Telos Macro G

REVIEW
Chris Kelly
Jul 07, 2026

Taiwanese company Telos Audio Design specialises in ridding the audio world of noise: noise imported from your AC supply; noise polluting your ground plane. It’s a crusade they started in 2006. This makes them one of the first brands to address ground noise as a separate issue. Over those last 19 years, the audio world has moved from barely recognising the importance of the topic to it becoming a key concern in high-end audio systems. We seem to have declared war on noise in every part of the signal chain. Except one… networks. It’s only recently that the import of good audio housekeeping has focused on digital streaming and networking. The Telos Macro G is a fine example of just how much damage ground noise can do in the context of an audio network.

The internet age has given rise to a whole new sub-industry. In it, clever people work diligently to design and produce items intended to enhance our listening experience. This is particularly evident when it comes to music and streaming. In my own system, I have several products designed to help eliminate the ‘nasties’ that can cause streamed music to sound worse than physical media. Amongst them, the Telos Macro G is an unsung hero. It is a silent partner in making network audio more listenable.

Slim, yet heavy

The Telos Macro G is built into a slim (2.5×5.5×13.5 cm) yet elegantly machined and quite heavy (300g, or over 10oz) aluminium case. It has a figure-of-eight power socket at one end and a pair of RJ45 ethernet sockets at the other end. You can also get versions equipped with USB and HDMI sockets. But what does the Macro G do? According to Telos, connected to a spare socket on a digital device, particularly network routers and switches, but also the likes of streamers and smart TVs, it uses a patented, microcontroller to actively cancel induced or transmitted noise, thus reducing the network noise floor. In the process, firing up the Telos unit generates a stunning light show from its tiny front panel. Bright green and yellow LEDs flash beside the RJ45 sockets. They are bright enough to have me scrambling to obscure the sight from my listening chair.

The unique thing here is that, while most network filters are in-line devices that sit between the network switch and the streamer, the Macro G works in parallel. It connects directly to the router and switch – but not between them. Although this is an audio product review, my first experience of the Macro G’s impact was via my TV system. I run the television from a Sky Q box. However, its sound is routed through my two-channel audio system via the DAC section of a classic Yamaha CD-S3000. The Yamaha uses its ESS Sabre DAC to the PrimaLuna EVO300 Hybrid integrated amplifier that drives my Harbeth Compact 7 ESXDii loudspeakers.

Macro G In Action

Rarely, if ever, do I introduce a new item into my system with almost no idea what it will do. But in the case of the Macro G I had no clue what to expect. I have never used any grounding products before, although I have audio friends who are convinced of their value. In any case, leaving the Macro G to warm up or burn in as required, I took my seat and switched on the Sky Q box, bringing the television to life. I did not linger on whatever inanity was running on daytime BBC. Instead, I went to my premium YouTube landing page. I selected the first of that day’s offerings from a US site called Meidas Touch. Several times a day this site posts videos railing against the current resident at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and the latest eccentric pronouncement to emerge from the Oval Office.

The presenter is Ben Meiselas, and I watch at least one of his pieces daily. This morning, the only difference from every other occasion I had watched his broadcasts was the presence of the Macro G. My 55” Panasonic LED TV was bought in December 2013, and boasts a mere 1080P HD display – distinctly old school compared. However, it still delivers excellent picture quality after a few tweaks and a little fine-tuning. I was astonished to find that the presenter’s face appeared more finely etched and more three-dimensional than it had before.

Brighter picture

The entire picture seemed brighter, more colourful, and sharper, too. However, it was the voice that really caught my attention; there was a notable increase in realism and tonality. This, combined with an undeniable improvement in picture quality, made the whole experience feel more intimate. It felt as if young Mr. Meiselas had teleported from California to Devon. I’d hooked up the Macro G to run it in before critical listening began. I didn’t anticipate an improvement to this extent.

Switching from AV to audio, I changed inputs on the Yamaha and got my AURALiC ARIES Mini going. I selected a perennial favourite, Dave Alvin’s album Eleven Eleven, and the second track ‘Johnny Ace Is Dead’, streaming it from my Qobuz account. I started the track and let it play for a couple of verses, then paused it and took out the Ethernet cable connecting the Macro G to the router. The sound without the Telos device was still acceptable but had lost enough of that realism, that clear audibility of all the musical strands, to be a bit disappointing. I therefore quickly re-engaged the Macro G, and it has stayed there ever since.

Conclusion

I am no Luddite. I have embraced technology wherever I have felt that it has enhanced my life. In fact, I spent the best part of four decades selling high-performance computers to defence and engineering clients. However, when it comes to music playback, I am unashamedly old school. When home alone and not on a reviewing assignment, I play records. Yet, with every passing year and each new gizmo that visits, I have to concede that the gap between vinyl and streaming is getting narrower. The Macro G has come as a genuine surprise – in a good way. Priced at £850, it is not a casual purchase. But if you can borrow one for a home demo, I urge you to try it. I thought my digital playback was pretty good. Then the Macro G arrived and proved that there was still room for considerable improvement. Highly recommended.