I’m glad your friend is enjoying the hobby. However I feel he’s focusing more on the gear rather than music and sound, I might be wrong. Again, time will tell how his attitude evolves.
I was susprised about the product you mentioned so I decided to visit Entreq website. I wonder… how should this driving performance improve? I find this claim a marketing exercise unless there’s a real reason behind it. Are you sure these boxes weigh 60 kg? That’s a figure I decided to check and I found 10 kg per box on Entreq website, maybe I’m missing something. Adding 60 kg to a car (especially a poor Fiesta) is surely making performances worse, more mass spoils fun as well as fuel economy.
I don’t know anybody spending money on car audio systems. Has it become a trend? Personally I’m not keen on spending money on that as it will always be very far from the quality we have in our home systems. However I understand that people spending a lot of time commuting might think it’s a reasonable investment.
Perhaps the focussing on the gear is coming from me undertaking all the my experiments on my system. I really want to get to finish my evaluations. I thought I was just about there and indeed have just ordered something for the surround sound arrangements in my system. But just this week I now I have a different (and potentially serious and may be expensive) problem.
Regarding the Entreq products, my eyes or memory must be failing I was certain the weight was listed as 60kg on the website, but you are correct - the higher grade grounding products are 10kg and the lesser models are merely 6kg.
However I think there is a typo on the Entreq website for their ‘Gaia 1 Kit’ - the specification for that one does say 60kg!
nothing bad focusing on gear, it’s part of the game and it can be very interesting when the time is right. My main concern is that music has to be the main driver in the first place, at least for me. Gear is just a tool to enjoy it even more. Having said that, my interest both for music and Hi-Fi goes on pair. Better gear helped me to appreciate different types of music without a doubt and I’m thankful for that.
Hope you’ll solve your problem without much money involved!
About the Entreq products: might they enhance electric car performances? I would understand that but it’s not reported clearly. Personally I would never add 60 kg, it would be pure madness as these days cars are already too heavy.
Thanks for mentioning the MUSIC - I do need to keep sane.
Over recent weeks my friend has been sending suggestions of music tracks he has discovered that I may like (most of which I have already been aware and have played a few times).
For example, one link he sent me was to the track ‘Francine Thirteen’ by the artist Queen Mary.
I was already aware of the above artist and track and do like it. So I responded to him with a link to the ‘Do You Like Bass - Deep Bass and Texture’ thread on the Naim forum.
I think that thread might keep him entertained for a while?
PS: I do follow postings on that thread quite a bit.
In other news, I mentioned to my friend my difficulties with HiFi and potential expense. His (HiFi ‘nut’) advice to me was:- “Stop wasting money - just get a decent pair of headphones”!
By the way, other than our recent conversation here, I don’t see much activity regarding the original intent of the thread, so maybe I should let the thread time out to a natural end?
welcome, I do understand that one can easily get carried away with audio equipment. I think (and hope) the law of diminishing returns can also keep you and everybody else sane. And music needs to be the end goal otherwiise this hobby looses its main point, at least in my opinion. I do respect that some might care more about gear but that’s another type of audiophile.
I’ve got “Francine Thirteen” on my server, I’m not a huge fan of this song but it’s nice overall. What really stands out is the spatial separation and the bass it has, it has to be celebrated without a doubt. The first time I’ve listened to it was with a pair of Kantas and it was earth shaking, just wow. I’m sure your friend will enjoy the thread on the Naim forum, bass is one of those things that one usually wants to explore, especially at the beginning. But there’s more to it of course, great bass is also textured. You might ask him if he’s enjoying that thread and the songs mentioned.
According to this, your friend is till focusing on gear only. It’s an early stage, he needs to get more mature about the whole hobby and it’s just normal. Again, time will tell.
You might be right, up to you of course! However there has been some interesting thoughts so far.
Thanks for keeping this conversation going - I appreciate your inputs and observations.
Lates update:
My friend emailed this week regarding a new article in the Frontiers of Behavioural Neuroscience (27th 2026 April), Section: Individual and Social Behaviours. Volume 20 - 2026.
Title of Research Paper:
‘Infrasound exposure is linked to aversive responding, negative appraisal, and elevated salivary cortisol in humans’.
He also sent me a link to ScienceBlog about an article titled ‘The Silent Frequency That Makes Old Buildings Feel Haunted’ - which summarised the results of the above published work.
