Thanks for the info. What other components did you connect to the Tellus? How many hours have you had on it? Also, how much more effective is the silver one vs the much cheaper copper one?
Thanks,
assad
Thanks,
assad
Entreq Silver Tellus grounding/earthing system
Hi A'goners, I'd like to tell you all a little about this component which has taken noise elimination in my system to a whole new level.
I run a Trans Fi Salvation/Terminator tt/arm, ESCCo modded Zu 103 cart into a Tom Evans Audio Design Groove Plus SRX phono, Emm Labs CDSA SE, Hovland HP200/Radia pre/pow, and Zu Definitions Mk4 spkrs. This set up is (now) effortlessly dynamic and transparent.
I live in a semi industrial area with broadband on in every apartment, internet booster stations and light engineering nearby.
It became apparent some years ago that apart from the hours of midnight to 5am, I could not rely on a good sound, and research led to conclusion that mains borne noise was likely the culprit.
This led to my first partial success, the installation of the Burmester 948 mains conditioner/filter 7 years ago. This resulted in an immediate reduction in noise and increase in transparency/delicacy ie a major improvement, even in daylight hours. BUT it became apparent over time that dynamics were seriously pinched, and the conclusion I've correctly drawn is that peak current demand was restricted by the unit compromising the power amp output.
This led to my next upgrade, and now real progress: an 8kVA pro studio Westwick 8K balanced power transformer. Now I got all the previous improvements with no current restrictions to the power amp - transparency AND NOW dynamics in spades.
But as with all things audio, the awareness of the Entreq grounding/earthing system piqued my interest further in eliminating mains issues. Entreq are a Swedish audio engineering company with a couple of decades experience, and provide a variety of mains and interconnect products.
The Entreq Silver Tellus is a wooden box, the size and weight of a small power amp. It contains inert minerals and a grounding plate. It's a passive device ie NOT powered from the mains, and sits adjacent to the system. In my system, one Apollo Eartha interconnect runs from one of 4 terminals on the back of the Tellus, to an unused input of my preamp. It is possible to connect another 3 components to a single Tellus.
In effect, it provides an ADDITIONAL earth/ground to the system, NOT replacing the existing protective earth. This then provides an uninterrupted drain for RF/EMI/other hash from the system to the Tellus.
I was expecting a minor improvement at most. What I wasn't expecting was a transformation of the system.
Firstly, soundstage deepens dramatically, so much so that the stage seems totally independent of the spkrs. Phenomenal reduction in noise really enhances the blackness between notes, and brings micro detail to the fore. This reduction in noise has the amazing side benefit of relegating vinyl surface noise way into the background. The overall effect is a fantastic increase in dynamics and transparency, taking what balanced power brings to the party and sending it off the scale.
Vitally, the nature of the system sound hasn't changed, since the Silver Tellus enhances performance, doesn't change it; in many ways is the best system wide upgrade to optimise performance I could make.
My conclusion from the last 7 years is that noise is the major limiting factor in my system, and the installation of Westwick 8k balanced power ($7000) and Entreq Silver Tellus/ Apollo Eartha grounding/earthing ($3000) has led to improvements that even a total overhaul of the system and buying new at 5x the cost could not surpass.
If anyone is getting frustrated with their system, address the mains first before you go down the merry-go-round of endless component upgrades.
In the UK, Kog Audio are the go-to guys for Entreq. I have no affiliation, just an extremely content audiophile, now so much closer to the end point on improving my system.
I run a Trans Fi Salvation/Terminator tt/arm, ESCCo modded Zu 103 cart into a Tom Evans Audio Design Groove Plus SRX phono, Emm Labs CDSA SE, Hovland HP200/Radia pre/pow, and Zu Definitions Mk4 spkrs. This set up is (now) effortlessly dynamic and transparent.
I live in a semi industrial area with broadband on in every apartment, internet booster stations and light engineering nearby.
It became apparent some years ago that apart from the hours of midnight to 5am, I could not rely on a good sound, and research led to conclusion that mains borne noise was likely the culprit.
