Entreq Silver Minimus Infinity Grounding Boxes

Letter from Hong Kong (24-8): ELO on Grounding Boxes and other Conundrums

For most of my 50 + years of HiFi experience, I have not been a believer of grounding and its ability to remove the high frequency and other unwanted noises that exist in the power grid and around the whole flat. Not until the recent two years, that is, largely thanks to Doctorjohn for letting me write here, which reignited my HiFi journey to chase after Nirvana....

There are people who spend whole lots of money on improving the power supply to create the cleanest and most accurate sine curve to power the system. Some spend ample amount of money on noise grounding. Mechanical grounding of vibration is another intriguing topic; I think people like us invest much time and money on this - many blood sweating stories on choosing the right type of vibration control material to take away the unwanted vibration that can mask and deteriorate the sound! For me, I agree with all of these means to improve sound but a lot of people simply use "measurements" to judge things instead of ears and heart to FEEL the music.

Even seasoned veterans in my early years paid very little attention to noise grounding. Many did not think it can improve the sound, and that's even true as of today. Even my old self always saw this as voodoo magic or snake oil. Even when it comes to cables, many say they are not worth the investment. But I do believe any cable can alter the sound in a way that can improve or worsen the sound depending how setup is tuned. There are a lot of uber expensive cables available in the market. While they offer improvement to sound, I always question their PQR or even the actual performance. I am extremely happy with my cheap cables (by today's standards) but I'm still open to trying mid priced cables. That is another topic that can lead easily to heated discussions!

Without drifting too far, (which I did many times as usual) those who had read my earlier posts some time back know I was sold on the idea of grounding my system and that I started to DIY some simple ground boxes (as in here; this is not something that requires a whole lot of electrical knowledge)!! And they really work in my system. Since then, I have been adding more and more ground boxes into my system. Even if some did not work out, most did and, as a whole, the effect is more beneficial than adverse.

Entreq Silver Minimus Infinity (SMI) had always been on my radar after I acquired the Entreq Micro, though not top of my shopping list. After acquiring the Grimm SQM, the hifi bug made me itchy again to try to improve further on my system. 

On my current setup, so very listenable already, I am really satisfied with the sound but with a small issue: the midrange is very transparent but still missing the last bit of texture and, perhaps, bit of warmth and that final bit of musicality. I'm just nitpicking, and of course any improvement is welcome.

As usual one day, I was surfing R33 for interesting stuff, not necessarily to buy, and then saw the Entreq Silver Minimus Infinity (SMI) on sale at a very reasonable price and I got it quickly with a slight further discount. With no expectation at all, I immediately installed it into my system. I hooked it up to my Aiyima A08 Pro - the difference is huge, but on the negative side: the soundstage has shrunk and air was dried up. So without waiting for too long, I unhooked it and then tried it on the UMI. Sound seemed to be back to normal but, to my surprise, there's one track that really perplexed me! The guitar should be dead on the left, but  then here it had moved to slightly left of middle!  Then I moved the Minimus to the back of my Wattson WEA and connected it to the Viard ethernet cable's connector. Soundstage seems to back to normal. Then I let it settle down and played some random tracks from my Tidal collection.

Without any expectations, at first I heard only small changes but, after prolonged listening for more than a week, the subtle changes grew and grew and became vital and integral to the system. It elevated the level of one very important HiFi indicator: MUSICALITY. Just when I think the system has enough detail retrieval, the SMI somehow improved on it. 

So what are the improvements?

• 1) Improvement of Microdynamics is the most important. The speed of music can be lightning fast if demanded and can happen all of a sudden. Then it will die down within a split second, followed by absolute black and quiet background, plus the seemingly unfathomable decaying reverb of the instrument that can only be heard to last second of the track. Also the musicians and vocalists seem to play more TOGETHER, instead of everyone being on his own in an isolated space. The timing of all instruments are dead on accurate with not a bit of sluggishness. The portrayal of violin has gained an extra level of performance;  possessing the right body and harmonics, the hairpin turns are negotiated smoothly and swiftly like by a top F1 car racer! As a result, it can sound ferocious and scintillating yet, if required, it can be as regal, melancholic, solemn, sad, or serene. Quiet as a virgin, agile as a rabbit, as the Chinese say. In a nutshell, the violin sounds like what it should be, but tube lovers beware, no rosin was smelled yet, so maybe there are another things to improve on my list.

