the plug (a subsequent conversation with George Tice revealed
that proper plug orientation is mentioned in the instructions which
come with the clock).
Also, instead of plugging it in at the wall outlet (with one length of
Distech between it and the components) or at the seating position (two
lengths of Distech between it and the components), I plugged it in
right at the outlet box from which all components draw their power.
Back to Sinatra and the CD player. There it was! I bean making notes on
where instruments appeared to come from and compared their placement
with and without the clock. Surprisingly they were the same. Then why
did there appear to be more depth and race with the clock?
Because, I think, you can take the claim literally that the clock
quiets electron noise. Therefore instruments emerge from quieter
background. Therefore there is an apparent increase in the depth of the
ima7e. Also, because your brain needs to contend with and filter out
less subliminal noise the sound appears more natural, graceful,
lilting.
One thin I noticed with the clock is that at times the sound appeared
to come from the space between the outside of the speaker and the side
wall - the first time I've heard this effect with the current state of
development of my system. And was I please at that! Bass frequencies
were, not louder, but better defined against the quiet.
This time around I was able to repeat the experience with other CDs
although the effect is less obvious with well recorded ones like the
Johnny Frio / Bucky Pizzarelli (Chesky JD1). The magic is also less
obvious with vinyl. I wish I had more time to play with it (I wish I
owned or could afford one). I found none of the negative effects
mentioned in the reviews.
Is it worth $350? What are ephemeral qualities worth to you? Do you
appreciate non-frequency related phenomena? George has authorized his
dealers to offer the clock with a 30 day money back guarantee. What do
you have to lose?
So What Have We Learned
1 ) This is no short term phenomena that can be quickly A / B'ed
because of the time involved in initiating the effects and then
deactivating them. Changes are gradual and long term listening is the
only way to hear it.
2) Don't look for frequency related changes that can be heard easily.
3) Look for changes in the time / space / clarity dimensions of the
soundstage. Ephemeral changes.
4) If your system doesn't image well now, the effects of this
technology may not be heard.
5) Orient the clock's AC plug to produce the least voltage on the
chassis referenced to round.
6) Exotic AC cords might affect performance. More experimentation
needed here.
7) Be certain that if you stand up and endorse the clock you will be
lumped in the cultural subgroup of eccentric little old ladies in
tennis shoes.
I am happy to testify that his product worked in my system and I am
happy to report that the reputation of George Tice and his Power Block
will not be damaged by a product some have refused to believe in.
Rick Auricchio
Tice Audio Products, Inc.
TPT is not a product a circuit, part or a digital clock. It is a
process used to permanently alter the electrical characteristics of
wire, circuit components, or any conductive materials. TPT is a
material treatment process. Material treatment is an industrial science
that has evolved as a by-product of the industrial age. Material
treatment simply means that a special process has been applied to a
basic material to alter its structure in a predictable and controllable
manner, this treatment will improve its performance for a specific
purpose. Common examples of material treatments are the use of heat,
cold (cryogenics) or radiation. Material treatments improve basic
substances and fill the need for high tech materials that were
previously unattainable. The TPT treatment machine uses electricity (in
a proprietary method) to create beneficial changes in any conductive
material. The TPT treated material produces an altered molecular signal
that is transferred via the AC power line or directly into the signal
path as happens with our audio cables. This altered molecular signal
will have a profound effect on the conductors characteristics and
therefore its sound. Your customers may be confused with the idea of
treating wire products with the TPT process, considering the
misinformation they may have read in Stereophile. Stereophile
erroneously reported that the TPT process was a function of digital
noise from a digital clock circuit. They were completely incorrect in
their assumptions. The TPT processing machine weighs over 7001bs.,
consumes huge amounts of electric power and was invented and built by
George Tice over a one and a half year period. All items to be treated
must first have a program developed for them. The program will specify
the exact processing parameters to be used during the treatment
process, only then can an item be successfully treated and improved by
the process. Each treatment program takes more than 200 hours to
develop. All of our new wire and cable products will be individually
treated one at a time by George Tice to ensure absolute consistency.
The TPT treatment machine can change the sound of wire products in a
controllable and predictable manner. We can and will demonstrate the
TPT treatment process to any credible audio journalist. The most
obvious sonic improvement resulting from the treatment will be in the
reproduction of sound stage. The stage will be wider and deeper with
each instrument floating within its own space. Grain and noise are
significantly reduced allowing a more life like musical presentation.
TPT also provides similar improvements for video reproduction. TPT is a
major scientific and audio / video breakthrough. For the first time
wire and conductive electronic parts can be altered to achieve improved
sound quality not previously possible. Tice Audio will continue to
pioneer new breakthrough products and technologies for the future.