This led to my first partial success, the installation of the Burmester 948 mains conditioner/filter 7 years ago. This resulted in an immediate reduction in noise and increase in transparency/delicacy ie a major improvement, even in daylight hours. BUT it became apparent over time that dynamics were seriously pinched, and the conclusion I've correctly drawn is that peak current demand was restricted by the unit compromising the power amp output.
This led to my next upgrade, and now real progress: an 8kVA pro studio Westwick 8K balanced power transformer. Now I got all the previous improvements with no current restrictions to the power amp - transparency AND NOW dynamics in spades.
But as with all things audio, the awareness of the Entreq grounding/earthing system piqued my interest further in eliminating mains issues. Entreq are a Swedish audio engineering company with a couple of decades experience, and provide a variety of mains and interconnect products.
The Entreq Silver Tellus is a wooden box, the size and weight of a small power amp. It contains inert minerals and a grounding plate. It's a passive device ie NOT powered from the mains, and sits adjacent to the system. In my system, one Apollo Eartha interconnect runs from one of 4 terminals on the back of the Tellus, to an unused input of my preamp. It is possible to connect another 3 components to a single Tellus.
In effect, it provides an ADDITIONAL earth/ground to the system, NOT replacing the existing protective earth. This then provides an uninterrupted drain for RF/EMI/other hash from the system to the Tellus.
I was expecting a minor improvement at most. What I wasn't expecting was a transformation of the system.
Firstly, soundstage deepens dramatically, so much so that the stage seems totally independent of the spkrs. Phenomenal reduction in noise really enhances the blackness between notes, and brings micro detail to the fore. This reduction in noise has the amazing side benefit of relegating vinyl surface noise way into the background. The overall effect is a fantastic increase in dynamics and transparency, taking what balanced power brings to the party and sending it off the scale.
Vitally, the nature of the system sound hasn't changed, since the Silver Tellus enhances performance, doesn't change it; in many ways is the best system wide upgrade to optimise performance I could make.
My conclusion from the last 7 years is that noise is the major limiting factor in my system, and the installation of Westwick 8k balanced power ($7000) and Entreq Silver Tellus/ Apollo Eartha grounding/earthing ($3000) has led to improvements that even a total overhaul of the system and buying new at 5x the cost could not surpass.
If anyone is getting frustrated with their system, address the mains first before you go down the merry-go-round of endless component upgrades.
In the UK, Kog Audio are the go-to guys for Entreq. I have no affiliation, just an extremely content audiophile, now so much closer to the end point on improving my system.
111 responses Add your response
Jarraa, have left it at only connecting the preamp to the Silver Tellus. We tried one from the earthing post on my phono stage, but this actually didn't enhance the sound. This may not be the case on every system, the dealer was a little confused by this, but kudos to him, he accepted the fact. And my cd player only has balanced jacks, and Entreq haven't yet released a balanced i/c, although this is imminent. When the system beds in, I'll try the cd i/c and possibly give the phono i/c another go. At present there is no way to try connecting power amps or integral powered subs, to the Silver Tellus in my system. The enhancement starts to work within about ten minutes, but really kicks in after about ten days, and then seems to stay consistent. I feel the Silver is a significant improvement over the Copper, well worth the extra cost. Dan, hi, we've spoken before. Just demolished my ESCCO stylus. GRRR! Great I'm in the queue for another. Yes, it's taken the system up several stages, I really believe more than a whole system swap. It's THAT dramatic. But I do live in an area with severely compromised mains. In the country etc, or other areas where mains is purer, the improvements may not be as dramatic. Insist on a home trial. |
"I feel the Silver is a significant improvement over the Copper, well worth the extra cost." Can you shed some more light on that? I, much like you, live in a dirty mains area (city) and my system in the day is sometimes unlistenable! Thanks! In regards to power amps and speakers I thought entreq has a spade to spade connector that allows you to unscrew a screw on the chasis, slip in the spade and retighten it. |
