If you discover the hum isn’t a grounding loop, there are a few things you can immediately check for a possible solution. Also, if you change inputs and the hum doesn’t change or stop, that’s likely a grounding loop. If the hum goes down with the volume, this generally means it’s from feedback or an issue other than ground looping. The 120 hertz hum will sound aggressive and high-pitched, while 60 hertz hum is lower and more even.Īnother way to differentiate the source of hum is to turn the volume knob and see if the hum follows. First of all, the sound itself is vastly different. This may sound overly technical, but there are easy ways for the untrained ear to figure out which hum it is. A ground loop hum is 120 hertz, while other hum will be 60 hertz. A record player’s hum is generally caused by one of two factors: feedback or a grounding loop. So it can save you time to make sure you’re fixing the right problem. While an ungrounded turntable usually causes hum, that’s not the only reason for noise. How do you know if hum is because of a grounding loop? It’s almost like a bucket picking up the spare water so a room doesn’t flood, except instead of mitigating water it’s scooping up electrical current that could cause excess hum or charge. A grounding wire is a safety wire that has intentionally been connected to earth, and does not carry electricity under normal circuit operations. While the other cables are meant to carry the sound from the source to the amps (and eventually the speakers), a grounding wire’s whole job is to only pick up what’s extra. Why don’t the other cables involved in the connection between an amplifier and a turntable have these bases covered? Basically, grounding wires create an alternate path for the electrical current to flow back to the source, rather than creating excess noise or a potentially dangerous electric charge. You may agree that excess hum isn’t ideal, but this still begs the question of how exactly a ground connection mitigates unwanted sound. Luckily, many turntables come with a grounding wire, so you generally don’t have to seek them out. In layman’s terms, a ground cable can help you avoid humming and improve your overall sound quality. Since preamplifiers for phono inputs are deeply sensitive, you can hear an audible 60-cycle hum with the phono input selected. A ground loop could then cause a 60-cycle alternating current to pass between a turntable and amplifier along your audio cables. If you don’t ground a turntable, a small difference in ground potential will cause a ground loop. This wire puts the turntable and the amplifier at the same ground potential (the zero reference level used to apply and measure voltages, in this case in the context of sound). Luckily, once you learn how to locate it, and what precisely it does, connecting your turntable ground wire is easy and makes an immediate difference.įirst things first: what precisely is a turntable ground wire? A grounding wire is a single wire you can attach to your turntable chassis and amplifier. ![]() A turntable ground wire might not be as sexy as other pieces of equipment, but it can play a major role in improving playback. Since it’s natural to primarily focus on the quality of your stylus and turntable cartridge, it can be all too easy to skip over other important parts of the record player. ![]() As with all things audio, the key to perfect playback is a combination of attention, high-quality gear, and energy to rearrange your set-up if needed. The more you learn about the science of sound, the more satisfying it feels to curate a space dedicated to top-notch acoustics. There are so many delicate moving parts that make music play out of a phonograph, and paying attention to each of them only improves your listening experience. Whether you’re brand new to the world of hifi, or you’re a longtime audiophile, it’s always helpful to get a refresher on how to improve your sound.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |