Entreq Vibbeaters

The First Law of Thermodynamics

Vibbeaters operate on a simple, undisputed principle: energy cannot be created or destroyed, only converted from one form to another. In any audio system, cabinets, enclosures and the casework of components all vibrate. That mechanical energy must go somewhere.

Without effective damping, this vibrational energy remains within the structure, exciting resonances that amplify certain frequencies whilst attenuating others. The result is frequency-dependent colouration, loss of clarity and smeared transients.

Vibbeaters provide an alternative pathway for this energy. By coupling to the vibrating surface, they absorb mechanical motion and convert it into heat through internal friction and material deformation. This controlled energy transformation helps stabilise the structure and reduces unwanted resonant behaviour.

Mechanical Vibration Damping

The granular copper mixture inside a Vibbeater functions as a friction-based damping system. When the cabinet vibrates, mechanical energy transfers through direct contact into the Vibbeater. The granules inside undergo microscopic movements, sliding and shifting against one another. These micro-motions create internal friction and kinetic energy (vibration) is converted into thermal energy (heat).

This is the same principle used in automotive dampers, architectural vibration control systems and industrial machinery. It is well-understood mechanical engineering.

You can observe this coupling directly. With music playing, touch the cabinet to feel its vibration, then gently touch the Vibbeater resting on top. You will feel it vibrating in sympathy. This is evidence of mechanical coupling and energy transfer taking place in real time.

Electromagnetic Field Interaction

Audio equipment naturally generates magnetic fields, particularly from power transformers, inductors and speaker voice coils. According to Faraday’s law of induction, any time-varying magnetic field can induce circulating currents in nearby conductive materials.

The conductive granules within a Vibbeater respond to these changing fields. As the magnetic flux varies, small eddy currents are induced within the copper particles. These currents encounter resistance within the material, dissipating a portion of the electromagnetic energy, potentially reducing stray fields around the component. The fields are not eliminated; some of their energy is converted into low leve heat within the Vibbeater material instead of inducing unwanted currents elsewhere in the system.

Mass Loading and Resonance Control

Adding mass to a vibrating structure alters its resonant behaviour. In simple mechanical systems, resonant frequency is proportional to the square root of stiffness divided by mass – increase the mass, and the resonant frequency shifts downward. This is basic physics.

When placed on a loudspeaker cabinet, Vibbeaters act as a mass load. The added inertia changes how the cabinet responds to vibration: it lowers the frequency of certain resonant modes and increases the effective mechanical impedance seen by the cabinet panels. The result is a cabinet that is harder to excite into vibration (higher mechanical impedance) and exhibits altered resonant behaviour. Combined with the energy dissipation mechanisms described above, this contributes to reduced vibrational energy and greater overall structural stability.

Vibbeaters in the real world

Over the past few years Vibbeaters have certainly raised a few eyebrows, but they really do work well and I’ve had a quite a few customers who use them in the system including a couple of people who borrowed them for a laugh as much as anything but ended up keeping them.

As you may have surmised from reading you simply place a pair of them on top of a pair of loudspeakers or on a component and they pull away unwanted energy, absorb cabinet vibrations and stray magnetic fields. The Vibbeaters contain within them a mixture of copper, sand and very small quantities of precious metals, much like the ground boxes.

Place a pair of Vibbeaters on top of a pair of speakers and simply listen to some music you know well and it won’t take to hear bass lines are tighter, the sound has more control with improved textures and pacing. They sound a bit unusual when reading about them, but I’ve never done a demonstration which hasn’t been effective.

There are 4 Vibbeaters in the range, the Ultra is the entry level model and they are available individually and £100 each. The other 3 Vibbeaters come in pairs and start at £200, the weight and size increases as you move through the range, which Vibbeater is best for you depends on the size/weight of what you intend to you them with.

Using with loudspeakers

The Vibbeater works on three specific fronts when placed on top of a loudspeaker.

1. Through its weight, it gives further stability to the speaker cabinet itself.
2. The vibrations and fields that are generated in the speaker cabinet are most intense at the top of the speaker where the energy cannot go any further. So when placing a Vibbeater on top of the speaker you are, in essence, extending the length of the speaker cabinet to a critical point outside of the cabinet. The key is that that energy is no longer a part of the speaker itself. The Vibbeaters simply absorb the energy and transforms it into heat.
3. The magnetic characteristics that make up the Vibbeaters granular mixture can have a very positive impact on the fields generated in and around the loudspeaker itself.

They don’t slow the music or remove the life from the music, they makes things much calmer sounding – treble becomes cleaner, more open and relaxed. 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 altitude. You will experience a new found flow and calm in the sound.

A few years ago I had a customer with a pair of speakers which I’ll describe as a mass market ‘mid-fi’ model (and I mean that with all respect!), he was set to buy another ‘better’ pair of mid-fi speakers from another mass market brand. I suggested he should try a pair of Vibbs on his existing speakers and explained their virtues. Fast forward to today and he still has those same speakers with a pair of Vibbeaters placed on the top. He bought a new amplifier instead of spending £2500 on another pair of speakers that would have had all the same issues.

Using Vibbeaters with Electronics

When used on electronics the Vibbeater also neutralises part of the magnetic field from the electronic equipment. A little experimentation is needed to find the optimal position for the Vibbeater, the best place to start is closest to the power cable inlet or directly above the product’s transformer. On top of a power amplifier or integrated amplifier a single Vibbeater can really make a nice impact given their relative low cost.