Introducing the mind blowing EVS Ground Enhancers!

eclein · « **Reply #260 on:** 12 Dec 2010, 08:56 pm »

My one pair are still installed on each negative terminal at each speaker, I don't have a biwired/biamped setup and my system continues to benefit as it did when first installed. I have not run into any issue with clouding or diffuse imaging, if anything the imaging got better for me. The soundstage is wider for sure, there is more clarity and the speakers have become extremely transparent. When I say transparent I mean to try and communicate that the sound seems to be coming from the entire area of the room where I have my speakers, it doesn't sound like its coming directly from the speakers....follow me, its like the speakers have vanished and the sound just emminates from the entire wall where my setup is.
I'm truly enjoying the improvements these gadgets have brought on, I can sit back, close my eyes and hear the music all around me and in some cases-I forget which CD I was listening to- the imaging makes it sound as if the music is coming from behind me, its pretty neat.
So for me less is more, one pair is all I need....have you guys seen some of the prices on this same type item now that a few folks are carrying them online? I have seen them with nice terminated ends for 4 times as much as my pair cost, I'm just glad I jumped in early. If Ric ever comes up for air I for one will thank him as I have no desire to take the DIY route and like they say "timing is everything".

ted_b · « **Reply #261 on:** 12 Dec 2010, 09:01 pm »

Thanks all. I PM'd Brian about his "cloudy" findings

and he said:
" 'Image bloat' and 'cloudyness' are basically the same. Keep experimenting and let me know what works."

satfrat · « **Reply #262 on:** 12 Dec 2010, 09:12 pm »

Quote from: eclein on 12 Dec 2010, 08:56 pm

My one pair are still installed on each negative terminal at each speaker, I don't have a biwired/biamped setup and my system continues to benefit as it did when first installed. I have not run into any issue with clouding or diffuse imaging, if anything the imaging got better for me. The soundstage is wider for sure, there is more clarity and the speakers have become extremely transparent. When I say transparent I mean to try and communicate that the sound seems to be coming from the entire area of the room where I have my speakers, it doesn't sound like its coming directly from the speakers....follow me, its like the speakers have vanished and the sound just emminates from the entire wall where my setup is.
I'm truly enjoying the improvements these gadgets have brought on, I can sit back, close my eyes and hear the music all around me and in some cases-I forget which CD I was listening to- the imaging makes it sound as if the music is coming from behind me, its pretty neat.
So for me less is more, one pair is all I need....have you guys seen some of the prices on this same type item now that a few folks are carrying them online? I have seen them with nice terminated ends for 4 times as much as my pair cost, I'm just glad I jumped in early. If Ric ever comes up for air I for one will thank him as I have no desire to take the DIY route and like they say "timing is everything".

What he said!

ted_b · « **Reply #263 on:** 13 Dec 2010, 05:39 am »

Well, after several iterations in setup (both on hf, both on lf, one on each and one on amp, one on each and one on crossover output) I settled on putting a pair, in parallel, on each LF binding post (negative). This seems to have the most clarity while presenting the least negative effect, which is still comprised of a slight bloom or smear/instability in center image, esp vocals. It was undoable on the HF side. I've got them breaking in over night using some test and break-in frequency sweeps, etc. We'll see what happens tmrw. So far I sense a slight overall trickiness or phase anomalies to the sound that seems unnatural but presents itself as "wow" initially. Hopefully, the downsides will dissipate over time.

HumanMedia · « **Reply #264 on:** 13 Dec 2010, 12:03 pm »

After much experimentation I've taken mine out of the system as well. Any positive effect was outweighed by the accentuated lower treble.

AB · « **Reply #265 on:** 13 Dec 2010, 04:22 pm »

I received my order on Saturday and played with them yesterday.

About 3 weeks ago I built and installed a set of four DIY CAT5e versions on my biwired speaker posts and have been super pleased with their effect. Except for a hyper detailed "busy-ness" on complex music they clean everything up and sound very natural. The DIY versions were improved when I added some cotton sleeves to the wires - less of the "busy-ness." And they do seem to break in.

