2. amps-preamps
  3. 154659-435

How to guarantee to lower noise- ground loops in your system

I have been through many problem area where noise in the  audio chain was a problem.
my friend Who is a Electrician solved the problem . All too many times people add a dedicated 20 amp circuit 12awg is standard 11-10awg even better lower resistance , also most important 
you need a Isolated dedicated ground, this is totally insulated right back to the earth ground in the 
breaker box this will dramatically lower your noise floor and remove ground loop problems .many people just put a dedicated line and think 
that’s it ,not so, if you are going to go through the trouble, then  for maybe $100 more the isolated dedicated ground  to the dedicated circuit is a must. I can tell you without question .
my Audio has a noticably quieter background .in songs i now hear low level musical artifacts like reverb off a guitar fading cymbals and clearer seperation of instruments .well worth the effort .Hopefully 
this will help others .this is a essential system upgrade .
128x128audioman58
noromance's avatar
noromance
9,764 posts
 
If you run a dedicated 12 gauge (or lower) Romex (etc.) to your rig, and use a plastic box, then you already have an " Isolated dedicated ground." You only need an IG if you don’t have a dedicated run.

4krowme's avatar
4krowme
542 posts
 
 There were cases when I worked at a Central Telephone Office, that the grounding of some circuits/equipment was particularly important. One thing in particular that I recall was at the ground bus bar. We would connect the  equipment as close to the main ground connection of that bus, and not further away. 
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
If you run a dedicated 12 gauge (or lower) Romex (etc.) to your rig, and use a plastic box, then you already have an " Isolated dedicated ground." You only need an IG if you don’t have a dedicated run. 
Sort of. Technically the dedicated run will be grounded back at the panel, which in turn is grounded to the service ground. Service ground is the copper rod driven into the ground, typically right beside the house and very near the meter. 

Which you probably know.

The OP and all his comments are so infernally confusing even I was just about totally lost. The link he provides is just as bad, not one word on the page saying what exactly they mean by IGR. Had to follow a link to another page where finally it says:

IGRs are bonded directly to the service entrance grounding system.


So there you go. The OP had an electrician install an outlet with a ground wire running all the way back to service ground.
itsjustme
681 posts
 
Eliminating ground loops has more to do with product design than electrical wiring, the latter of which should simply be to code.
Actually its neither.  Bottom line is ONE reference - regardless of what that is too (virtual earth, actual dirt, etc.).  Product design can give some tools, but anyone can thwart a designed by connecting several products together (RCAs carry signal ground) and grounding them to subtly different points - e.g.: different outlets.
A dedicated line is good but has nothing to do with loops per se (you cant have a loop with one wire!).  A dedicated ground is good, but you can;t have two (the one the electrician made and the one you run).
Bottom line: back to what i said - everything grounded to one, single potential, in a "shortest path star" config.
And burn incense. :-)
G

cakyol's avatar
cakyol
940 posts
 

Ground loops occur when the resistance between any two or more grounding points is high enough to cause enough of a voltage drop to be detected & amplified.

To reduce this:

1) Attach ALL your devices that handle signal circuits to a STAR configuration, ie to the SAME outlet/plug, with short mains wires. That is your turntable, subwoofer, amp, preamp, DAC, etc. If you do this, make sure you have a 20-30 Amp circuit to be able to carry the load of your megawatt amplifier. The more the better (and more expensive).

AND/OR

2) Use NON COPPER signal connections if you can (optical or fm/radio/wifi).

AND/OR

3) If you must use MULTIPLE outlets/plugs (no other choice), make sure the resistance of the EARTH connection between those 2 (or more plugs) is as close to ZERO ohms (the THICKER/OFC the wire the better) as possible.

If you do one or a combination of these, you will not have a hum problem.


More to discover