Some time ago, a forum member (not from this forum) made a suggestion for improving my amp (death of zen). He said that a mains cable with earth lead could improve things, for example by neutralizing EMI. Since my amp is lying on the floor right now (some other things I need to do about it), I have a chance to include this upgrade.
But then I started thinking: the amplifier's ground is connected to the chassis as well. If I connect the earth lead, and use an earthed wall socket, the ground will be connected to earth. My cd-player (Cambridge 640C) also has a mains cable with earth. If two interconnected devices are connected to earth in this way, won't they create a ground loop? Can I expect problems?
But then I started thinking: the amplifier's ground is connected to the chassis as well. If I connect the earth lead, and use an earthed wall socket, the ground will be connected to earth. My cd-player (Cambridge 640C) also has a mains cable with earth. If two interconnected devices are connected to earth in this way, won't they create a ground loop? Can I expect problems?
It would first of all greatly improve your safety. Good safety practice would require to have mains earth always connected to the chassis and the signal ground either :
- isolated from your chassis (if the voltages are not too high);
- connected by a wire from your ground star point to the earth point (best);
- connected to the earth point through a ground loop breaker.
Honnestly, you should do a search with "ground loop" or "ground loop breaker". This topic has been covered quite a lot already.
- isolated from your chassis (if the voltages are not too high);
- connected by a wire from your ground star point to the earth point (best);
- connected to the earth point through a ground loop breaker.
Honnestly, you should do a search with "ground loop" or "ground loop breaker". This topic has been covered quite a lot already.
00940 said:
Sorry for not searching thoroughly.. I just found an article on Rods site covering this topic
.I have checked my cd-player. Its mains earth is connected to the chassis, but apparently, not to the signal ground. I'm now thinking of applying the same strategy to my amplifier. It would require re-mounting all the cinch connectors on a non-conducting panel, and then mount that panel on the amp's backside, but it looks like the best solution to me. In addition, I could finally use one of those fancy IEC sockets that are common on computers. Quite a bit more work than I had in mind, but it might be worth it. And in the meantime, I do have a spare amp
.The power supplies' secondary voltage is 25 volts, and about 32 volts under load after rectification. I think this would be acceptable.
Any comments are welcome though.
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