Entreq Vibb Eaters

Standing still.. is one of the most important things your loudspeaker needs to do!

To get the very best out of your speakers it absolutely paramount that your speaker is stable and is as free from external distortions as possible. Vibrational energy created by treble typically vibrates from 5 to 20 kHz and as a result the front baffle of your speakers (plus the sides, rear and top) will sympathetically sing along from around 400 to 900 Hz. Using vibration cartography on a speaker it is easy to see that most speakers have a life of their own regardless of what noise the speaker is actually producing.  A lot of good musical energy (the type we want) is lost and a lot of the negative energy created by the cabinet itself gets in the way of the musical signal, masking the true performance of the speaker. Poor bass clarity, mid-range smudging with a slightly forward presentation is a common result…..sound familiar?

Entreq Vibb Eaters – What are they all about?

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. Entreq have choosen a route that converts un-wanted energy into heat, as this is the least harmful to the precious musical signal.

‘Vibb eaters’ consist largely of Entreq’s 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 an amplifier or CD (any electronics basically) 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 Entreq Vibb Eaters 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?

Now, on the face of it this sounds like a load of rubbish, but every time I demo a pair of Vibb Eaters it always results in a totally sceptical customer being converted within a couple of tracks being played.

The effects and benefits vary from speaker to speaker. If you rap your knuckles on the side of the speakers, the hollower the sound the bigger the benefit will be, generally speaking.

With regards to loudspeakers the ‘Vibb eater’ works on three specific fronts :

1. The weight of the Entreq Vibb Eaters gives the speaker more stability

2. The vibrations and fields that are generated in the loudspeaker cabinet 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 loudspeaker  cabinet 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 Vibb Eaters 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 to 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 height. Last but not least there should now be a flow and a calmness in the overall sound.

Vibb Eaters….for electronics

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.