Ground Hum & Ground Loop Isolators

[erict]

Originally Posted by thaima1shu

I'm currently going through the same issue. Got my new sub from Elemental Designs, plugged it in, loud hum comes out from all my speakers and subwoofer.

Talked with a rep at eD, and they recommended the Jensen VRD-1FF, which I purchased. It eliminated the hum instantaneously, however, the issue now is that the HD channels are no longer coming in correctly. I originally had it going in right where the line goes into the cable box, then tried moving it further away instead. That helped, but now I'm missing a very important HD channel - ESPN. Yikes!

I think I'm going to try the HumX next. Got that ordered and should be here tomorrow. Hopefully that'll work. Don't think I can afford to keep trying different solutions to this problem.

Let us know how the HumX works out.

[thaima1shu]

HumX arrived today. Plugged it into the power brick, then plugged the subwoofer into it. Worked PERFECTLY!! No hum from the sub, speakers, or anything else. All my HD channels now work perfectly. Sweet!!!

This is why I love blu-ray.com!

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by thaima1shu

HumX arrived today. Plugged it into the power brick, then plugged the subwoofer into it. Worked PERFECTLY!! No hum from the sub, speakers, or anything else. All my HD channels now work perfectly. Sweet!!!

This is why I love blu-ray.com!

Good for you & the no Hum New Sound thaima1 ! Enjoy it .

This is A great place to be part of !

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by thaima1shu

HumX arrived today. Plugged it into the power brick, then plugged the subwoofer into it. Worked PERFECTLY!! No hum from the sub, speakers, or anything else. All my HD channels now work perfectly. Sweet!!!

This is why I love blu-ray.com!

I am glad HumX worked for you. I had heard nice things about it, but I do not have any personal experience with it. Your experience will make it a little easier to recommend it in the future.

[kingofgrills]

This week I switched over from Dish Network to Comcast Cable (I'm seriously questioning this now), and I've suddenly been plagued with interference in my system. However, I don't think I'm having a ground loop hum issue, because I'm suddenly receiving radio interference in my surround channels. I have never experienced this, or a traditional ground hum before in the system, and it is beyond annoying.

I'm used to having a dead quiet, well calibrated system, so this is excruciating. All of my components, are running through my power conditioner, and the rear speaker wire runs were pre-wired through the walls from front to rear. Is this different than a ground loop issue, and what can be done to resolve it?

Any help you can provide is greatly appreciated.

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by kingofgrills

This week I switched over from Dish Network to Comcast Cable (I'm seriously questioning this now), and I've suddenly been plagued with interference in my system. However, I don't think I'm having a ground loop hum issue, because I'm suddenly receiving radio interference in my surround channels. I have never experienced this, or a traditional ground hum before in the system, and it is beyond annoying.

I'm used to having a dead quiet, well calibrated system, so this is excruciating. All of my components, are running through my power conditioner, and the rear speaker wire runs were pre-wired through the walls from front to rear. Is this different than a ground loop issue, and what can be done to resolve it?

Any help you can provide is greatly appreciated.

Do you know if the Comcast guy actually grounded the new cable?

[kingofgrills]

Originally Posted by forsberg21

Do you know if the Comcast guy actually grounded the new cable?

Do you mean the physical cable outside the house, or did you mean the cable box? I'm not sure. I noticed the noise this morning, just before heading into work.

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by kingofgrills

Do you mean the physical cable outside the house, or did you mean the cable box? I'm not sure. I noticed the noise this morning, just before heading into work.

I was talking about the actual cable, I watched him ground mine to a copper fitting within the closet, where I have my elecrical box......and by the way, there is nothing worse then something bad happening to your HT just as you are on your way to work in the morning. Now you have to sit there all day wondering what is wrong and there is nothing you can do about it until you get home. I hate when that happens!

[kingofgrills]

I'll have to check in my network control panel. That is where the main connection inside the house was made.

