GROUNDING - assistance on how NOT to shock yourself

joshua43214

With out knowing how your gear is wired, it is hard to say if using the grounding lug on your preamp is "safe."

Why wouldn't a ground lug be "safe"?

I would expect any decent phono preamp's TT ground lug to be "lifted" from earth to avoid common mode interference and not be connected directly to earth.

Huh? Something would be amiss if there's no continuity between the phono preamp ground lug and actual earth ground.

The only way to ensure protection from common mode interference would be to used a balanced phono preamp with balanced connections to the phono cartridge, while maintaining separation between the earth ground and the cartridge's neutral leads.

Thanks everyone...

really glad I am not alone in having this issue.

To: tjjunk.

I have installed Electrostatic Dissipation (ESD) mats on the floor in front of my equipment racks to mitigate the charge. The units I purchased are not tethered. I find that going barefoot completely eliminates the problem. Wearing cotton socks in cooler weather is 90% effective. My music listening room has quality Berber carpeting on a thick pad placed over 3/4" plywood. The plywood (second) floor is "glue and screw" and sealed, eliminating squeaks and significantly helping seepage of noise from outside and the first floor.

The ESD mats are 3'x5', and the price was $100 each. Colors are black, grey, and blue. As an aside, I honestly can say my body generates a significant amount of static electricity. [Perhaps it is attributable to 33 years working on irradiated nosetips on ICBMs and spacecraft. ]      

Take your shoes off. If you walk on carpet in your socks, you will not get shocked. And your carpet stays cleaner…