Entity MC

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Entity 1.1

Post by lejonklou »

Apologies for this very late update. Many have probably read about it here: https://www.lejonklou.com/forum/viewtop ... 2&start=59

Entity is now in version 1.1. The upgrade consists of adding a circuit that balances the idling currents. The effect on the music is both subtle and fundamental. I would personally describe it as if the scene where the band is standing becomes more stable and all the musicians can relax and focus on what they're doing.

Version 1.1 was one of several ideas in a 'Try this on Entity'-list that I had been adding to since mid 2020. Most ideas were either dismissed in theory after some calculations or rigged and tested but not resulting in a musical improvement. I didn't really believe in this one either, because I saw both a positive and a negative consequence of the addition of the new circuit. So I was skeptical when I rigged it and skeptical when I sat down to listen. But also curious.

To my surprise, I couldn't detect anything negative about the change. It just felt a like everything was slightly more solid and making a little more sense. I judged it as a small difference, but didn't feel like interrupting the music, so the whole album side played through. Then I switched back to 1.0, played the same side again and immediately thought "No, I'm not hearing this piece again!" But instead of looking for another album, I switched to version 1.1, put the needle back into the same opening groove and aww, the notes just grabbed me and pulled me in so easily. Maybe the difference wasn't that small after all?!

That I couldn't detect anything musically negative about the added circuit (I was expecting a certain heaviness that usually accompanies the negative theoretical consequence) felt mysterious. But over the following weekend I figured it out. That part is actually balanced out, so there IS no net negative effect. I had been needlessly skeptical of the idea the whole time.

The upgrade to Entity 1.1 costs SEK 1800, EUR 180 or USD 200, plus some shipping costs.

The upgrade can be made by Hexagon Audio in The Netherlands, Nokturne Audio in Michigan and by me in Uppsala, Sweden. We all use the same tools, the same torques and have calibrated soldering stations to within 1 degree.

Three upgraded units are leaving for Germany this week. I just listened to one of them for a long time. I am feeling so pleased with this upgrade and am really looking forward to your impressions. Please, please do post them here!
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Re: Entity MC

Post by Flatcoat »

I live in the UK. I am considering upgrading my Gaio with Adikt to Entity with Krystal on my Majik LP12 with Lingo 4.

My question is the Entity available for me to buy ?
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Re: Entity 1.1

Post by Tony Tune-age »

lejonklou wrote: 2021-03-17 01:43 Apologies for this very late update. Many have probably read about it here: https://www.lejonklou.com/forum/viewtop ... 2&start=59

Entity is now in version 1.1. The upgrade consists of adding a circuit that balances the idling currents. The effect on the music is both subtle and fundamental. I would personally describe it as if the scene where the band is standing becomes more stable and all the musicians can relax and focus on what they're doing.

Version 1.1 was one of several ideas in a 'Try this on Entity'-list that I had been adding to since mid 2020. Most ideas were either dismissed in theory after some calculations or rigged and tested but not resulting in a musical improvement.

The upgrade to Entity 1.1 costs SEK 1800, EUR 180 or USD 200, plus some shipping costs.

The upgrade can be made by Hexagon Audio in The Netherlands, Nokturne Audio in Michigan and by me in Uppsala, Sweden. We all use the same tools, the same torques and have calibrated soldering stations to within 1 degree.
Does this mean Thomas can start upgrading the "1.0 Entities" now, or in a couple of weeks?

Cheers!
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Re: Entity MC

Post by ThomasOK »

It means that I can do them once I receive the parts. They are likely to be shipped this week and then it is anyone's guess how long the USPS will take to get them to me.
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Re: Entity MC

Post by Tony Tune-age »

ThomasOK wrote: 2021-03-17 20:50 It means that I can do them once I receive the parts. They are likely to be shipped this week and then it is anyone's guess how long the USPS will take to get them to me.
That's understandable, it could take an additional week (or two) because of shipping.

