erictum is a brand owned by Commercial Technology Group Sp. z o.o. The name combines two Latin words: VERI + ICTUM, that mean ‘real influence’. – That's how the description of this brand and its product officially starts, as I learned during my meeting with Mr Marek Stajndor, development director, and Mr Paweł Czubryt, who's responsible for R&D department of this company.

These gentlemen brought me something that makes non-audiophiles go crazy (actually it's not about product itself but the idea of it might doing what manufacturer claims it does), and which is a standard product for us – a ground filter/conditioner. Such products have been known for years now and offered by few manufacturers like: Japanese Acoustic Revive, with their RGC-24 (more HERE) and Swedish Entreq with their whole line of such products (more HERE).
Ground filters are supposed to decrease RFI and EMI that are present in signal's ground, usually due to connections with devices' grounds. Such additional grounds are often used in medical and military industry, although in different forms.

Such filters offered by audio manufacturers usually are external devices that are placed next to or under system's element and connected with it with a short cable. One should connect it to the chassis, or to the ground post if a particular device does have it like most Japanese products do, as they, in Japan, realized ground problem years ago. Another option is to plug the cable connecting ground filter and device under one w chassis' screws, or finally to use an unused RCA input or output for this purpose. Verictum delivers its products with cables terminated with spades, but, upon order, they are able to deliver it with any termination.

PAWEŁ CZUBRYT

A few words about CTG

The main scientific, technical and research infrastructure of Cieszyn based CTG company called: Zamiejscowy Ośrodek Badawczo – Rozwojowy, has its headquarters in Wrocław Technology Park. As a part of our research activities we developed and implemented a production of intelligent street light controllers with dedicated sources of light that allow full control and two-way communication that includes transfer of information back from the light concerning, for example, surface state for each particular light. These controllers allow two-way exchange of information via light's power line, which, among other things, is made possible due to our proprietary active interference filters. It is a unique solution on a global scale.

Marek Stajndor – director of development (on the left) and Paweł Czubryt – R&D director.

The Verictum brand bases its activity on an experience, experiments, and research programs conducted by CTG  Sp. z o.o. (Commercial Technology Group) in such areas as: signal transfer, energy transfer, distortion elimination, waves control and propagation, that were done by us for particular projects realized for energy and telecommunication industry. A marketing name for solutions used in Verictum products is: Technology X.

Technology X

Technology X, is the latest technology for fighting EMI/RFI degrading effects, that includes several different materials and processes, that were created during many years of proprietary research conducted by our firm. Its composition and technological process is modified constantly depending on the required synergy effect for a particular application. Products developed by Verictum are intended to eliminate a negative influence these types of interference have on audio systems.

Most of our products are made manually because some of the production techniques simply can not be performed by machines. We use mostly natural materials, including exotic woods like merbau, that are handcrafted. We send all our products, including fuses, to people interested in trying them out in their systems (upon down payment) and within 18 days they have to decide whether they want to keep them or they send them back with money-back guarantee.

Our present offer includes few products like: X Bulk, X Block and X Band. Our another project – development of audiophile fuses – is also almost finished. X Bulk to work needs to be connected with device's ground, to transfer interference via a pure silver cable to its filtering a

X Block should be placed on top of the device, or on top of its power supply section to be exact, but since each case is different we recommend moving it around a bit to find optimal placement. X Block works as antenna collecting interference emitted by the device it is used with. X Block, same as X Bulk, effectively transforms EMI/RFI into heat.
Third element of this puzzle is X Band, that “cleans” a signal for speaker's crossover. It should be plugged into speaker's “minus” binding post.

One can place X Bulk anywhere – it sports a very aesthetic chassis so it can be placed in a plane sight. But as it turned out these filters worked better when placed on anti-vibration platforms. The better they were decoupled the better job they did.

I received three filters for this review – two with cables terminated with spades and one terminated with a single RCA plug. The latter I used connected to the digital output of my Ancient Audio Lektor AIR V-edition CD Player, one with spade I connected to power supply for my Ayon Audio Spheris III preamplifier, and another with spade to Acoustic Revive RST-4e Ultimate power supply box.

The best placement for spades would be under some screw in device's chassis, but in fact these spades were pretty large so they couldn't fit under any screw I tried them with. Also screwing them in and out would be problematic for the purpose of this test as it would have taken some time. So finally I decided to remove a screw in both, power supply and power supply box, fix an universal plug on each spade and put these plugs in the holes I took screws from.

Test was conducted as A/B/A and B/A/B comparison, with A and B known, where A was a system without filters and B was working with them. I listened to a single filter working with my CD Player as well as to all three of them connected to the system.

When the people from Verictum told me that I would immediately recognize an impact brought by their products on my system's performance I knew they were really, really sure of that. Obviously most beginners among manufacturers/designers would tell you the same thing about their products – if they'd only known how hard, how difficult was the road ahead of them to be, most of them would have never taken it.

On the other hand a self confidence in a necessary element when you're running any business. Questioning experts, focusing efforts on beating them, proving that out knowledge, skills are greater than theirs are the very foundation of every new enterprise. Nothing would have happened without it, there would be no progress, in our, audio industry, that would hurt all music fans.

Verictum has something though, that most “rookie” audio manufacturers don't have – a product that really works, one that actually fulfills a promise. These filters plugged into my system changed its sound significantly. That's the first important information. They work whether one uses only one of them or a whole bunch, when they complement each other. But even one of them introduces changes to system's performance that I've been pursuing for years enhancing my system step by step towards imaginary perfect sound. The direction of these changes is the only one that I recognize as a correct one – yup, that's also self confidence...