• 2) Midrange Cohesiveness and Sensuality. Before, the midrange sounded a bit cool and slightly impartial, though overall still very very listenable (just being critical). Enter the SMI: suddenly the vocals, especially females, seem to put on a thin layer of flesh.  All female singers gained an extra level of sensuality and lushness, while male vocals take up on masculinity without sounding chesty nor boxy. All became ultra pure with just the right amount of intensity. Though not at all tubey, the agility, belting, runs, deliberations and articulation that distinguish a skilled singer from a pedestrian one is easily identified from pppp to ffff! AThe SMI brought to the surface, and in a non-intrusive manner, a lot of the singing techniques that were not heard before or were just simply masked! I was hearing 50 shades of gray, LOL!

• 3) Details in the Lower Registers I could hear more bass articulation and changes of yin and yang. Basslines are easier to follow, and my foot tapping index is really high. Yet, I don't think the system has the tendency to tune the sound towards the hot side of PRAT. Still, if it is there in the recording, it will honestly convey it without any added spice nor overcooking, and that is very important to me.

• 4) Recorded Information Retrieval I can hear a lot more Hall Sound and the capture of decays and reverbs at the end of the song where before I would just think the song has already ended and focused ahead to the next track. The effect of the additional level of  attenuation of music played on multiple instrument can be compared to watching fireworks. In the sky, fully blossoming fireworks overlap with decaying ones, one after another, to form the amazing and colourful pictures that we all expect and love to see and become touched. Imagine that happening in your system with music instead of fireworks!

• 5) Imaging Truth is, I'm not an image freak; as long as it can be felt, I am good. With the UMI, I can actually touch the instrument (often caught me in awe) since the the instrument sounds so complete with the presence of all the subtle spatial and textural information (air surrounding the instrument, the correctness of size, proportion, timbre). The fingering of musicians and the tapping of instruments are all clearly heard; yet, they never intervene with the flow of music. I can identify the number of backing vocals without being  analytical.

Building up My System: Trying to understand why and what it sounds like A bit of sidetrack, with all the improvements, one day I started to realise that often I feel like I'm hearing something that is very close to live music in every song. Things are so natural and organic; there is no makeup (or at most some skin care treatment but definitely no colouring nor powdering and mascara)! Now that I think back, the reason is not difficult to identify, it is the synergy among the equipment: the almost transparent and dynamic Aiyima A08pro; the musical yet airy Studer cables; the cleansing effect of UMI; the really high end performance of WEA (punched way above its asking price); the classy yet finely detailed Viard speaker cable; my most reliable, honest, dynamic and irreplaceable Dynaudio Crafft; the Audio Physics subwoofer providing the bouncy and taut foundation; plus all the accessories like grounding SPEC RSP-01 on speakers; mechanical grounding, high frequency Earth Boxes (SMI, Micro and DIY) and endless high quality Tidal music! To say that I'm one step closer to my ultimate Audio Nirvana is not an overstatement! Doctorjohn, you gotta come and listen when you are in HK again since I am not sure whether it is true or simply my self indulging illusion or my own self indulgence, LOL! But right now I am the most satisfied in my 50 years+ of music listening journey!! I may not be any average HiFi lovers since I really go small instead of go big (except my Dynaudio's which are not the most compact). But the outcome is BIG and BOLD, musical and enjoyable, yet not coloured or with any added exaggerated PRAT or euphony, which is exactly what I am looking for during the course of my HiFi journey!! And right now, I begin to feel that I am not that far away from my ideal picture of what it should sound like (say it more than a hundred times already LOL)

I also like details that can lead to a better understanding of the music piece but not distract you from the main picture. To be honest, if I want musical experience, I can simply turn on any analog tuner and be able to hear it on my earphones or in my car. As a music and HiFi lover, it is only the minimum requirement !! I don't chase effects, since if the system is not musical and enjoyable, details will be deemed to be boring, artificial and useless! Details is simply a byproduct of musicality, not the main character, just my 2c.

My take on grounding If connected to the right place, a grounding device can improve the sound of your system from slightly to significantly and, indeed, you must experiment and be aware that sometimes one can overdo it. Perhaps, different equipment has its own threshold and too much grounding can have a negative effect like too much drying up of the sound.

Grounding does not change the sound signature of your setup, in fact it can only strengthen or disclose more of the strengths or, sometimes, weaknesses of your system, which is likely the byproduct of a darker background. In my case, the increase in musicality is definitely felt in particular when Entreq is used. They are not cheap but I would consider it as money well spent - they are definitely not at all snake oil but a nice glass of fine claret! Cheers!!!!

Entreq Micro Kit Groundbox

Sometimes, Things Just Happen, Part II

Letter from Hong Kong (23-2): ELO reports on Entreq, Part II

Part I

Enter the Ground Box from Entreq
My friend who loaned me the Nait I loaned this ground box to me. A lot of people may have heard about Entreq, a brand that has a lot of diehard followers, and their products can sell up to over $200K USD!!! The entry model Micro Kit, just slightly larger than the power supply for my Aiyima A08 Pro, comes with a ground cable and sells for 250 USD, which is very affordable compared to their top models, which can sell up to over 200K USD!!! It is said to be designed mainly for headphone amps and so I guessed it may be good for my preamp too.

My DIY Tourmaline ground box had brought significant improvements to my system (here). I had also brought it around to try out in many friends' systems (including uber expensive ones) and had never failed to persuade them to connect their setups with either DIY or branded ground boxes to improve the sound. In general, the result is darker background and smoother sound, without the “noise” that sometimes fatigues people. Another important improvement is the heightening of the musicality, coherence and passion of musicians. This has been proven, but how is one box different from another? How will a DIY unit stand against a famous brand? These are things that I have always been wanted to find out; deep down I believed there would be some difference, but perhaps not a whole lot.

I brought the Micro Kit home and hooked it up immediately. At once, I heard a difference but, since I had only listened for 30 minutes and my boss took over the living room, I reluctantly retreated. The next morning, I listened to it briefly before going to work. I thought I did hear something different, for better or for worse, and that lingered all day in my mind during work. It felt like something amazing had happened to my setup but yet I could not fully grasp it at the time.

It did not take too much testing, and I was soon fully convinced. “Transform” is a word which I would like to use judiciously. I try to not use it too often so as not to discredit myself (much like Crying wolf). This time, I literally heard my system transformed from "barely listenable" to highly enjoyable! Another incredible thing is, with the Entreq the Viard HD12 became the Cable of Choice in my system! I'm sure many has cut it into half to try figure it out and I would like to hear any feedback on DIY Clone Entreq and its performance against the genuine one.

There are three possibilities that made this happen. First, replacing the last RCA interconnect with “Studer”; second, burn-in of my Viard HD12 speaker cable; and third, introduction of the Entreq Ground Box. The transformation started after the Studer’s installation, and set the stage for VIARD’s burning in. Theoretically, it should not surpass the Luna Orange. And so, I concluded the only answer for what happened was the Entreq Micro Kit!

What exactly has happened?? For the first time in so many years, I can actually enjoy music without feeling that I had missed anything or being analytical! Of coz, if I can be uber critical - I can think highs can be higher, lows can be lower, soundstage can be deeper and wider etc etc. What amazed me is the musicality and naturalness of the music on all music genres that I play through the system. The music seems to liven up! Musicians are feeding off each other, the increased harmonics on all notes connect to everything before and after and make the whole chain flow fluidly. Most valuably, microdynamics is preserved and I can hear the energy and emotions of all music pieces as if I have a deeper understanding on why it is being played that way by brilliant musicians. PRAT is being preserved in such a delicate way and without a hint of coarseness. Often, I caught myself listening to songs just to experience pure enjoyment but not to find fault in it. I am totally immersed into the deep sea of music and letting it carry my thoughts to the core of music!

One Micro vs Two Micro's (vs DIY or all-of-the-above)
If one Micro Kit brings me such wonderful experience, what will it be if I use two? Answer is an assertive yes! It will improve the sound differently depending on where you connect it to. I found hooking the Micro to the back of a Wifi router, even without a proper adaptor (I simply had to force my way into the rear of the ports LOL), the outcome was quite amazing as the increase in clarity and separation was significant! Hooking it to the preamp will yield a more coherent sound as well as increase in macro- and micro-dynamics, PRAT. As a result, it has become more musical and engaging and the sound had a jump factor. As the separation and difference between ffff and fff, or pppp to ppp are more noticeable, I tend to hear more deeply into the music, like have I never before. And I’m exploring all genres of classical music, which are more demanding to the setup in this respect than jazz or pop music.

I had to reluctantly return my second loaner Entreq Micro and used only one Micro instead of two. To add salt to my wound, all of a sudden the DC jack of my DIY Rayaudio PS had problem in connection to my Wattson Emerson Analog and I had to use the stock PS (not bad, but still I immediately sensed the loss of sheen, smooth lines and delineation). I definitely hear the edges and coarseness around the instruments and vocals. However, there is still no loss of musicality and involvement - luckily!

What I also did was to use my DIY ground box together with the Entreq Micro in order to get as much noise shielding as I can. Conclusion is the more the merrier, and if you can only connect to one component, I would suggest connecting to sources first, like, wifi router, network switches, streamer, CD Player and DACs et,  and later to preamps and amps, or even to speakers!

Any improvement is welcome but will be icing on the cake as I am so content that I am now keeping my current setup except to look for a higher Entreq model instead. Once I thought it’s a snake oil product, but it has turned myself into a believer!

Higher recommended. Try at least a decent DIY product or, if one can afford, start with an Entreq Micro Kit. It is a super-value product by Entreq to get us hooked to their products!! I have no regrets and am in fact extremely satisfied. Next step up perhaps may be the Entreq Silver Tellus Minimus~

To sum up the improvement, here are my observations: 1) Musical notes connect to give a fluidity and music seems to flesh out; 2) Darker background, the more ground boxes implemented the merrier; 3) Did not dry up the sound like some network switches or ground boxes; 4) More air and shimmer around the instruments; 5) Better transients of real guitars, violin, cello and piano; 6) Significantly enhances the enjoyment of Classical music; 7) Spatial representation improved, better imaging and layering as a result; 8) Increases micro and macro dynamics; 9) Way more musical and involving. Suddenly, music played through my setup makes sense to me, if you know what I am getting at; 10) Less digital harshness and edginess; 11) More harmonics and attenuation of instruments; 12) Improved low level details, can distinguish from pppp to ppp and ffff to fff effortlessly - it just comes to you instead of me needing to concentrate on it; 13) Makes you feel at ease and settle down to simply enjoy the music , not analyzing this and that or lack thereof.

Viard HD12 Luna Gris Orange Entreq Micro Kit Studer

Click Pics to enlarge.

Sometimes, Things just Happen, Part I
Letter from Hong Kong (23-1): ELO reaches new heights, Part I

Sometimes, things just happen, even following just a small change, intended or unintended. One thing I have learned is not to give up easily on one's ideal, whether at work, in photography, or chasing the Audio Nirvana.

My Ideal System
Over the last few years, I have been chasing my ideal hifi system. While at times I have felt I was getting close, other times I would feel I still had not achieved Level One. I have set my target that for me to achieve Level One, the system must let me settle down to enjoy music. It sounds easy, to demand my system to let me communicate with the musicians, allow me to understand the nuances of every note and what kind of emotions they are trying to convey. In a nutshell, the system must make me feel that the musicians playing through my setup are professional and skillful enough to be worth their payroll cheques!

Equipment that anchor my system That would be my Dynaudio Crafft, the Emerson Analog (I have re-iterated so many times that it is a gem for the price and for what it offers), the RJ45 ethernet cable HD12 from Viard (very smooth and musical). These stay constant. Following are the other players, first some brief updates to remind you of my system (below in shaded box), then some newer ones.

Aiyima A08 Pro I had before some high-powered amplifiers. While they were fast, had deep bass, good extension on highs etc etc, and could drive my Dynaudio Crafft to adrenaline raising level, they didn’t make me settle down. I know some of my acquaintances are laughing at me for using this little Class D amp, but I find it to have ample power for driving my speakers. Moreover, it does not sound edgy and piercing, though I still find it to lack the last bit of musicality. Enter the tube Elekit TU-875 preamp, which does add an extra but small Midas touch in musicality.

Rayaudio’s Signal Isolation Transformer Another essential mention. Ray’s SIT (L pic) is indispensable as it elevates the sound so much, not just in my system, but also in many other systems of friends! I’m eager to receive the 1:1 Transformer from UMI. It was raved in China's Hifi press. A comparison shall be interesting.