Thanks again Thomas!
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Re: Entity MC

Post by Defender »

Tony you have really something to look forward to.

Got my upgraded Entity today and even though its hard to compare to my memory I have to say I am familiar what my system does ... its funny how everything what a component or an upgrade from Fredrik does is to solve an issue what I searched an solution for - and no trade in or compromise for that solution.

This upgrade is big - you will be impressed and Thomas too.
The music is flying by in slow motion.
Its like a different product.

Its a must do upgrade.

Here is an analogy:
Sometimes I found myself turning the volume up because there was no soul in the music and hoped it would come with the additional volume.
Sometimes I found myself turning the volume up because the music was fun and I wanted to have more fun.

With the Entity I am happy with a volume setting between blue and lightblue (-40dB -30dB)all the soul is there, all the fun is there all the music is there.

The Entity is for bass guitars its for kickdrums, for violins and for trumpets and difficult woman's voices.

Actually that needs to be posted under the „Absolute Bargains!“ thread
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Re: Entity MC

Post by Discodave »

Haha great review!!!
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Re: Entity MC

Post by Freddy »

Okey need to do it then after this review. Just upgraded to Krystal and love it :) so a nice upgrade again waiting around the corner.
The music is flying by in slow motion.
LOL
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Re: Entity MC

Post by Tony Tune-age »

Thanks for the Entity 1.1 review Defender, I'm certainly looking forward to hearing the new upgrade myself. And it does appear to be a "must do upgrade" based on what you and others have experienced.

I also posted the Entity into the "Absolute Bargain" thread awhile back (prior to the 1.1 upgrade).

Cheers
Defender wrote: 2021-03-23 00:21 Tony you have really something to look forward to.

Got my upgraded Entity today and even though its hard to compare to my memory I have to say I am familiar what my system does ... its funny how everything what a component or an upgrade from Fredrik does is to solve an issue what I searched an solution for - and no trade in or compromise for that solution.

This upgrade is big - you will be impressed and Thomas too.
The music is flying by in slow motion.
Its like a different product.

Its a must do upgrade.

Here is an analogy:
Sometimes I found myself turning the volume up because there was no soul in the music and hoped it would come with the additional volume.
Sometimes I found myself turning the volume up because the music was fun and I wanted to have more fun.

With the Entity I am happy with a volume setting between blue and lightblue (-40dB -30dB)all the soul is there, all the fun is there all the music is there.

The Entity is for bass guitars its for kickdrums, for violins and for trumpets and difficult woman's voices.

Actually that needs to be posted under the „Absolute Bargains!“ thread
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Re: Entity MC

Post by Defender »

its a pitty we don’t hear back from the two other customers with upgraded Entities which Fredrik mentioned

so here some further information from my side:

I dont feel there is much run in involved in this upgrade.

What I enjoy with this upgrade is being able to hear the changes of how fast a melody is played and with that I can hear how the musicians put more emotion and emphasis to different parts of the song ... something I think I am much more familiar with classical music is now also available with rock, pop, country.

The music is not just flowing like a German conversation but rather more like a French, Spanish or Italian conversation - if you know what I mean. Entity is Nordic authority/pace with southern European emotion/
genes.

When I got the Entity back one of the first LP‘s that I got in my hand was a new bought album - Tracker from Mark Knopfler. I had bought it before sending the Entity to Fredrik and have heard it because it was opened but I thought I had only played side A and B.
So I put C and D on the turntable and thought wow that LP is really good its funny that I didnt play side C and D before. While I enjoyed it ... song after song seemed familiar to me so the only explanation is I played it before without it leaving any impression or „being something special“ memory on me before.

My feeling is the upgrade does the most in the lower frequency spectrum and with that cleaning up the midrange.

It feels the Entity is now substantially louder.
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Re: Entity MC

Post by Tony Tune-age »

Good point Defender, I thought other customers would provide a review of the Entity upgrade as well. But you have provided some really good information, which gives me an idea of what to expect! I'll be sure to report back once my Entity is upgraded.