After experiencing amazing performance of some top-high-end products I often feel “hangover” when I have to listen to the same music using my own system. Although it is damn good, with each element chosen after careful consideration as a way to the final goal – sound that I try to achieve, there are still better products and systems.

Last time it happened was after my review of Naim Statement (see HERE and HERE). The opening piece of Peter Paul and Mary trio's album In The Wind, the Very Last Day, gives me chills each time I listen to it. But it was only with Naim in the mix that I realized exactly how Mary Travers phrased her voice, when doing backing choirs and how loud she screamed in the second part of that piece. Before I experienced this song on Naim system I couldn't really hear any of these elements. Naim reproduced this recording in a very immersive way and these, above mentioned elements were just a “natural” part of the music effortlessly delivered by Naim.

I am not going to state, that Verictum filters turned my system into Naim – every such story claiming that some “auxiliary/supporting” element completely changed system's performance is just rubbish. What I do claim is that they changed a performance of my system in a way that made it sound more like Naim Statement. And also that changes introduced by them were significant and valuable. And by saying that I am not exaggerating, just reporting the way things were (according to my ears).

Connecting one, two and three X Bulk filters to, respectively, a CD Player, preamplifier and power box increased volume of the presentation. Long story short – everything seemed bigger, closer and richer. Since similar effects could be achieved in many ways, including also introduction of some coloration to the sound, I spent quite some time trying to establish beyond doubt how this change of performance was achieved. It seemed that what really caused this improvement was based on a better sound resolution. What filters did with music I could compare to switching from listening to mp3 files to listening to CDs. Sound became richer, deeper, more saturated, denser. The first impression of one who hasn't heard such products before, or hasn't yet figured out which way he wanted his system to take, might be different, though. What characterizes more advanced, more expensive devices and systems is that sound gets darker and darker. But also deeper. In my case version without filters seemed darker. But only for a few seconds after which I realized that filters made sound deeper but also more open. This aspect could be responsible for an impression of a brighter presentation.

It might have also seemed that way because there was much more information in this presentation. I said also, that presentation seemed closer to the listener, but also here it wasn't exactly what it seemed to be at the beginning. When I listened to Monk playing solo either on his older recordings released recently by French label Le Chant du Monde, or to his album Solo Monk, recorded for Columbia, it seemed that his piano was bigger and placed closer to me, but the reason for that was not that it was actually enlarged. As Carol Sloan's Hush-A-Bye album confirmed, filters “open” recording's acoustics, that seemed bit smeared before I used filters. When the background of the recording is clearer the main sound is more distinct and that's what creates an impression of a larger and closer presentation.

I guess similar mechanism is behind an impression of a louder presentation with these filters. Without them sound seems dull and thus presented further away from listener. One plugs Verictum “cups” in and sound seems immediately richer, deeper and thus more “serious”. All these elements indicated that these filters make sound more resolving. More resolving sound means better differentiation, recording's acoustics, more lively tonality, more 3D presentation.

Summary

An assessment of X Bulk filters influence on system's performance should be pretty easy for each user. Introduced changes are significant and distinct and will happen in every system regardless of its price. Suffice to say that 2 units of X Bulk remarkably enhanced performance of a small Denon system, comprising of PMA-50 amplifier and DCD-50 CD Player that together cost less than one filter (less than 4000 PLN).

These filters do something that is difficult to achieve with basic elements of the system, as to achieve such improvements we would have to pay a few times more for each of them. And yet, I can't stress that enough, X Bulk won't make a lousy amplifier or poor CD Player sounding great – don't ever think, that any accessory could do that. You need good quality elements in your system and these filters can enhance their performance to the extent beyond expectations.

X Bulk utilizes modules designed by Verictum that absorb EMI and RFI. These modules are subject of bath in a liquid nitrogen – a specially developed process similar to a cryogenic one. X Bulk does not use transformers, capacitors, digital circuits and so on. It is a 100% passive design. Cryo-treated 4N silver is used as a conductor. Chassis is precisely machined and later treated multiple times with a natural oil, which allows it to maintain natural, wooden structure. One can not examine modules inside of the X Bulk as they are permanently encased and damped.

Manufacturer does not disclose any information about what actually is there inside these wooden cylinders – this way they protect their products from copying. But knowing designs of Acoustic Revive and Entreq products we can assume that there is some sort of a container filed with damping material that also absorbs EMI and RFI.

Filters sport a small cylindrical enclosure. The make and finish is quite good although it can not compare to the highest class offered by many Japanese manufacturers, like SPEC, for example. I would say that this is the same, good level of handcraft quality as offered by Entreq. There is a tablet on a front panel with company's logo and with the name of the product, on the back there is another with a serial number and information that this product was made in Poland. Cable that connects filter with a device also comes from the back of X Bulk. Cable is very flexible which makes connection easy and it is terminated with a high quality Furutech spade. On order manufacturer can terminate cable with RCA plug, that might be connected to unused RCA input or output of user's CD Player or amplifier (preamplifier).

One can place filters anywhere, although they are susceptible to vibration – no surprise here, since they are supposed to dampen vibration inside them they should not be subjected to external vibrations. So it might be a good idea to place them either on a dedicated anti-vibration platform, or at least on a anti-vibration rack.

Dimensions:
• diameter: 140 mm
• height: 100 mm
Weight: 1 kg

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