Nature is the best constructor…. period !
Standing still.. is one of the most important things your speaker needs to do !
To realise a speakers performance it is imperative that your speaker is stable and is as physically free from parasitic distortion’s as possible. Generally treble vibrates from at least 5-20 kHz and that the surface of the baffle, as well as the other panels on your speaker, sing along approximately at around 400 to 900Hz. Using vibration cartography (a common acoustic engineers tool) it is quite easy to visually see that speaker baffles even at modest levels, almost have a life of their own.Therefore its easy to see that obtaining good sound when distortion is being introduced like this must be a loudspeaker designers real achillies heel. In addition because of this fundamental problem as well as the entire speaker cabinet sympathetically moving forwards & backwards , you also loose a lot of musical energy ! This loss and confusion of energy effects the clarity in the bass, its weight and power, as well as smearing of the midrange which in turn generally causes a brighter presentation overall. This is of course a simplified outline of quite a complex issue.
Vibb eaters..and what they do !
If you remember your basic Physics lessons you will know that you cannot get rid of energy but simply convert it into another form. This is a fundamental law of physic’s and of course nature. We have choosen a route that converts un-wanted energy into heat, as this is the least harmful to our precious musical signal.
‘Vibb eaters’ consist largely of our own dedicated copper-based sand mixture with the addition of small quantities of, amongst other things , specific precious metals. The properties of this mixture offers very interesting characteristics, particularly in the areas of magnetic fields, field effects, as well as dealing with physical vibration & surface energy. When you place a ‘Vibb eater’ on top of your loudspeaker speaker or on top of your electronic equipment the vibrations and various magnetic fields that come from the box’s are absorbed, then through the mechanical friction between the copper granular mixture the excess energy is converted into very low level heat.
It’s easiest to experience first hand the effect Vibbeaters have on your speaker by simply placing one ( there are a number of different sizes & weights for different speaker or electronic’s cabinets) on top of your speaker while music is playing through them. Placing your hand on the speaker you should find that it is now almost free from vibrations but If you then move your hand/fingers and touch the ‘Vibb eater’ you will sense a great deal of activity, especially near the very top of the Vibbeater.
Guess where all the energy has gone ?
When it comes to speakers.. the ‘Vibb eater’ work on three specific fronts :
1. Through its weight it gives further stability to the speaker cabinet itself.
2. The vibrations and fields that are generated in the speaker box are most intense at the top of the speaker where the energy cannot go any further.
When placing a Vibb eater’ on top of the speaker you are in essence extending the length of the speaker box to a critical point outside of the cabinet.
The key is that that energy is no longer a part of the speaker itself. The Vibbeaters then simply absorb the energy and transforms it in to heat.
3. The magnetic characteristics that make-up the ‘Vibb eaters’ granular mixture can have a very positive impact on the fields generated in and around
the loudspeaker itself.
What you should…. expect hear.
In summary the treble tones become cleaner and free from the overtone distortion’s of a vibrating baffle. The bass becomes quicker, tighter and with a deeper more textured sound. Above all the sound picture is widened which should give you a more precise position in width, depth and altitude. Last but not least there should now be a flow and a calm in the sound.
‘Vibb eaters’…. for electronic equipment.
These have a special sand mixture which leans towards the optimisation of the magnetic characteristics. They still of course offer a greater stability to the chassis of the equipment as well as absorbing vibrations but the ‘Vibb eater’ also neutralises a part of the magnetic field from the electronic equipment. You will always have to experiment to find the optimal position for the ‘Vibb eater’ but we usually find the best place to start is closest to the power cable in-let or the products transformer.
Apollo Vibb eaters.
These use an enhanced mineral mixture which increases the performance available from this energy and vibration controlling product range. The Apollo versions are available at every weight category but in addition also offer a heavier model for very large loudspeakers or Power Amplifiers.
Feet for your equipment….really ?
When you start to think of the very small signals that are transported through, in and out as well as surrounding our electronic equipment, it shouldn’t really come as much of a surprise that even the physical vibrations , gated field effects and spurious currents that are produced by relays, capacitors, transformer, power supplies etc, as well as through the air itself, can effect & impact our audio signal. In fact with a CD player you should also take into account that it also has a mechanical element to contend with internally and that the mechanical element can in turn force the error correction circuits to work far harder, which results in further distortion.