Cheers
Defender wrote: 2021-03-29 16:51 Its a pitty we don’t hear back from the two other customers with upgraded Entities which Fredrik mentioned, so here some further information from my side:

I dont feel there is much run in involved in this upgrade.

What I enjoy with this upgrade is being able to hear the changes of how fast a melody is played and with that I can hear how the musicians put more emotion and emphasis to different parts of the song...something I think I am much more familiar with classical music is now also available with rock, pop, country.

My feeling is the upgrade does the most in the lower frequency spectrum and with that cleaning up the midrange. It feels the Entity is now substantially louder.
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Re: Entity MC

Post by Tony Tune-age »

Well, my Entity is on it's way to be upgraded now. So once it's received and hooked-up again, I'll be able to provide my impressions and thoughts. Apparently there isn't much "burn-in" time with the 1.1 upgrade.

Cheers
Tony Tune-age wrote: 2021-03-29 20:23 Good point Defender, I thought other customers would provide a review of the Entity upgrade as well. But you have provided some really good information, which gives me an idea of what to expect! I'll be sure to report back once my Entity is upgraded.
Defender wrote: 2021-03-29 16:51 Its a pitty we don’t hear back from the two other customers with upgraded Entities which Fredrik mentioned, so here some further information from my side:

I dont feel there is much run in involved in this upgrade.

What I enjoy with this upgrade is being able to hear the changes of how fast a melody is played and with that I can hear how the musicians put more emotion and emphasis to different parts of the song...something I think I am much more familiar with classical music is now also available with rock, pop, country.

My feeling is the upgrade does the most in the lower frequency spectrum and with that cleaning up the midrange. It feels the Entity is now substantially louder.
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Re: Entity MC

Post by Tony Tune-age »

Good afternoon Defender,

I just received my upgraded Entity, but there were actually two different upgrades installed: 1) A circuit protection upgrade that's not connected with the circuit, so there is no impact on sound. 2) A new circuit upgrade that balances idling currents, and does make an improvement on sound. So it's officially the Entity 1.1 now.

After connecting the Entity, I waited a few hours before listening. And as you stated previously, there doesn't seem to be a burn in period with the 1.1 upgrade. However, the Entity itself did need to get warmed-up again. There is a noticeable improvement overall, such as putting more life into the music. The vocals are more natural sounding, the bass is more realistic and I'm hearing more detail in the music as well. I'm still listening and evaluating, but will provide more thoughts later in my system thread.

By the way, it was last year around this time when my Entity was modified (but not upgraded). An addition insulator was added which did make a small sound improvement. Apparently my Entity was one of the few that didn't have the additional insulator. See picture below...

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Re: Entity MC

Post by Defender »

hey Tony great to hear that your upgraded Entity (gold) has arrived.
Bad news first: I was wrong, there is more run in involved than I thought and was initially obvious.
Good news: it will improve from the stage you already like even more.
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Re: Entity MC

Post by Tony Tune-age »

Defender wrote: 2021-04-10 13:16 hey Tony great to hear that your upgraded Entity (gold) has arrived.
Bad news first: I was wrong, there is more run in involved than I thought and was initially obvious.
Good news: it will improve from the stage you already like even more.
Thanks for the updated information Defender, I'm glad to have it back again for sure!

Cheers!
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Re: Entity MC

Post by Defender »

hey Tony whats your opinion about the Entity 1.1 golden spot?
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Re: Entity MC

Post by Tony Tune-age »

Defender wrote: 2021-04-17 11:27 hey Tony whats your opinion about the Entity 1.1 golden spot?
Good evening Defender,

Well, overall the 1.1 upgrade sounds very similar to the original version. However, the 1.1 seems to have a lower noise floor and I'm hearing more detail in the music as well. Plus, instruments of all types (horns, guitars, drums, organs, pianos, etc.) are a little easier to identify.

