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 ($3000) has led to improvements that even a total overhaul of the system and buying new at 5x the cost could not surpass.
If anyone is getting frustrated with their system, address the mains first before you go down the merry-go-round of endless component upgrades.
In the UK, Kog Audio are the go-to guys for Entreq. I have no affiliation, just an extremely content audiophile, now so much closer to the end point on improving my system.
spiritofmusic
Listen guys, the purpose of this thread is not to bash Miguel. My one and only contact with him by private email took the form of a patently absurd claim for his product, esp. made worse by the fact that it was a situation that was theoretical and would be nigh on impossible to arrange.
So, again, I have no issues with his product, just the relentless hard sell.
Yes, Fraser is a salesman, but who isn't these days? The High End certainly isn't a charity. However, he allows the product to speak for itself.
All I can say is that Troy may be better than Silver Tellus, but I'm ecstatic as to how the Silver Tellus is augmenting my system.
It's bringing a total sense of solidity and ease I've not gained with any other upgrades save the move to balanced power. Both complement each other.
And I really prefer to spend my hard-earned £s/$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....
So Spirit, based on verbiage from another Entreq thread, owners who find benefit from it and other similar technologies simply have equipment that is inadequately grounded??? Your thoughts on this? Technical response to this charge from the manufacturer?