Still, I think I'm pretty sure I'm suffering from RF interference. Would my process of eliminating it be the same as if it were a ground loop hum?

[Yautja]

Originally Posted by vega2K

Big Daddy,

I am always amazed at your resourcefulness and your willingness to share your knowledge. Your a great role model. Thank you.

Very true, I second that

[kamiller42]

I have a ground loop problem and discovered two ways to eliminate it. I am just not sure which route to take or which device to use.

I have a receiver, TV, and other hardware plugged into an APC line conditioner. I have 2 subs in the middle of the room plugged right into the wall. The subs receive audio via the receiver pre-out.

I am getting a hum in the subs. If I unplug the TV's AC, it goes away. If I unplug the pre-out, it goes away.

Should I get a HumX and plug the TV into it? Or, should I use an audio isolation device like this or similar? Or, should I cheat and cut the ground to the TV?

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by kamiller42

I have a ground loop problem and discovered two ways to eliminate it. I am just not sure which route to take or which device to use.

I have a receiver, TV, and other hardware plugged into an APC line conditioner. I have 2 subs in the middle of the room plugged right into the wall. The subs receive audio via the receiver pre-out.

I am getting a hum in the subs. If I unplug the TV's AC, it goes away. If I unplug the pre-out, it goes away.

Should I get a HumX and plug the TV into it? Or, should I use an audio isolation device like this or similar? Or, should I cheat and cut the ground to the TV?

Generally, cheating and cutting the ground is not supported by the manufacturers. HumX has the advantage of going directly to the wall. You can even plug the subwoofers into one. The other isolation device is for stereo and requires a little more wiring.

[kamiller42]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

Generally, cheating and cutting the ground is not supported by the manufacturers. HumX has the advantage of going directly to the wall. You can even plug the subwoofers into one. The other isolation device is for stereo and requires a little more wiring.

Here are the pros and cons of each as I see it...

HumX
Pros - Easy to install, will not interfere with audio fidelity, proven to work well via testimony here.
Cons - Isolates one device. What if another device added to the system introduces a new ground loop? Buy another Hum-X?

Audio Isolator
Pros - Will eliminate hum no matter how many devices attached to system create ground loops. Right?
Cons - Could interfere with audio fidelity. No?

Time for true confessions -- I cheated. I cut the ground plug. Not on the TV, but the projector. It created a really bad hum, so I did the clip. The TV is bad too, but not as bad. Now you see why the pros on the audio isolator are appealing unless my understanding of they work is incorrect.

I have two subs coming off a Y cable attached to the sub-preout. My thinking is I would attach the Y to the left/right inputs on the isolator and plug the sub audio cables into the other side. But do these things really work?

[rarredoa]

I get a very loud room-shaking hum that remains on whenever I shut-off my receiver. The hum is coming from the low-frequency drivers of my Polk Rti12's which are bi-amped by an external professional amp. The amplifier's signal path is complex. The signal originates from the receiver's speaker level outputs, converted via speaker-to-rca circuit converter, and finally level-matched to XLR (the receiver does NOT have rca pre-outs). The high frequency array is powered by the receiver's on-board amps.

I realize that all thse signal paths and conversions are just begging for ground-loop noise. All these sources, except for my computer, are all plugged in to an APC Surge Protector. Powering the computer from the same APC outlet is not an option.

The sound coming from audio sources is, quite frankly, the best i've heard, until I power the receiver off... at which point, the hum is exaggertingly loud.

Will one of these ground-loop isolators solve this?

[rarredoa]

Originally Posted by rarredoa

I get a very loud room-shaking hum that remains on whenever I shut-off my receiver. The hum is coming from the low-frequency drivers of my Polk Rti12's which are bi-amped by an external professional amp. The amplifier's signal path is complex. The signal originates from the receiver's speaker level outputs, converted via speaker-to-rca circuit converter, and finally level-matched to XLR (the receiver does NOT have rca pre-outs). The high frequency array is powered by the receiver's on-board amps.