Spiritofmusic, Does the "Entreq Silver Tellus grounding/earthing system" connect directly to earth, the equipment ground, or main grounding system of your home? If the unit is not directly connected to one of the above, why the use of the word "earthing" in "Entreq Silver Tellus grounding/earthing system" An inherent problem with three phase electrical systems is the level of “stray currents” which are Entreq Silver Tellus grounding/earthing system . |
Jea, yes maybe it is more accurate to describe Tellus as a grounding box, especially since it's separate from the grid, and is not meant to replace the (electrical) protective earth. The box is passive and standalone, and might best be described as a sump that mains borne and component generated nasties ie rf/emi etc drain into, isolated from the system and grid. Jaraa, the Silver Tellus has a calmer quality than the Copper, and does it's job even more successfully, that a certain warm colouration still present in vinyl with the Copper is absent with the Silver. Also, check out balanced power first, any cheap 4kVA isolation transformer will bring a transformation in corrupted mains areas. Then, try the Tellus. |
Entreq Silver Tellus continuing to weave it's magic. In conjunction with balanced power, I'm getting that "after midnight" sound 24/7. Convinced this combination is minimising the inherently high noise floor in my system re mains borne hash. One interesting side effect of the Tellus is a projection of the soundstage further into the room, hence increasing immediacy, and depth/transparency. Some increase in soundstage height. NOT the same as an artificially inflated soundstage as I've heard eg with Avantgarde horns, where instruments take on a gigantic perspective. Just a refined aspect of what I'm used to. |
Spirit, I'm using a copper Tellus connected to the clean earth outlet of a Quantum QRT QB8 mains block and a second copper Tellus connected to the ground of my Well Tempered Amadeus tt, and to an unused rca input on my Pass Labs Aleph L pre. I agree completely with your comments. Listening has become fluid and engaging. It reveals a lot, so it's very useful for really getting to know your system. I see it as a tool to explore. Different connections lead to different results. I'm using silver Ertha cable for signal, copper Ertha cable for chassis ground. And Mr. Friberg is a very nice person! |
Hi Msom. Revealing is the word. On a par with my move to balanced power, both really complement each other. However unlike you I didn't perceive an improvement with the Apollo Eartha i/c to the earth of my phono. Just switched to a Straingauge cart, so will try the ground on the SG200 energiser box to see if analog worth pursuing with. |
Hi Spirit, Actually, I didn't get much of an improvement by connecting the phono amp (Clearaudio Reference) to the Entreq Tellus (or Entreq Minimus - I've got two of those). I got a great result by connecting the TURNTABLE ground to the Tellus. It's a Well Tempered Amadeus, 1st model, with a sturdy ground point separated from the signal outputs. I believe that by having the source signal already grounded through the preamp, connecting the phono to the Entreq units might have been overkill. And, of course, the preamp works as the central link between source and amplifier (which is why the Primary Earth plug on the Quantum QB8 is reserved for it). Speaking of which, I'm experimenting now with four QV2 Quantum units, with interesting results... |
Msom, I'm struggling to find where to attach any Eartha cable to my tt - I have direct cart-phono stage silver cabling, with no tonearm cable jacks, so this may be a blind alley for me. But there may be an interesting solution. Next port of call will be a balanced Eartha btwn cd player and Tellus. Tell me more re your QV2's. |
Hi, Direct cart-phono stage cabling is a very nice touch. It does seem that you have no Ertha option for your tt/arm, unless you consider the metal area of both? But that would be grounding chassis and not signal. I make the distinction because my phono stage allows for separate signal PCB ground / chassis ground, which made for an incredible difference when experimenting with the Entreq solutions. I found the Quantum QV2s positive enough to invest in a set of four. There's a story to it, of course: the Quantum Qbase literature advises connecting sources first and amplifier last, when it comes to equipment hierarchy in the powerblock. Your preamp stays the middle of the strip, plugged to the "Primary Earth" outlet. It's a subject I've been aware of for some time, and I don't consider it a minor detail. When I first auditioned a single QV2, I was following the Qbase's equipment order