The Telos GNR V5.1 Plus active ground noise reduction unit
By Roy Gregory
The Telos Grounding Monster is as impressive in performance as it is daunting in terms of weight and price. Only the most dedicated and affluent audiophiles will find the €46,000 necessary to purchase this ambitious active grounding system – a price that rises to €75,900 if you opt for the so-called Raw Power Signature – Silver version. The mind boggles – and not only at the price!
When I reviewed the (aptly named) Monster back in July of last year (https://gy8.eu/review/a-riddle-wrapped-in-mystery-inside-an-enigma/), I mentioned the company’s smaller, more affordable and altogether more real world offering, the GNR V5.1 Plus. It might offer a mere six ground terminals (as opposed to the Monster’s 12) but then at €9,200 it is also considerably more wallet friendly, falling closer to the same price bracket as many of the other, popular, passive, parallel grounding systems, from the likes of Nordost, CAD and Entreq. The question I posed back then – a question I’m finally in a position to answer – is just how much of the Monster’s performance can be extracted from the GNR V5.1 Plus’s diminutive dimensions?
Sharing the Monster’s clear top-plate and rings of slightly lurid, green, flashing LEDs, the V5.1 measures a mere 390 x 60 x 240mm (WxHxD) and weighs in at a surprisingly chunky 7.5kg. Like its bigger brother, it eschews the standard stick on or screw on feet. Like its bigger brother, what you sit it on has a readily audible impact on performance. But, unlike its big brother, it’s light enough that you can raise it off the shelf it’s sitting on with comparative ease. The Monster gives every impression of being bolted to the surface it’s sat on – and it’s heavy enough and hard enough to get hold of to make getting your fingers under it a potentially painful operation! Separating the GNR V5.1 from its supporting surface doesn’t just impact its performance, different couplers or interfaces audibly alter the tonal balance and performance. As we’ll see, using the V5.1 in different systems, this became a valuable (and far from expensive) tuning option. I used everything from simple laminated bamboo blocks or AcouPlex cones through to Neodio B2 footers at the other end of the price spectrum. Given that the GNR’s mission in life is the dissipation of unwanted energy, I guess we shouldn’t be surprised…
Hooking up the unit is comparatively simple. You need to provide it with AC power via an IEC input. In my experience, this power is best derived from a ring or spur outside the dedicated AC sockets used to power the system. For both the Monster and the GNR V5.1 Plus, I ran a long, standard, heavy gauge extension lead back to a domestic ring on the mains supply for the house. It’s a step that elevates the performance of both units (and the system they’re connected to) considerably. Other than that, it is just a case of using ground cables – I used both the Telos supplied spade-spade cables and various Nordost and CAD cables with subtle differences but equal success – to link units in the system to the 4mm binding posts on the rear of the GNR V5.1. in the main, Music Room system, this was easy, as both the Wadax and CH products offer chassis grounds, with CH adding the option to split chassis and signal. With equipment that doesn’t sport a ground terminal, it’s a case of attaching a spade beneath a chassis fastener, or using the ground connection on an unused signal socket. However, DON’T be tempted to connect the GNRs to the black terminal of a power amp or speaker. It could have a more profound impact on performance than you anticipate!