Rick Auricchio
AN EXCLUSIVE VISIT WITH THE ELECTRIC KING - GEORGE TICE
A year and half ago, I was proud to introduce to Audiotechnique readers
the lower Block AC power line filter from Tice Audio. I have never been
disappointed with this Rolls Royce class power conditioner. Although,
many new power line filtering devices are becoming available none have
been able to match the Power Block. Once you use a Power Block you
will not be able to live without it! As for me, the Power Block and
Titan are used as my reference tools for reviewing other audio
components. For more information on the Power Block, please see the
July 1991 issue of Audiotechnique Magazine where I review the Power
Block and Titan in depth.
THE MYSTERIOUS TPT - THE MASK IS FINALL Y REMOVED
Sometime ago, Tice introduced the mysterious TPT Clock. This product
was at times misunderstood. Many people do not really understand TPT
and therefore say "it cannot exist." A TPT treated Clock looks like an
ordinary clock. I have found that if your system is not tuned for
maximum performance you may not receive the full benefit of the TPT
Clock, or for that matter any power line filtering device. It is
possible that a system not properly tweaked might miss the sound
improvements achieved by the TPT Clock.
I am the U.S. correspondent and reviewer for Audiotechnique Magazine
the largest audio magazine in the world), so you might ask, "why would
George Tice want to demonstrate his TPT machine to me?" Very simply
put, he trusted me to give an honest and concise assessment of the
demonstration. I have spoken to Mr. Tice often regarding his Tice Pulse
Technology. As I have revealed in previous articles, TPT can improve
the sound of all types of wire and cables, even CD's. To answer the
question of whether any LED clock could be treated with TPT the answer
is yes, Mr. Tice treated my own personal LED clock which later provided
an improvement to the sound of my audio system. There is no question in
my mind that it works. Like some reviewers, I wished to personally
experience the TPT technology, unfortunately, people like John Atkinson
of Stereophile Magazine never had any intention of investigating the
TPT phenomena, he just wrote it off "as a bunch of nonsense." George
Tice has up to now been secretive and refused to reveal the exact
principles of TPT. Due to the proprietary nature of the TPT technology
his secrecy has only served to fuel his critics. George Tice is very
careful about revealing technical information on the TPT technology. I
was very pleased to be the first audio reviewer to participate in a
demonstration of this exciting new technology. On a recent trip to
Connecticut and New York, I was invited by Mr. Tice to visit his lab
for a demonstration of his "secret weapon" the TPT treatment machine.
We arrived on Long Island for our tour of the Tice Audio factory and
then drove to his lab.
UPCOMING NEW PRODUCTS FROM TICE ARE ON THE WAY
The new products from Tice Audio are the DC-1 Digital Cable, TPT Line
Enhancer, 416 Speaker Cable, PC-1 & PC-2 Power Cords and the IC-1
Interconnect Cable. The entire line of new products has been treated
with the TPT technology. The TPT Line Enhancer is the replacement for
the original TPT Clock. George has demonstrated to my satisfaction that
the Line Enhancer draws absolutely no power because it is strictly a
passive device. Even though the Line Enhancer draws no power it still
makes a great improvement to your audio system. On the subject of
cables George stressed that TPT is not a panacea for bad sounding
cables. To get the maximum results, George starts with the finest wire
materials available then improves upon them with TPT.
George did explain the operating principles of his new Digital Cable
and Power Cords to me, unfortunately I've been asked not to reveal to
the public the contents of our discussions. I can assure you that my
visit with Mr. Tice was most enlightening. He combined an engineers
mind with an audiophiles ear to develop his new line of TPT treated
products.
There is no question in my mind that the new line of Tice Audio Cable
Products is of superior quality. Considerable time has been spent
developing the TPT treatment program used to treat each individual
cable product. Like his Power Block and Titan each component part of
the TPT machine has been selected for optimum sound quality.
THE TPT MACHINE
Due to the proprietary nature of TPT, I can only give you a very
general description of the TPT processing equipment. The TPT machine is
mounted on a large platform. Altogether it consists of six individual
pieces of equipment. The center piece of equipment is the main control
unit it contains many adjustment switches, terminals and five meters.
The main control unit measures about two and half feet square. All of
the individual pieces of equipment contained substantial cooling fans.
From my own observations, it was apparent that the TPT equipment must
consume large amounts of electricity. From the look of the equipment, I
can see that George spent a considerable amount of time and money
constructing each of its component parts. George showed me quite a few
experimental prototype pieces of equipment used in the development of
the TPT machine. I can see from their construction that George Tice has
spent a lot of time and money in developing TPT. It was truthfully
worth the price. I also had the privilege of seeing George's collection
of old amplifiers, the most interesting to me was an Electronic
Industries Dual 50 Vacuum Tube Amplifier. Electronic Industries would
later be renamed Audio Research.