instructions. I feel that "sources first" gives great detail and midband firmness, when you are handling a quality recording, but frequency extremes and flow are more restricted, as is the music's freedom from the speakers physical bulk, and it's even more noticeable when you listen to average pressings or recordings. I didn't like the QV2 then; it was pleasant, but sounded more like an "enhancement" than actual pure mains deliverance. Sometime after that, I tried placing the power demanding components first on the QBase, by order of current demand, and the lighter loads after. (By "first" I mean the QBase outlets closer to the mains cable plugged to the wall socket, you get the idea). This improved things, as far as I'm concerned. Better tonal delivery, easier, wider dynamic soundstage, sound beyond the boxes. So, when I tried the Quantum QV2s in THAT amp first configuration, they really let go and flew. More dimension, more detail everywhere, more reality - it was helping rather than adding. I'm still experimenting with Qbase's QV2/equipment positioning - I've got the 8 outlet model, 4 QV2s and 4 pieces of equipment. But so far, my money's on the counter. |
Spirit, I meant where you place the unit phisically, yes, as far as your system's electrical circuit is concerned: multiple wall sockets? Power strip outlets? Do you connect your equipment in any given order? I have experimented in the past with two Richard Gray Power Company 400 Pro units, and was wondering if the Westwick has a similar function. Of course, your assessment of the Westwick from an improvement scale point of view would also be of interest. |
My power is in physical sequence: modded consumer unit wired into domestic consumer unit, in hallway behind listening space. Then, specialised mains cabling to dedicated unswitched 2 socket box at ground level adj to AV components. First transformer installed, a 4kVA standard non-audiophile unit, hard wired into one of sockets, sitting behind AV rack, supplying 2 laserdisc players, blu ray, AV processor, surround sound amps, and CRT projector. The Westwick is a pro studio 8kVA unit, not hard wired, plugged into spare socket, and sited about 3' from main audio rack via long captive power lead. Not noticing any hum issues. |
About to audition a couple more Entreq Apollo i/cs, a balanced one for my Emm Labs CDSA cdp, and another spade end one with my Soundsmith Straingauge SG200 energiser box. Prev phono performed worse with an Apollo, so this will just be speculative. LOVING what the Silver Tellus is doing to lower the noise floor with just a single rca Apollo to the preamp. |
Thank you for the reviews on the Tellus. I just picked up a Silver Minimus with copper wires. Wires are connected directly to the Chasis of my source and integrated amp. I found that the Minimus did not shift tone or add anything to the way the system sounds. Rather, the effect is that of removing noise to reveal what your system really sounds like. Soundstage and images improve tremendously. Disconnecting the Minimus has the effect of less volume, a flatness of sound towards the wall, less separation between voices and instruments, and a touch of harshness. With the Minimus back in place these issues are corrected and music is overall much more like a live experience. I think it may still be wise to go for power conditioning first. In terms of passive conditioning I would recommend these non-current limiting PLC's (tested with entire system including amp and sub) in order of price: Value Blue Circle FX2 - Excellent all around cleaning and can act as a distributer Nordost QV2 - Very strong for taming high freq harshness and expanding soundstage --------------------- High Performance/Value ratio Audience aR2p-TO - This is a breaker box type unit that will need a distributer. The FX2 pairing is quite good. The Audience is incredible and every bit as good as reviews state. It brings out liveliness and energy in the music, all the while lowering the noise floor and removing harshness. Running Springs Haley - I'm not sure why this unit doesn't get more attention. Better than anything I've tried in terms of lowering noise and harshness. It would be my PLC of choice if I had to pick one. The combo of Audience & RSA is a perfect synergy. I would also say that replacing all my fuses system wide with Synergistic Research fuses had just as much impact as PLC and Ground conditioning. |
