For anyone interested, I had some free time yesterday and decided to create two comparison files with my workstation (24 bit but only at 48 KHz since my internet connection is Australian which means glorified dial-up speed on a good day). One of the two files is a "without Entreq connected" file and the other is a "with Entreq connected" file (they are both named so this is not a "blind" comparison). What I did was make an analogue to digital transcription of a short excerpt (90 seconds so as to respect copyright and also this being of an educational nature) from an ORG 45 RPM reissue (Bernie Grundman mastered) of London (Decca) CS6329 - Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1. Though piano is a misnomer in this particular case as I have just done the first 90 seconds which includes the explosive fortissimo introduction followed a short, quiet lyrical few bars. So the piano does not feature in the excerpt. I purposely did this as I think given the very small excerpts I was forced to do, this showcases the differences quite well.
The source disk is extremely revealing (as is anything done by Bernie). Unfortunately I do not own the sort of gear most people have here but it is still nonetheless competent enough to demonstrate audibly the difference with Entreq connected (I am using a Project RPM 9.1 with Ortofon Rondo Bronze going through a DIY (me!) modified Heed Quester with self-built SLA based power supply. Cabling is Wireworld Eclipse 6 to the workstation.
The file with Entreq connected was made with only one difference in the procedure compared to the one with it not connected. Yes, you guessed it, I connected my entry-level Entreq Minimus Copper box and the Eartha Konstantin RCA cable to a spare analogue RCA connector on the workstation (the connector itself was an un-used one on one of the soundcards and obviously this shares a common ground with the whole workstation - chassis, everything). Other than that, both files were made using 100% identical equipment, within two days of each other, at exactly the same temperature an humidity settings, same time of night, with the same equipment warm-up period and procedure, etc. So the only thing I changed was to connect the Entreq to the spare RCA jack. That is the ONLY difference between the two excerpts.
Now I will tell you what I hear between these two files. It is actually exactly the same as the differences I hear when I have to dither a 24 bit file to 16 bit. Obviously this is in relative terms since both excerpts are 24 bit captures, but you get the point in essence (hopefully). In relative terms then, what I hear is that the massed violins in the "unconnected" file sound a little bit more harsh and steely (as does the whole excerpt, but I am trying to make specific mentions for less experienced classical listeners to hear). I also hear the violin section sounding more like a clump of violins as opposed to rows of individual players at individual desks. These two things are always the biggest things I notice when going from 24 bit to 16 bit even with the very best, super-duper modern algorithms available. It is also one of the biggest things I notice when attending a live orchestral concert versus listening to reproduced sound. And it is what I am noticing here two, even though all I have done is connect a wooden Entreq box with the associated cable to the workstation performing the analogue to digital conversion and the subsequent capture of the data stream - and nothing more.
You will also hear a little more overall transparency to the sound and a little more air (though essentially I regard air as nothing more than enhanced transparency at very high frequencies). In broad terms, the file with Entreq connected simply sounds more transparent, with less veil and it sounds more effortless and relaxed.
Anyway, I will leave you to make up your minds as to whether you hear any differences or not or whether you think what you hear is imagined, worthwhile, pointless, etc.
Please note: This post is put here is a subjective one. I know there will be trolls at other websites who will try to do impossibly fruitless things like null the files out or insist on blind ABX tests. Nulling won't work - they are taken from a mechanical analogue source so there is no way to even align the two files sample to sample in order to null them out. This is purely a subjective comparison and the only aspect of it all that interests me. If you want to participate on a purely objective basis then please take it to the measurements forum and have a field day over there without me
Although I was already "sold" on the Entreq brand this the first time I set myself up for a direct A/B comparison without having to actually worry about the cables and wasting time connecting and disconnecting. I can swap from A to B in a second without leaving the comfort of my seat. And actually, the differences are exactly what I heard when I connected my boxes up for the first time in a normal listening situation. It was such a pleasure. It was like getting a few extra bits out of the CD format that never existed!
Anyway, since most of you people own exceptionally high calibre equipment, I will be curious to see how stark the differences are between the two files. I get the feeling that if I can hear it on a modest $6,000 headphone based system in my loungeroom, then you guys with dCS stuff (or anything above mass market mid-fi) should really hear a difference. Or maybe that gear is so good it actually makes less difference or even no difference to you at all. I am curious. And don't worry, I won't bite if you hear nothing. I just don't want people to get into technical based arguments - there is another sub-forum for all of that.
Bear in mind too that this comparison only involves a single entry level Entreq box costing less than $500. And the cable is only a few hundred dollars. This is basically the entry point to Entreq - as everyone who has participated in this thread is well aware, the higher echelon Entreq stuff blows the entry level stuff into the weeds, though obviously matching and synergy are critical too. Not only that, this single box and cable was "grounding" an entire workstation - not just a single basic hi-fi source component, amplifier or speakers.
So it might be fair to say what you hear is the "minimum" result you would get from Entreq, however as I intimated before, it is quite possible that as the gear used goes up the quality scale (i.e beyond the modest gear that I own), with better power supplies, filtering, design, component quality, etc, then the differences might be less apparent or may not even exist to many ears. This is another reason I am hoping people with high quality gear and well-developed listening skills will listen to these and see if they can hear any difference or not. Yes, I realise there is a significant difference between connecting the gear to your own system versus listening to a pre-prepared Entreq "enhanced" file, but I still remain curious as to whether high end gear makes the difference less or more obvious.
https://www.sendspace.com/file/cetdtp
