2. tech-talk
  3. 1272063768

Do better ingredients make a better Ground Wire?

We have all heard the slogan "Better ingredients better Pizza". If this is true with Pizza, how about applying this Principal to a DIY Ground wire I pondered. So I set off on a journey to find out if using better ingredients (wire) would make a better ground cable. My finding of course only apply to my system in my listening room using my ears (my wife and my Beagle dog don't count). But they heard the difference as well. To say this was a short trip is an understatement. To say that the two versions I made more than held there own is an even BIGGER understatement. One version uses solid core Silver wire. The other version uses a silver & Palladium mix. I made 4 of each kind, both versions terminated using a pure 8 awg copper spade. Do better ingredients make a better Ground wire. In my system, a very understated YES!!!
jejaudio
elescher's avatar
elescher
114 posts
 
I agree with the OP in that I have experimented with different types of wire that attach to my two grounding rods outside of my house. I have a dedicated isolated ground for my system. Grounding is a very tricky subject and changes in the gauge of wire, what the wire is made of, which components in your system are grounded and which are not, all make a profound difference. There are no sure answers as to what wire is best to use for your system or which components to lift the ground are in your system because no two are the same, and neither is the electricity coming into the house. That being said, I wouldn't recommend attaching a ground wire to a speaker binding post.
jejaudio OP
110 posts
 
Hi, Almarg. Your hypothises (educated guess) is as good as I have heard. Dissipation of outside noise, Radio waves, EMI-RFI,or even absorption or filtering which is denied in the review as you pointed out is on the table. I just don't know enough about this kind of thing. But I'm with you on the length being a major part. But I do know what I hear. So there is no law of physic conflict between my right and left brain. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.
ozzy's avatar
ozzy
7,557 posts
 
Jejaudio, I also have made some others with 21 ga pure silver. This time I used 2 sets of 24" long cable each folded 3 times each. This should be the equivalent of 15 gauge for each set 6" long. Then I made a 3' loop out of that and put the 4 wires into a banana plug. This should be more similiar to what you are using.
jejaudio OP
110 posts
 
Hi, Elescher. Reading your post made me think maybe we all are putting to much into the first part of the name (Ground Control), and not realizing that the function is not to Ground but to Control. I think the secret in the Audio Prism Ground Control is that it controls the preexisting ground you already have in your system. Not creating a new one. Kind of like a reinforcement to your ground, with a fake detour that enough of the audio gremlins take and intern make the music that much cleaner. That my attempt at explaining it, fire away.
jejaudio OP
110 posts
 
Hi, Ozzy. Your post says your loop is 3 feet long. Is this correct? If you meant 3 inches for your loop than we are similar. I use a 8 awg copper spade so I could use my thicker 14 awg silver and Palladium & silver mix cable. But I do have a pair that I made up using canare copper cables which sound pretty good terminated in my Audioquest spades.
More to discover