Turntable hum vanishes when I remove the ground wire!?!

[admin_exported]

Hi,

Here's a new one: I was running some tests on my HiFi set up and i noticed that when I turn up my amp to a very high level there is an audible hum via my phonostage (as well as the hiss). Whilst checking my connections i removed the ground wire from the phonostage and to my amazement the hum vanished!

Has anyone else ever experienced anything like this? Does anyone have an explanation to why I wouldn't get a strong hum with a disconnected ground wire? And would it be really bad for any part of my system to run my turntable with out the ground connected?

Thanks

BCK

 

[Andrew Everard]

It's fine. It means you had a ground loop somewhere in the system. No problem at all running the turntable with the grounding wire disconnected. Enjoy.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Andrew,

Thanks for the response. That's good news. Just out of interest what sort of thing would cause the ground loop? I recently replaced my cartridge with a Goldring 2500 (fantastic!!) would that be the culprit?

Cheers

 

[Andrew Everard]

Something in the signal grounding of turntable, cartridge, amplifier, something else connected to the amplifier, you name it...

These things can be a pig to solve - consider yourself lucky it was so easily cured!

 

[Anonymous]

Black Crow King:
Hi Andrew,

Thanks for the response. That's good news. Just out of interest what sort of thing would cause the ground loop? I recently replaced my cartridge with a Goldring 2500 (fantastic!!) would that be the culprit?

Cheers

I got this hum when i put the linn adikt on my debut, but not the ortofon it came with so that would well be it.

couldn't solve it on mine though.