“Studer” Cables Another revelation. This cheap cable (yellow striped cable in R pic) actually is transformative, the more of it you add to the system, the more the return! It’s musical, smooth, yet has lots of details and a wide soundstage; most importantly, it’s not fatiguing to listen to. Currently, I’m using all Studer for signal, from Emerson to Elekit to Aiyima.

Now for treatment of some stuff that I haven't really covered in depth before.

Network Swtich I had tried a network switch. While it was a really good one that provided a lot of details and clarity that I had not experienced before, somehow, perhaps due to system matching, something was not to my liking and I’m still looking for an upgrade (like the SW8 from LHY, which makes me drool just by looking at the interior of the unit).

Luna Cables Luna Gris When it came to speaker cables, I was happy for a while with my Belden 9497, which bettered my previous Gotham. Then came Luna Gris, which I liked a lot. It was natural, never flashy. As a cheapskate however, while I thought I could gain more from their next level Orange (on loan to me by generous distributor Ray - so many nice Ray's) I resisted installing it into my system. No doubt it would further improve my system, perhaps significantly, but at more than double the cost of Gris! I tried not to open up the Pandora Box. Many months went by, and it seemed no matter how I tweaked my system, I could not tune it to my ideal sound. Luna Orange So I finally hooked up the Luna Orange. At first, I heard some difference, but it was not earth shattering though. I was patient and let it burn in for an extended period and things started to change. The overall sound had become more organic, musical and natural. Bass has depth and clarity; vocals are as genuine and natural as I would like; everything seems to fall into place and the music is very listenable. I could finally enjoy music but there was still something missing from my Level One expectation in the overall sound - but it was getting close though.

Viard Cables HD12 I always am interested in Viard. The French cable company's philosophy matches well with my audio beliefs. So, I bought a pair of their HD12 Speaker cables at sales price. Though it was not cheap, it was still relatively cheaper than Orange, and I was hoping I wouldn’t need to break my wallet for the latter. To cut the long story short, at the beginning it was no match for the Luna Orange, even after 2 weeks of intensive break-in. The Orange definitely had the upper hand in terms of detail resolution, naturalness and musicality. Against my cheapskate will, I began to think really hard that maybe paying the hefty price for Orange would still be worthwhile. Meanwhile, I had loaned the Orange to my friend Kwong for a few days and was making a last-ditch effort to try to live happily with the Viard HD12 …. But I knew I was missing the Orange already and was ready to check out at the counter…Then one thing happened that turned things upside down...

Enter the Ground Box from Entreq!
My friend who loaned me the Nait I loaned this ground box to me. A lot of people may have heard about Entreq, a brand that has a lot of diehard followers, and their product can sell up to over $200K USD!!! The entry model Micro Kit, just slightly larger than the power supply for my Aiyima, comes with a ground cable and sells for $250USD, which is very affordable compared to their top models, which can sell up to over $200K USD!!! It is said to be designed mainly for headphone amp and so I guessed it may be good for my preamp too.

My DIY troumaline ground box brought significant improvements to my system. I had also brought it around to try out in many friends' systems (including uber expensive ones) and had never failed to persuade them to connect their setups with either DIY or branded ground boxes to improve the sound. In general, the result is darker background and smoother sound, without the “noise” that sometimes fatigues people. Another important improvement is the heightening of the musicality, coherence and passion of musicians. This has been proven, but how is one box different from another? How will a DIY unit stand against a famous brand? These are things that I have always been wanted to find out; deep down I believed there would be some difference, but perhaps not a whole lot.

I brought the Micro Kit home and hooked it up immediately. At once, I heard a difference but, since I had only listened for 30 minutes and my boss took over the living room, I reluctantly retreated. The next morning, I listened to it briefly before going to work. I thought I did hear something different, for better or for worse, and that lingered all day in my mind during work. It felt like something amazing had happened to my setup but yet I could not fully grasp it at the time.

It did not take too much testing, and I was soon fully convinced. “Transform” is a word which I would like to use judiciously. I try to not use it too often so as not to discredit myself (much like Cry wolf). This time, I literally heard my system transformed from barely listenable to highly enjoyable! Another incredible thing is, with the Entreq the Viard HD12 became the Cable of Choice in my system!

...I finally bought a Entreq Micro Kit, which is a no brainer for me.

In Part II, I shall offer more detailed assessment.