Just installed a spade-spade Apollo from my Straingauge energiser box earth terminal to the Silver Tellus, and a balanced-spade Apollo from the spare balanced output of my Emm Labs CDSA SE cdp to the Silver Tellus - all alongside the rca-spade Apollo from the Hovland HP200 preamp to the Silver Tellus. The effects of all this are phenomenal. An amazing reduction in noise floor allowing subtle details to emerge from blackness, and a general reduction in hash and bloat. Aiming to add a last pair of spade-spade Apollos from the earth terminals of each of my new Audion Black shadow SET monoblocks. All really enhancing, and taking fwds, the effects of balanced power on the system. |
Audiotunesx, a few years ago I went from running my system straight out of the wall to using a Burmester 948 power conditioner. I achieved a fantastic improvement in consistency, transparency, delicacy and detail retrieval, but something wasn't quite right - a sort of softening of the sound and clipping in dynamics. So a frustrating improvement and deterioration at the same time. A couple of years ago, I investigated the benefits of balanced power, and took a bit of a punt - installed a dedicated consumer unit, high grade wiring and spur just for the audio/av system, and hard wired a 4kVA balanced power transformer into this from which the audio/av system is powered. Frustration for about a month, with all the bass gone and treble burning my eardrums - this in retrospect I discovered was 25kg of cold copper in the transformer gradually warming up. Then a month passes, and the sound transforms - all the delicacy, transparency and detail retrieval of the Burmester was retained, and surpassed, but now in conjunction with unlimited dynamics and preservation of leading edge of notes with full sustain. Really getting that "after midnight" sound 24/7. This is the rock solid foundation that the Entreq Silver Tellus/Apollo ics are building upon, and I really was skeptical that there could be any room for improvement prior to the Entreq UK dealer installing the rig in my system. Wow, was I incorrect. Each step in upgrade (Silver Tellus grounding box with Eartha Silver i/c from preamp, then this Eartha Silver i/c changed to Apollo i/c, then addition of Apollo i/c from Straingauge energiser box (eff. my phono stage) and Apollo i/c from cdp, and next most likely two Apollo i/c's from each monoblock) has been a revelation. I would summarise the improvements as a further reduction in noise floor from the already-low level achieved by balanced power, a solidifying of the soundstage - projecting it slightly forward and fixing it rock solid btwn the spkrs, relegating surface noise from vinyl to a layer well behind the soundstage to be insignificant. Amazingly, the effects amount to an increase in excitement and ease at the same time. In my system at least, it appears noise is the limiting factor, and balanced power followed by Entreq grounding is really revealing what my system is capable of. |
Good for you spirit. There are bimbos who inhabit this site who think products like the Entreq and Tripoint Troy are pure witchcraft. I could not disagree more as I have had first hand experience with Tripoint. Its funny how foundational elements like the room and power are coming to the forefront again. Dale Pitcher, my speaker and power conditioner manufacturer, has always stressed the importance of electrical grounding. My dedicated room has an isolated ionic grounding system from Lyncole, and I plan to snag a Tripoint Troy signature when money avails itself.... Audiotunesx, that is sound advice. Those synergistic fuses are the bomb. I have an audio buddy whose ears I trust that swears I should send in the fuse boxes in my dedicated panel for Synergistic research to treat (quantum tunnel, cryo, etc). |
Hi Agear. Personally I don't care how good Miguel's Troy is, his claims in the one communication I had with him were quite absurd. I don't doubt Troy is the real deal, but I'm really allergic to the hard sell. Fraser of Kog Audio in the UK is quite the opposite, infectiously enthusistic for his Entreq product, but not at the expense of rational discourse. Of course at only a quarter of the cost of Troy, there's nothing wrong with that. And the Silver Tellus/Apollo i/cs really hold up, notes are seemingly carved out of the air - an analogy I've coined is that the soundstage pre-Entreq was wavering, almost like the distortion in the air you get with heathaze on a hot day in the desert, your senses dulled by the humidity. With Entreq, it's like a crisp, still morning where your senses really are finely tuned. |
I have represented Tripoint as a dealer for the last 5 years give or take a few months and I have to say that Miguel is very passionate because he has single handedly created this whole new space for passive grounding/filtering in the audiophile market. His products have been leading the way for what is now a known advantage and I am glad to see that there are others following his lead (Entreq) and competing in this space. We cannot pass judgement for him being proud of his accomplishments and being boastful, that is his style. Having said that, his Troy has had a proven success track record , no way to deny that fact. |