On to the GEs... I am comparing them to my CAT 5e efforts only. They've been in my system for three weeks and have become the new normal for me.
This probably makes my review a bit less relevant to most but seeing as these are SO system dependent, any review must be read in the context of the individual system the GEs are used. Right? Anyways...

I initially tried the GEs on the HF speaker binding posts only. There was a subtle change - less detail, less focus than with my home brews.

Next, I tried them on both HF and LF posts. More of the same - less detail, less focus and the SS shrunk quite a bit. They sounded pretty grainy and unnatural too.

Each of these configs was left in for a few hours for some amount of settling to take place. Any change over the few hours was minimal.

Next, I tried one pair of GEs on the amp only. The result here was similar to my home grown CAT 5e wires on the speakers. But still there was some loss of image focus and SS width compared to the CAT wires.

Next was GEs on the amp and my CAT wires on the HF and LF speaker posts. This was the best of all - so far. The sound was very clean and natural with an extremely wide and detailed SS but with a touch of mid range weight. No negatives but the improvement is pretty subtle overall.

I also tried GEs only on the LF speaker posts only. Here they cranked up the bass and bass detail a lot. VERY impressive but too much for my system - I have enough bass, thank you .

I have 8 of these things - 6 wired and two RCA versions. The RCAs have had no real noticeable effect so far. But who knows... lots of combos to try yet.

The GEs certainly have an effect in my system. The CAT 5e wires do too. I will continue to play around with all of these and report back.

All in all this thread and these gizmos have been a lot of fun.

satfrat · « **Reply #266 on:** 13 Dec 2010, 11:32 pm »

Today I received my 2nd order that consists of 7 hooked Enhancers and 2 RCA Enhancers. I placed 1 hooked Enahncer of the ground terminal of my BPT and the rest on my Butler amp negative terminals so I now have Enhancers on both ends of all my speaker cables. I have 1 RCA Enhancer on the composite video of my DirecTv DVR and will be swiching that one over to a composite input of my Sony XBR TV at halftime of the Houston/Baltimore game. I'm not really seeing any noticable improvement on the DRV but I've tweaked out my video so much that this doesn't surprise me. I'll have to do a ton of A/B'ing to really make up my mind on this install option. I have the other RCA Enhancer on the right channel of my Force XL subwoofer's LineLevel inputs with my Bybee/Z-Sleeve laced subwoofer IC gracing the left channel. I feel like there's a tightening of the bass, somewhat more articulate. Volume level checks found no change on any of the 6.1 channels.

I have now returned to my multichannel music listening preference, Dolby Pro Logic 2x but with the center channel shut off. While I had preferred stereo when I had the Enhancers on both ends of my mains only, now that the rears are Enhancer'd up likewise, the clarity balance of all the speakers has returned as has my preference for the fuller "house sound" that multichannel has always given me. But for the past 4 week, I can definitely see the stereo purists point of view.

Cheers,
Robin

satfrat · « **Reply #267 on:** 14 Dec 2010, 03:32 am »

Quote

I have 1 RCA Enhancer on the composite video of my DirecTv DVR and will be swiching that one over to a composite input of my Sony XBR TV at halftime of the Houston/Baltimore game. I'm not really seeing any noticable improvement on the DRV but I've tweaked out my video so much that this doesn't surprise me.

OK, I couldn't wait til halftime so at the begining of the 2nd quarter, I plugged the RCA Enhancer off the DirecTv DVR and placed it on a composite input from the back of my Sony XBR CRT Tv. Well it took all of a second to see the HD improvement which I also wasn't expecting considering all the tweaking I've done to that set like installing an IEC terminal for a power cord with dual Bybees, heck I even have Bolder Cable Bybee RCA adapters on all 3 component video inputs. Yet this little RCA antenna had a positive effect on the picture which I can define as simply a more refined color base with enhanced sharpness. Nothing really major mind you but after not seeing much of any gain from the DVR, I wasn't expecting anything from the CRT either. It's a pleasent surprise that the little bugger has found a home.