THE TPT DEMONSTRATION "IT CAN DO ANYTHING YOU WANT"
Now that I have seen the TPT machine, I asked George to demonstrate its
performance. He told me each program can take quite a bit of time to
properly develop with that we decided to try what he called "an easy
treatment" - a compact disc. I brought with me a number of CD's to be
treated. One of the recordings was very rolled off and dark in the
upper frequencies. Trying to focus on the performance of the choir took
considerable concentration because of the rolled off nature of the
recording. I asked George if he could do something to improve the high
frequencies of this recording. He asked. "Do you want it to have more
air and high frequency clarity? - Well, he said - I can give you
anything you want. Do you want more bass? - Do you want more mid-range
emphasis? - I can give it to you." This certainly sounded like a fairy
tale. As you know CD's do not contain analog signals only a series of
zeros and ones. How can TPT change that? Certainly, if TPT can change
anything it could not change the zeros and ones. According to George,
TPT cannot change the zeros and ones, but will affect the molecular
structure of the reflecting aluminum layer of the CD. It seems to me
the reflective nature of the aluminum layer could affect the laser
reading unit. There are still many aspects of the CD system that have
yet to be fully understood. I asked George for an increase in high
frequencies for this disc, he adjusted many switches and controls on
the TPT control panel. He put the CD in the machine for treatment and
turned on the machine, I could sense the immense amount of current
flowing through the machine. The cooling fans began turning from slow
to fast. The noise was thundering loud. George continued turning up
the power, I could feel something powerful happening, after a short
treatment the room became dead quiet again. George removed the CD and
said, "It's OK. now."
THE IMPROVED PERFORMANCE OF THE CD WAS TRULY AMAZING!
We listened to the Requiem again and instantly everything opened up,
The high end air and detail was improved by at least fifty or sixty
percent. It was truly amazing! Incredible! The next CD was Nat King
Cole's - Unforgettable. George thought the mid-range was a bit harsh
and dry, he asked if I would like it "fixed?" - of course, I said, and
he disappeared with the CD. After the treatment we listened again and
it was exactly as he said, "fixed." The sound was now smooth and liquid
without the harsh quality of the original recording. Next, he proceeded
to adjust the bass and high frequencies we soon had a wonderfully
musical and listenable CD. Then we tried a cello performance, George
felt it had a bit too much background noise and proceeded to treat the
disc. Once again the results were astonishing. We treated a number of
other CD's all with incredibly positive results. This demonstration
convinced me totally - there was no question about it - TPT worked. I
have personally experienced the amazing performance of the TPT
treatment and can tell you personally it is not a fairy tale - it
exists. Some have claimed that Tice treats the discs cryogenically - I
can assure you he does not - it is TPT.
TPT WORKS ON COPPER CONDUCTORS
The TPT effect can never be lost and should last forever. Other cable
treatments such as the Duo-Tech Cable Enhancer cannot make that claim.
Several months ago, in another article in Audiotechnique Magazine, I
discussed the results of my own tests performed on my cables which were
treated by George with TPT. TPT improved the sound of every cable I
sent to George for treatment. I had many discussions with Mr. Tice n
cable design and how TPT effects the atomic structure of the cable
below the molecular level. Although the crystal structure of copper can
be distorted with continual flexing of a cable, the TPT programming
will not be affected. I have verified this with my own experiments. My
experiments with the Duo-Tech Cable Enhancer have shown it to have no
effect on the TPT programming in a cable. I am thoroughly convinced
that the TPT process can improve every cable it is used on.
THE TPT LINE ENHANCER
About a month after my visit with George Tice he sent me a TPT Line
Enhancer for evaluation. It is a heavy oak box with a twelve gauge line
cord and high quality plug.
It consumes no power and of course does not have an LED. It did
however, substantially improve the sound of my system in much the same
way the TPT Clock did. It is however, much more powerful. I will have
more to say about the TPT Line Enhancer in a future review.
In closing, I can say TPT works exactly as Mr. Tice claims it does, I
am a believer.
Tice Audio Products, Inc. 2140 Pond Road, Unit #3 Ronkonkoma, New York
11779 Tel: (516) 467-5254 Fax: (516) 467-5309
Jay Kadis
--
Jay Kadis Jay's Garage Studio
CCRMA/Music Dexter Records
Stanford University Offbeats
j...@ccrma.stanford.edu http://www.offbeats.com
Rick Auricchio
Winter 1991
It was just two meetings ago (Oct. 1990) that George Tice provided for
the club, the first glimpse into TPT (Tice Pulse Technology). George
took some plain Monster Cable Speaker Cable which was specially
programmed using the TPT technology. The copper wire was unterminated
at one end, the other had a standard AC line power plug. It was plugged
into the same receptacle as the preamplifier and compared to an
untreated section of identical Monster Cable speaker cable. We heard
the difference. Today after additional testing and research GT has
developed the TPT Clock.