Hearing is believing. Rational discourse does not get you into the holy of holies of audio reproduction. What he told you may have sounded absurd at the time. It does to most people until you actually experience it. You should realize that now that you have the Entreq in your rig. Are you happy with the Zus? |
I'm really allergic to the hard sell. Of course you are. You're British. Fraser is a master salesman. He sold you something, and now he has you singing his praises and reviewing products he sells in more than one audio site. At the end of the day, hard or soft, its still about the sale. Nothing wrong with that. Did you pay MSRP? |
Miguel is a music fanatic. He has over 10,000 albums. He is crazy for music. Also a good family man. But he can be misunderstood when he talks how things work. I am an engineer and we debate about things all the time. And we do not always agree. All in all I really like my Troy and can't wait to get the Signature. It made a HUGE improvement on my system. |
My experience mirrors that of the spiritofmusic post. I first tried a small Minimus with my DCS Puccini/Word clock,YG Carmels and Naim 500/552 DR using the Patricia Barber SACD.About 90 seconds into the Postmodern Blues track a piano comes in and the improvement was huge and impossible to miss. Since then I have bought two silver Tellus and a small one for the Entreq Konstantin speaker cables. The 500s have been replaced with a Vitus SIA 025 and the rest of the i/cs and power cables are Entreq and they are superb. They realy reduce the noise floor and give clearly improved fidelity. I have also invested in Stillpoints - Ultra SSs and Minimus - and they really complement each other superbly. The Vitus 025 by the way is an incredible amp and the 25 watts Class A output is the biggest 25 watts I have ever heard anywhere. |
Listen guys, the purpose of this thread is not to bash Miguel. My one and only contact with him by private email took the form of a patently absurd claim for his product, esp. made worse by the fact that it was a situation that was theoretical and would be nigh on impossible to arrange. So, again, I have no issues with his product, just the relentless hard sell. Yes, Fraser is a salesman, but who isn't these days? The High End certainly isn't a charity. However, he allows the product to speak for itself. All I can say is that Troy may be better than Silver Tellus, but I'm ecstatic as to how the Silver Tellus is augmenting my system. It's bringing a total sense of solidity and ease I've not gained with any other upgrades save the move to balanced power. Both complement each other. And I really prefer to spend my hard-earned £s/$s with individuals I feel comfortable with. |
Agear, we all have our standards, and what we're happy to expect from people, in personal affairs, and in business. I can't begin to tell you what one eminent head of an audiophile amp company told me when I believed something was wrong with the piece of his equipment I'd had trouble with. Let's put it this way, he had a pretty low opinion of me. And he never got any more of my cash. Miguel was adamant his approach was vastly better than anything out there bar none, and his claims of total superiority over any other solution in a situation he put fwd to me, even though he could not have had experience of this situation pushed me away from his product. Or am I just to sigh and accept with no opinion? There are a lot more heated, negative opinions on this board than mine. Personally I am glad he seems to thrive and has many converts to his products. The joys of a free economy. Btw, no discount on my Entreq purchases. |
Spirit, Miguel can be a little brusque. That is his style and maybe reflects his culture, etc (Cuban). Most manufacturers talk smack about one another in subtle and not so subtle ways. Its a business at the end of the day. The amp manufacturer is another story....that's just poor customer service and short sighted behaviour.... |
Agear, not a definitive explanation but here goes. It may be possible that grounding occurs in two planes, the component via it's earth apparatus, and the signal itself. Hope this isn't BS. My area is so blighted by hash via light industrial motors and transformers, and mobile/internet aerials, and broadband 24/7 in my apartment block. So, components may well be grounded according to specs that allow them to work and not be electrical risks, but the signal remains vunerable to adulteration. I firmly believe Entreq grounding is somehow acting as a sink or conduit to siphon the excess rf/emi/other hash present in the signal, allowing the purer signal to be more robust hence providing a more unadulterated signal via the loudspkrs, and quantum leap up in listener enjoyment/involvement. |