The stuff my friend has sent me is interesting, maybe Nam forum users will also find the referenced articles interesting?
In general though I think my friend is just trying to make fun of me and my feeble efforts to integrate my sub bass!
In undertaking some sorting activity to sell some HiFi things, I came across my NAIM CD player (recovered from storage in the loft) and decided to try some of my old CDs.
FYI I normally use local streaming from a NAIM UnitiServe or more likely the Qobuz or Tidal streaming services for high resolution file playback.
What a surprise - no not the audio quality - it was the things pictured below, tucked away inside the sleeve notes in the CD cases.
I had tried to find an open thread where posting pictures of these might fit - but none of the ‘cassette tape’ type thread discussions were open, so I have posted here instead.
My justification in posting here is that it was part of my musical (and HiFi) journey to record albums onto cassette tape so that I could have the albums available as a student whilst in digs and not need a record deck etc to listen to music.
thanks, it’s always interesting to share thoughts and ideas.
Do you really think your friend sent you those articles just to make fun of you? Or was there some genuine interest?
Honestly I was not aware of infrasound and I have to say it’s quite interesting. I’m sure those articles might be interesting for some people here on the forum, but I’m not sure it’s really that relevant to music reproduction as long as you are listening to something balanced. I guess every frequency can be detrimental if there’s too much of it.
Infrasound naturally plays a big part in a subwoofer, but music isn’t only low notes all the time luckily. However if the subfrequencies take a lot of space, then you might end up witnessing the cons of this very low sound. After all deep low notes are often used ot create peculiar states of mind in movies (eg. anxiety, disgust, fear).
Keep integrating your sub, I’m sure you’ll set it up perfectly at some point.
@frenchrooster only if they make sounds when played in the cassette deck
Thanks for joining in and expressing your personal choice. That would be my choice too!
FYI, there was serious intent behind my reply to frenchrooster as very recently I happened to purchase a relatively high cost “Best Ever” Rich British Beef lasagne from M&S. Surprisingly, the lasagne was made with shredded chunks of beef rather than the Minced Beef (30% content) as claimed on the website describing the product.
Maybe there is a lesson for me here that has read across into the world of HiFi? Just because something has a high purchase price - does not mean it is better than a correctly made product using the appropriate ingredients.
Thank you very much for your kind words of encouragement (re the sub integration).
I think I have pretty much nailed it. My friend was involved in listening tests early last year to providing comment on some of the settings I had been trying for the sub bass. I had help and input from a few different listeners but he was unique in expressing clear dissatisfaction with any of the settings! I have subsequently found a setting that (REW measurements confirm) is the ‘optimum’ and I also have my own view of this setting of the sub bass.
I do need to have my friend come round to have a listen again and provide his feedback. Unfortunately, a number of things are conspiring to prevent this listening session from happening soon.
Very many thanks for your comment - much appreciated.
On reflection, I think my efforts of these pencil (or crayon?) copies of the original album artwork are an indication of my obsessive compulsive tendencies. Your method seems much superior and less effort.
PS: I don’t know if you spotted the BBC Blue Peter™ programme influence of the use of “sticky back plastic” to protect the drawings from damage?
Actually I have an old “Readers Digest” box album with several LP’s of mostly classical music, maybe I should organize a pizza while this next listening.
welcome, how long did it take you to properly setup your sub? Sometimes I wonder if I should buy one. At the time I’ve been struggling a bit with my speakers. I think I got it right in a week or two, but it took me much longer to get to a certain level of “perfection”, if it’ll ever exist. Subs are surely more difficult to handle.
Sometimes I wonder if REW is really necessary. I’m sure it’s useful, no doubt about that. However if you have a well trained ear and good taste, I think you might get it right, as it happened in your case.
Who knows what your friend will tell you after the listening session. Maybe he’ll stop making fun of you once and for all!
It seems to me your friend is having a lovely time playing in the margins of the audiophilia obsessive playground, and possibly giggling at us nutters who inhabit said playground. Probably having a good laugh at us but quietly intrigued too.
Avoiding bonkers rabbit holes has been a focus of mine for the past few years, but I have just fallen into the giant bunny cavern of kit isolation paraphernalia.
Maybe your friend could offer me a hand and pull me out before I whip out my plastic friend?
One thing is for sure, there is only one way to make a pukka lasagna.