But the most noticeable improvements with the 1.1 upgrade are voices and bass frequencies. And it was the voices that really caught my attention initially, they are now a little more authentic and realistic. But it's the bass frequencies and notes that might be the most noticeable of all. Electric bass, standup bass and drums are so realistic now that it sounds like I'm in a recording studio, or in sitting the front row of a concert.

There may not be anything I can say, that hasn't already been said. But in my system, the 1.1 upgrade is certainly legitimate and worthwhile. It's easily worth the relatively small cost to pay!

Cheers!
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Re: Entity MC

Post by knoslean »

Recently I went from Slipsik 7.1/Adikt to Entity 1.1/Krystal. A leap in the direction of more details, among other things. It is not that the setup I had before was bad in any way, quite the opposite, but well... at times it is nice to take a risk and try something new.

After about four weeks I suddenly remembered the instructions in the manual, to "start by shorting the RCA connectors... against the ground screw" on Entity. Hm... rewarding move this one. Sound cleared up a tiny bit more. Very nice. Sometimes reading the manual makes sense.
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Re: Entity MC

Post by Defender »

I have a qustion with respect to placing the Entity somewhere into the rack. Unfortunately I am running out of space in the rack and I have seen Matteo is placing the Slipsik onto his Radikal.

Is there a chance the Radikal Power Supply and the Entity Power supply have some kind of influence to each other or to the other electronic of the devices? Unfortunately my arm cable is not long enough to place my Entity over the Motor control section of the Radikal. I have to place it either besides or above the section of the Radikal Dynamic Power supply ... can that cause problems?
Next level down is Akurate DS but that creates the same issue (as the power supply is at the same side of the housing)
Next level down is Sagatun Mono.
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Re: Entity MC

Post by Tony Tune-age »

Defender wrote: 2021-06-21 15:51 I have a qustion with respect to placing the Entity somewhere into the rack. Unfortunately I am running out of space in the rack and I have seen Matteo is placing the Slipsik onto his Radikal.

Is there a chance the Radikal Power Supply and the Entity Power supply have some kind of influence to each other or to the other electronic of the devices? Unfortunately my arm cable is not long enough to place my Entity over the Motor control section of the Radikal. I have to place it either besides or above the section of the Radikal Dynamic Power supply ... can that cause problems?
Next level down is Akurate DS but that creates the same issue (as the power supply is at the same side of the housing)
Next level down is Sagatun Mono.
Good afternoon Defender,

I have my Entity placed on the top shelf, next to the Radikal power supply. There are no issues with this arrangement, and it was recommended by Thomas as well.

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Re: Entity MC

Post by Defender »

thank you Tony - unfortunately I cant place it on that side - I have to place it on the other side of the Radikal where the power supply is ... I think the power supply on the Klimax and the Akurate casing is both on the right side ... but maybe its on the left side for the Klimax if I identify your power cable right.
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Re: Entity MC

Post by Tony Tune-age »

Defender wrote: 2021-06-21 20:13 thank you Tony - unfortunately I cant place it on that side - I have to place it on the other side of the Radikal where the power supply is ... I think the power supply on the Klimax and the Akurate casing is both on the right side ... but maybe its on the left side for the Klimax if I identify your power cable right.
The power cord is attached on the left side of the Klimax Radikal (when looking at the front). So I'm thinking that's where the Dynamic power supply is located. In any case, the Entity power supply shouldn't impact the Dynamic power supply...and vice versa.
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Re: Entity MC

Post by Defender »

yeah thats what I got confused with - when the Klimax is opened up is usually laying on the back so the power supply is on the right side - good to know - thank you
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Re: Entity MC

Post by lejonklou »

Entity and Radikal are friends. You can compare whether it sounds better with the Entity on top or with it on the side. Radikal on top is the only order I don't recommend.
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Re: Entity MC

Post by Defender »

thank you - great to hear!
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