TPT is a new development in conductor technology. As electrons move
through a conductor, "electron noise" is generated. This is analogous
to AC power line noise (conceptually) but is a different beast. No
power conditioner on the market, not even the Tice Power Block, can
filter for this molecular phenomena. The effect of electron noise is
further exacerbated by the random chaotic movement of the electrons in
a conductor. This has been a problem in the broadcast and data
transmission industry for years, but has been ostensibly ignored.
TPT is a technology that treats the electrons in conductive material.
Any conductive material can be treated. So how does one measure TPT?
"Only ears are available today," says George. This technology exceeds
the current realm of scientific measurements. Financial constraints
currently impede any research program that could be developed. But this
in no way should cause us to close our minds and ears to what appears
to be a significant improvement to any high resolution audio system.
George said, "we have an answer searching for a question." He contacted
physicists at Brookhaven Labs to get a handle on this technology.
The TPT "program" somehow reduces the randomness of the electrons in a
conductor and therefore the overall electron noise. There has always
been a direct correlation between noise and sound stage size, whether
it is AC power line or electron noise, says George. Anytime you reduce
power line noise, you increase soundstage. The same is proving to be
true with electron noise and the TPT Clock. Tice states that the walls
in the listening room seem to move back and out, rather than the
instruments themselves moving out of place.
But why a clock, you ask? The clock simply serves as a medium, a
messenger carrying the technology. The clock is not the important focal
point, but rather the technology it carries. The clock was chosen
because it saves Tice time and money, which translates to a retail
price of $350 for the consumer. Tice wanted to get the technology out
on the street in as rapid and simple a fashion as possible. The clock
that was chosen is a high quality digital LED AC operated clock. The
TPT clock should be plugged into the same AC outlet your audio system
is powered from. All electrons coming in contact with the clock will be
treated and modified. Thus the effect of TPT takes ten minutes or so to
permeate and energize your complete system. Conversely, if you unplug
the clock it will take about ten seconds for the system to "consume"
those electrons already introduced in to the system that have been TPT
modified. Optimum results are achieved if you verify polarity of the
TPT clock plug (polarizing instructions are included with each clock).
Also, make sure you plug the clock into the outlet which your preamp is
plugged into.
A few closing thoughts, Let's keep our minds open (thanks AB for
reminding us). If an effect is heard, whether positive or negative, and
lacks definitive explanation, we should feel free to experience it. In
the case of TPT technology, George has gone out on a limb to present to
us a technology that significantly changes the sound in an audio
system. Even though it cannot be fully explained at this time, should
we let that detract from the ultimate trail - the sound? I think not.
George, thank you for braving the skeptics and being a pioneer in
offering to us a reasonably priced tweak for our audio environment.
Paul Lupie
The Audiophile Voice, 3671 Hudson Manor Terrace, Ste. 17A,, Riverdale,
New York, 10463 Tel: (212) 549-4368 Fax: (212) 796-2825
Steve Holiman
: Reprinted From AUDIOTECHNIQUE Nov 1991 By Wing Cheung
: THE TPT DEMONSTRATION "IT CAN DO ANYTHING YOU WANT"
Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.
I'm trying to figure out at which point in the process there was enough
of a distraction to allow Tice to mark the edge with a green felt pen.
____________________________________________________________________________
Steve Holiman / stev...@cloverleaf.com | The rogue opinions which just
HACK / Holiman Audio/Computer Kibitzing | escaped do not necessarily reflect
Los Angeles CA (310) 942-0314 voice/fax | my moments of clear perception ...
Demers Jonathan P
I've had better hallucinations from paint fumes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jonathan 3j...@qlink.queensu.ca distortion/dissolution/desire
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peter Kerr
--
Peter Kerr bodger
School of Music chandler
University of Auckland neo-Luddite
Mike Rivers
> Hang on, wasn't Hallowe'en a couple of weeks back?
I was wondering if perhaps the articles quoted were from some time
around April 1.
------------
I'm really mri...@d-and-d.com (Mike Rivers) On the road.
Somewhere east of Lost Angeles and west of the moon
Gabe M. Wiener
you can observe all the miracle "cure" products they used to sell, and
vehemently defend as being wholesome. My favorite one is the "Electric
Belt" which was provided with a "20-gauge" battery which, using the
marvels of that wonderful force ELECTRICITY, could heal any ailment.
The sad thing is that people actually bought them, put them on, and
passed electric currents through their groins.
100 years later and the same sort of charlatanism surfaces in another
field....audio. 1895...1995....maybe it's a fin-de-siecle thing?
--
Gabe Wiener Dir., Quintessential Sound, Inc. |"I am terrified at the thought
Recording-Mastering-Restoration (212)586-4200 | that so much hideous and bad
PGM Early Music Recordings ---> (800)997-1750 | music may be put on records
ga...@panix.com http://www.panix.com/~gabe | forever." --Sir Arthur Sullivan