Primer Pro is Entreq’s entry level range of signal and power cables and is a perfect introduction into this brilliant Swedish brand.
Entreq have always done things differently to the majority of the cable brands that are out there and they fly under the radar in many aspects. Most people have simply never experienced what Entreq cables can do when used in a system. There’s a theme with those people who do try them though, just about everyone who tries them thinks they sound superb and the vast majority of those people come back for more which says a lot.
The Primer Pro range is affordable and represents excellent value for money and is a greater taster for what Entreq cables can do in a system.
In terms of their sonic presentation and tonal balance the Primer Pro range is very natural and organic sounding, if you are looking for explosive dynamics with detail retrieval pushed to an unnatural level they won’t be for you. But if you are looking for a cable that is fatigue free with no grain or coarseness they could be a very wise move.
As with all Entreq cables the Primer Pro range are unshielded, each cable comes with a hard wired ground cable (or drain wire) that has a 3.5mm plug on the end, this cable runs the whole length of the cable internally, but you only see the part of the cable that ‘breaks out’ with the plug on the end, this break out cable is 0.55 cm long.
Each cable in the Primer Pro range also comes with a Primer Ground Box, each box has a pair of 3.5mm sockets, you simply connect the drain wire on the cable into the box and this connection draws away noise, pollutants, RFI & EMI away from the signal path and into the box. When first connected up it takes a little while for this connection to be established, in most instances it usually takes 3 or 4 songs being played back before people notice a change, but it will take a good day to properly draw away the noise and reach optimum performance. I’ve had a few customers dismiss a Primer Pro cable after playing for a couple of hours, but have been really impressed the following day, it’s not a subtle change, you just need to be patient with it!
By removing these pollutants from the signal path the noise floor is effectively lowered, this results in you simply being able to hear more subtle detail and nuances in the music, the soundstage can open out and the placement of instruments and information within it can become much more obvious.
I’ve done plenty of demonstrations and home loans of Primer Pro cables where people have been genuinely taken aback by how much they can improve a system, they’ve compared against plenty of well known cable brands, many which are greatly respected and admired, but by removing noise from the signal path Entreq do something completely different, it is very effective as many of my customers have experienced and will testify to.
Primer Pro USB Interconnect – £420 for a 1.1 metre length
Primer Pro RJ45 Interconnect £430.00 for a 1.1 metre length
Primer Pro RCA Analogue Interconnect £850.00 for a 1.1 metre length
Primer Pro XLR Analogue Interconnect £950.00 for a 1.1 metre length
Primer Pro Speaker Cable £1100.00 for a 2.5 metre pair – if you require a longer length stereo increments are £80 for 60cm, so a 3.7 metre pair would cost £1260
Primer Pro Power Cable £580.00 for a 1.65 metre length
Primer Pro Power Bar – £1150 for a 4 way power block, hard wired with 1.65 metre length of Primer Pro Power Cable, this uses 2 double Furutech NCF sockets.
All cables come with a 0.55m ground cable and a Primer Ground Box included (apart from the Power Bar). The Primer Box is the same across the whole range, analogue interconnects and speaker cable utilise both of sockets on the box (left and right), but the other cables connect to 1 socket.
The whole range sounds superb but it has been the speaker cable which has been the most popular item. Speaker cables are always longer than other cables and as result there is more noise to remove. I’ve had customers try the Primer Pro speaker who had dismissed it before they’d even plugged it in as their existing cable cost much more money and is from a more well known company……….but just everyone everyone who listens to the speaker cable ends up ordering some. It’s a brilliant cable and well worth a listen if you are thinking of changing speaker cable, it’s a superb curve ball and one which changes many people’s thinking.
I keep the whole Primer Pro range available for home demonstration so if you would like to borrow something please get in touch.
