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.
spiritofmusic
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.
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.