Hi Spirit, Long time since last. How are you these days? I moved house and have been adding up to my Entreq fleet (now two Minimus, a silver Minimus and two Tellus, sharing two Silver Erthas and two Copper Erthas). My system has been really enjoyable, while I keep on experimenting with all components and listening to great sound. In the meanwhile, my two Richard Gray 400 Pros have been idle. But I'm writing to ask if your Hovland HP200 preamp features a phase reversal switch. Thanks! |
Hi Msom, I've been fine, thanx for asking. Good luck with your moving/changes, always a scary concept, disturbing a well set up system. Getting great results with my Silver Tellus and five Apollo grounding cables on the end of a newly-installed Westwick 8kVA balanced power transformer. Next looking at the Entreq Powerus/Cleanus, and then possible upgrade re Atlantis add-on grounding box, and Apollo to Atlantis leads. Balanced power and Entreq grounding continue to really open up the sound of my system. Re my Hovland HP200 pre amp, no, I don't believe there is a phase reversal function. What's the aim of your q? |
HI Spirit, Thanks for your reply. I'm been getting excellent results by minding each recording's absolute phase, to the extent of getting aquainted to Lps I've had for years but regarded as inoperative pressings. But I must go about this by switching loudspeaker cable polarity at the speaker, rather tedious. I took notice of a Hovland for sale near me, and wondered if a phase reversal facility could make me go for it, being pleased with my Pass Labs Aleph L. As for Entreq, I'm a confirmed buyer. Besides experimenting with grounding variations, I'm heading for an Eartha Atlantis cable for the preamp, plus Silver Minimus for each source arrangement. Will expand on this idea later, if you're patient enough to read it. Best wishes. |
Hi Msom, may I ask why you've gone for separate Minimus for each component? I'm running a single Silver Tellus, to which 5 components are grounded via Apollo leads. The UK rep rates this better than separate boxes. Aiming for upgraded Atlantis cables and Atlantis add on box, but at a later stage when my power grid, i/cs and p/cs are fully sorted. |
Hi Spirit, The thing was born out of trial and error, really. I began with a Tellus, then moved on to two Minimus, for the speakers. However, that implied connecting the Minimus to the return post on the speaker, which indeed tampered with the signal circuit directly, and I avoided it, feeling it wasn't beneficial. So, two Minimus to spare. To cut a long story, I looked at my phono stage, which has separate ground posts for chassis and signal board. I had plugged the ground from the turntable directly to the signal post on the phono, feeling it made sense. But, curiosity being what it is, I tried the chassis ground instead. Well then. Increased clarity, scale and texture. Why would this be? I reasoned that since the turntable's chassis and cartridge ground are joined together, connecting directly to the phono signal board was interfering with it. And it was. I also noticed that keeping a Minimus for the signal board alone improved matters further. So, next up I connected the preamp to the Tellus, the turntable to a Minimus, and the phono signal board to the other Minimus. This improved things further, so much so that going back to everything connected to the Tellus flattened matters down, and I began to refer to this new arrangement as the "isolation fleet". Remember though, I'm using copper Tellus and Minimus. With that in mind, I applied for a Silver Minimus... which arrived a week ago. And things got truly interesting. Well, this is getting long, I'll be sure to get back to it later. But I'll say that whatever one's system's peculiarites, using Entreq has been a pleasure and a revelation. Cheers, |