I realize that all thse signal paths and conversions are just begging for ground-loop noise. All these sources, except for my computer, are all plugged in to an APC Surge Protector. Powering the computer from the same APC outlet is not an option.

The sound coming from audio sources is, quite frankly, the best i've heard, until I power the receiver off... at which point, the hum is exaggertingly loud.

Will one of these ground-loop isolators solve this?

Here is the diagram

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by rarredoa

Here is the diagram

Nobody can give you a definite answer. You simply have to try it and check for yourself. Others have had good luck with ground loop isolators. Besides online dealers, many local pro shops and guitar centers sell quality isolators such as HumX. Buy one and find out if it helps. Save the packaging in case you decide to return it.

[snoopg]

hi all,
i newly got a mk sb 12 subwoofer,
my popcorn hour a110 is hooked up to yamaha rx-v467 via hdmi cable,
when i turn on popcorn hour, subwoofer hums/buzz,
how can i solve it?

[interestedparty]

thanks for this info

[oppopioneer]

HDMI wires can suffer from ground loops too. Having just only surge protectors plugged into the wall outlet will protect each unit from surges on the line. It will not protect either unit from an induced transient in the ground loop. If the HDMI completes a loop, you will be susceptible to lightning induced transient voltages. You may also be susceptible to equipment damage should one of the units short hot to safety ground, as this could raise the safety ground voltage momentarily at the bad unit. Quite honestly, both are extremely low chance occurences, so you may go 10 or 20 decades before something happens.

Connect everything up the way you want and don't worry. If you insist, listen very carefully to see if anything causes clicks or spikes, or any noise as a result of lights, AC, oil burner, whatever..if you get those kind of noises, then you indeed have a loop.

I'm thinking of having a electrician wire my basement for a Home Theater so that I have 3 seperate dedicated circuits, 3 seperate outlets, with seperate dedicated circuit breakers all on the same phase.

Not a bad idea in itself. I'm going to see if he can run conduit with single conductor hots and neutrals...if he does that, he can run one honkin grounding conductor to cover all three circuits, tie all grounds at the outlet group to this one ground, and you will never have a ground loop again. If he is not allowed (code may vary town to town), have the romex either twisted together, or stapled together the entire length, and have him run the romexes so that all are together to the main set where one ends, then the two remaining go to the next location where the second ends, then the last goes to the final location. You make sure that if you run any signal cables from one location to another, that you have it follow very closely, the romex in the wall..(external to the wall of course, just close.)

All electronics plugged into each outlet will have a surge protector. Now I do not believe a surge protector can contend with the HDMI formed loop, as the surge protector cannot interrupt the ground integrity. This can make the HDMI in and out susceptible to transient damage. Again, I'd think this a low probability thing, just listen for pops and clicks which would indicate coupling to external noises.

As I've posted previously, the multiport devices are designed to prevent this. It would be good if surge protector companies considered adding this capability to their units.

The steps taken above can protect against ground loops and the steps below will protect your electronics overall...

1.) Whole House surge protector installed at the breaker box.
2.) Surge protectors at every wall outlet electronics are plugged into. Make sure the surge protector uses Series More technology (SM) and NOT mov technology. mov's are not to be used downstream at the outlet.
3.) Coaxial surge protector installed outside and grounded where the cable enters the house.

[Guido1977]

New here and cant post any posts yet but any way heres my problem not sure if isolators would fix my issues.

I bought a new receiver for my 7.1 setup my receiver is a Sony str-dh820. I, hooked up through hdmi and running a PS3. I problem is im getting a clicking sound through the speakers mainly the surround sound. I called sony and that didnt help at all. I returned the unit for a new one and same thing occured.

The ps3 I have tried lcpm and bitstream as well with the same problem does anyone have any ideas what could be causing this.

It mainly occurs when the audio switches say from a preview to to dts etc..

Thank you for any help.