On another failed experiment, I also tried the RA Enhancer on an analog audio input on my Sunfire Theater Grand 4 processor, which btw already sports an Acoustic Revive RGC-24 Grounding Conditioner. Well the sound simply went flat, like the life had been sucked out of the processor. But the second I pulled it off, the livelyness instantly returned. I might try replacing the RGC-24 with the RCA Enhancer and see if I might be able to place the highly expensive Acoustic Revive on the chopping block. But it does do such a fine job on that processor, I'd hate to part with it.

The RCA Enhancer on the Force XL kicks major butt. My bass has never sounded so textured as it now sounds. I really like this application. As for the BPT grounding terminal application of a hooked Enhancer, I really have no clue is it's contribution to the overall effectiveness of my system in general (everything in my system goes thru the BPT) but for $12.50, I'm sure as hell not sending it back. It's there to stay, fwiw.

Cheers,
Robin

RPM123 · « **Reply #268 on:** 14 Dec 2010, 06:03 am »

I've had mine for about 30 days and they are definitely keepers! Started out with one on each bass negative speaker terminal (I am using jumpers) and heard an immediate change in sound, but not necessarily better. Highs seemed a bit "brittle", with the overall the sound being slightly etched. Bass went up a notch too. I left it that way for several days and things started to improve. After that I hooked a pair up to the amp end and that's when I started to hear their potential. Another week went by and the sound started to really come round. Fast forward to the present and all I can say is that I have never heard so much improvement from so little investment!

What really strikes me is the better "clarity" of vocals... lyrics are much easier to discern. Vocals also have more texture and body. Highs and lows are more extended and lower listening levels are more enjoyable, although listening at higher levels, I notice little if any fatigue or irritation. Bass and mid-bass are much tighter, such that up until I tried the GEs, I was seriously considering getting some GIK bass traps to tame a bit of bass looseness or boominess on some recordings. Now, I no longer feel a need to try them! I also noticed a difference in rhythm or timing, in that music seems to be "slower", but more "deliberate". The only other device that has that effect on my system is the Alan Maher "Quantum Studio", which I still use.

I also noticed a bigger soundstage and more precise instrument placement. I thought that my phono could not get much quieter, but that improved as well. Music is more involving now, so I have left everything as is and I don't have the desire to move them around to find out what happens. Eventually, I may try one or two on the RCAs of my integrated amp, however, I am not in a big hurry. One thing that I noticed is that if I don't play my system every day, there may be some regression in sonics, which goes away after continued playing. I'm not entirely certain of this though.

The GEs are absolutely the biggest bang for the buck that I have ever experienced!

MaxCast · « **Reply #269 on:** 14 Dec 2010, 12:04 pm »

Play nice, guys. Next time it will stay in the bin.

2gumby2 · « **Reply #270 on:** 14 Dec 2010, 12:23 pm »

Ric is very good at honoring his money back offer. I ordered 3 sets of GEs and they definitely made a difference in my systems. Unfotunately, it was a bad difference. Even after break-in my systems sounded so bright that I couldn't stand it. So I sent them back to Ric and he refunded my money immediately. This is great service.

BobM · « **Reply #271 on:** 14 Dec 2010, 03:58 pm »

As fine as my system now sounds with the EVS enhancers on the speaker terminals, I am not completely satisfied with the somewhat diffuse imaging between the speakers. Yes, things are way wide and deep and quiet, but the center image between the speakers themselves is really not as focused as before.

So I did a little reading at Audiogon and elsewhere and found others have been saying the same thing. Here's what I tried last night and the results I got (I bi-wire and my preamp inverts).

(1) I took off the tweeter GE and left the bass/mid GE in place on the speaker - this was better mage wise, but didn't quite sound continuous top to bottom. Something is off.