In a speaker it is even more obvious how important it is that the speaker box is free from movement and excess energy. Simply put, the drivers generate sound waves, they move air, they compress air molecules, they vibrate – the speaker cabinet itself also has a resonance!
It is also important to note that in theory the speaker box is not supposed to move at all. It has to stand like a rock so that the energy that comes from it is pure sound and not the sound of the recoil from the speaker box itself. Imagine that you try to push a car on a frozen lake, if you are not standing firmly YOU will end up going backwards. A loudspeaker has a complex array of fundamental possible issues to overcome! We have attempted to produce products that will in most cases help support & tune the product and optimise its performance for your individual systems overall performance.
Catfoot and Lionfoot have been a part of our range of feet for a very long time and are very effective. We have been working for many years to develop a foot that isolates and stops vibrations from the floor, equipment supports and the air – while at the same time drain vibrational, electro-magnetic energy from the equipment itself. It has taken us several years of hard work but we are pleased to introduce to you the Lynxfeet.
LYNXFEET
The Lynxfeet both drain and isolate significantly better than our old Catfoot and in our opinion is one of the most effective all round support devices on the market.
Vibration and energy is guided through the base of the foot to our proprietary sand filled tunnel-construction where the energies are directed towards the labyrinths in the side of the Lynxfoot. Here they are transformed into heat. Airborne vibrations and micro vibrations from the equipment itself are then guided down through the supporting pad on the upper surface of the Lynx foot where the energy is directed to different labyrinths in another part of the foot. This complex arrangement is to ensure that all energy paths are dealt with independently and to maintain a solid foundation.
This elaborate construct basically avoids cross contamination as well as ensuring that performance is repeatable no matter the environment or the support shelf material.
ES-PAD
Improving upon the Lynxfeet was always going to be a very difficult job but as with all things Entreq we discovered the solution & the way forward through the developments of our other new products. Through the application of these discoveries & theories we have eventually turned those ideas into reality.
With the design of the ES Pad we have focused on the transfer of very high frequency vibrations & energy. In our design process we found that this area of the frequency spectrum had a far greater influence on actual sound quality than we would have ever thought possible.
The ES Pad is barely 35mm high and incorporates a threaded multi faceted hard acrylic base, with a mineral filled soft Pad making direct contact with the equipment or product itself.
This Isolates the equipment from the foundation of what ever it is sited upon while the direct contact of the Pad, to the equipment, drains away high frequency energy / vibrations through the mineral mixture itself, converting this energy into a harmless low level heat.
These are incredible performers with a consistent performance!
AC Wrap.
In every cable that transports an alternating current a magnetic field is created. The fields are strongest where the cables are plugged in and where there are any subsequent connections. Using AC Wraps offers a calm stability to the sound, even with cheaper Power cords and cables. If you are already using more expensive cable’s, we are delighted to say that no matter the brand it will work better with an AC Wrap. They do however have other interesting applications! Especially if you own a metal legged equipment support/rack? Please speak to your dealer or distributor for greater clarity on this particular application !
Mini Wrap.
These work in a similar way to the AC Wrap but are specifically designed and optimized for signal cables. Positioning along the length of any particular signal cable can elicit a tunable result. However as per the bigger AC Wrap the beginning or the end of the cable tends to be the most vulnerable. Once again it is best to work with your dealer, distributor or experienced agent for guidance in your own system.
Silver AC Wrap and Mini Wraps.
Similar in overall structure and construction these wraps are a natural extension to the performance enhancements found in the standard wraps. With particular attention given to the mineral mixture in the main pockets of the wraps themselves, as well as a dedicated ground point to further drain noise and field effects, these wraps offer an obvious and clear improvement in almost every application. Please be aware that an Eartha ground cable and ground box is required to obtain the optimal performance from this product.
ReceivUs.
This device works almost like an antenna, picking up multiple forms of radiation. This radiation/energy is then directed or lead away from the ReceivUs itself by the connection of one of our Eartha spade to spade cables to the ReceivUs, the other end is then connected to one of our groundboxes.