Msom, that sounds like a thorough and forensic way to come to your final conclusions - trial and error with a purpose! Interesting that you've taken to attaching some Entreq grounding leads to equipment chassis'. This seems to be the favoured way of Tripoint Troy, whereas Entreq prefer to attach to unused rca/xlr/earth terminals. Personally I'm getting such great results attaching to various terminals to not bother investigating chassis grounding, so going to stick as is (five Apollo leads from pre/2 SETs/phono/cdp, to Silver Tellus). Once I finalise power grid set up and overhaul of ic/pc loom, I'll reinvestigate Entreq to poss upgrade Apollo leads to Atlantis leads, Atlantis add-on box to Tellus, and maybe Powerus/Cleanus. Getting FANTASTIC results with upgrading grid to 8kVA balanced power. The best way I can describe things is that Entreq grounding has sharpened up the soundstage, enhancing detail, stillness, and dynamics; and balanced power has revealed the natural warmth and power of the system, imparting such bass grip and control, that major issues I had with in-room bass interaction are almost totally eliminated. An amazing feat. |
Spirit, Your findings with balanced power are interesting. Using two Richard Gray 400 pro's in line with my system circuit has advantages but, unfortunately, also caveats. More on that later, I suppose. It's also interesting your mention of bass improvement as overall acoustic improvement, which possibly sheds light on room/system interaction way beyond bass traps and diffraction solutions. The thing is, the better my system gets in terms of output, the slighter acoustic impediments get. I should point out that I'm using primarily the unused rca/xlr inputs for Entreq interface. Chassis ground has turned up as a secondary route, meaning two Minimus per device (copper on chassis, silver on signal) which yields complementary results. I suppose I'm being, as your US cousins might say, dedicated to the process. I'm afraid I'm not acquainted with Tripoint at all. In the meanwhile, an Eartha Atlantis and second Silver Minimus are now on their way. Can't wait, really. Hope there'll be more positive points to discuss over the next few weeks. Still, I'll trace back your posts to read more about your balanced power setup. |
Msom, I gather you don't live in the US? Maybe the UK like me? What's the rest of your system? I really feel fortunate to have discovered the Entreq grounding/balanced power direction. It's totally opened up my system and allows it to perform to a level I really didn't think poss. I'd spent years tolerating digital, but now find it's really closed the gap with analog. Lps still take pride of place, but I've had an epiphany in really respecting the potential of 16/44 rbcd, all because of grounding/balanced. Currently about to max out balanced power by installing a dedicated consumer unit, running an Oyaide radial main from it to hard wire into my 180lb Westwick 8kVA balanced transformer, from which I'll run 4-5 20A Oyaide dedicated lines into Furutech rhodium plated wall sockets. Then I'll run components direct from the wall, with Entreq grounding running in parallel. |
Spirit, I live in the old Continent, not in the UK, but in a small coutry which holds the oldest, still ratified alliance in existance: Portugal. The Anglo-Portuguese alliance dates from 1373, making it even older than Lps! I'm based on vinyl replay, and use a Well Tempered Amadeus (it of the golf ball), carrying a Clearaudio MM Virtuoso cartridge, connected to the Clearaudio Reference phono amp (earlier version, 100W p/ch power supply), which connects to a Pass Labs Aleph L 0.2 preamp, leading to a XTZ AP100 amp, option of class AB/A. Speakers are XTZ's own 99.26 "high gloss" monitors. I also carry two Clearaudio vinyl cleaning machines and shelves of Mobile Fidelity and Clearaudio vinyl cleaning/restoring fluids (it's a thrill checking discarded records take on life and meaning again). My present Entreq collection you already know. Before playing a record I also use Furutech's DeStat II and clean the stylus tip with Clearaudio's own fluid for the job. And I optimize VTA and damping for each record. It's easily done on the Amadeus and it's amazingly important. I read the Westwick data sheet and it sounds truly tempting. Way to go. by the way, I removed my Rega Apollo cd player from the system because it interfered with the analogue systems ground (not with noise, it just improved the sound removed from the power strip) so your findings with 16/44 rbcd do ring a potential bell. By the way, I use PS Audio's AC5 current cables throughout, linked to and from a Nordost Quantum Qbase 8, sporting four Quantum Qv2 current harmonizers, as I reported before. Right now, still experimenting with Entreq grounding alternatives and really having a good time by it. |
Goldeneraguy, I'll speak to the UK rep and find out for you. I'm quite the convert, sat with my arms tightly folded in skeptic mode to begin with, only one ground lead from preamp in place, to be replaced 10 minutes later to use those very arms to help lift my jaw off the floor! The great thing is that the biggest change was the first one, so if you stick at this you'll likely be eternally pleased w/out having to go as far as I have over time. |