(2) I put the removed GE on the amp side, leaving the bass/mid GE on the speaker - same result, not continuous top to bottom.

(3) I removed the speaker side GE on the bass/mid and left the amp side on - this is better. There is a focused center image again. The width and depth may not be quite what they were before but that hint of some kind of phase anomaly is gone.

(4) I put the other GE on the + terminal of the amp, not there is one on both the + and - amp side (my amp is balanced, so YMMV) - it didn't seem to hurt anything from #3, but I can't be certain it helped anything either.

After doing this test the top end was bright and forward, as I experienced whenever moving these things around, but it did tame back down after an hour or so of playing music through them.

Bottom line: I think I'm goign to leave them on the amp side. I think this is better for me than the speaker terminal connections that seem to cause a loss of center fill focus while expanding the soundstage.

Enjoy,
Bob

Gopher · « **Reply #272 on:** 16 Dec 2010, 01:04 am »

I received a pair in the mail today and the results are interesting...

I can say with certainty that they have changed my sound--there is a lot more clarity and transparency now--my 845 SETs sound as transparant as my Atma-sphere.

That said, its almost too much. I'm listening to LCD Soundsystem right now and its like sensory overload with this level of inner detail. A bit distracting.

I've noticed others have said they 'calm down' after an hour or so of play, so I'll keep listening. First impressions are an immediate change on the negative terminals of my Zu speakers though.

--

Alright, I gave it about 2 hours... I'm impatient. It was way too hifi sounding for me on the speakers. I just threw them on the back of the amp terminals and things relaxed a bit. Stil a more detailed presentation, but not to the same overload level. I'll revisit on my speakers in the days to come--maybe leave it playing on them overnight.

I have a second pair arriving tomorrow anyway. I guess we'll see. Neat tweak.

jhm731 · « **Reply #273 on:** 16 Dec 2010, 02:38 am »

http://www.ultraaudio.com/index.php?...views&Itemid=2

AB · « **Reply #274 on:** 16 Dec 2010, 02:47 am »

Quote from: jhm731 on 16 Dec 2010, 02:38 am

http://www.ultraaudio.com/index.php?...views&Itemid=2

404 Error

Dave G · « **Reply #275 on:** 16 Dec 2010, 02:54 am »

Try this

Gopher · « **Reply #276 on:** 17 Dec 2010, 01:01 pm »

I've got two pairs of these GEs and am willing to let one go with free shipping for my cost or trade for an IsoTek burn in disc.

I'm experimenting to integrate the effects of one pair into my system at the moment, two is too much for me.

Drop me a PM if you want to avoid the wait.

BobRex · « **Reply #277 on:** 17 Dec 2010, 02:33 pm »

Gopher, you got mail!

Gopher · « **Reply #278 on:** 17 Dec 2010, 03:45 pm »

Quote from: Gopher on 17 Dec 2010, 01:01 pm

I've got two pairs of these GEs and am willing to let one go with free shipping for my cost or trade for an IsoTek burn in disc.

I'm experimenting to integrate the effects of one pair into my system at the moment, two is too much for me.

Drop me a PM if you want to avoid the wait.

Wow, a lot more interest than I expected to generate. Bob you were first to offer cash for the enhancer, but watercourse was first to offer the Isotek CD which I wanted anyway so I'm going to run with that.

Bob, if I decide to let the other one go I will give you first dibs.

WilliaBe · « **Reply #279 on:** 17 Dec 2010, 04:38 pm »

Hey guys -

Been following this thread since the start and have a question.

I just got my EVS GE yesterday. I have added them to my front three channels
in my HT setup. No downside for me, larger soundstage, tighter bass and better
dimensionality - all right out of the box.

My surround speakers are flush wall mounted. To add a GE to the negative post
I would have to bend the GE itself to accomodate the installation.

Has anyone done this? Does bending the body of the GE cause any negative effects?