Audio Engineering Explained

PREFACE

 

 

This chapter on grounding and interfacing is by Bill Whitlock, who is an acknowledged expert in the fields of equipment grounding and interconnection. Connecting together two pieces of audio equipment is not only a good deal more complex than it appears, but can also present some perplexing problems.

After a quick look at the relevant circuit theory, Bill examines the basic mechanisms by which noise (here taken to include hum, which is usually the main problem) gets into a cabled interconnection. He moves on to examine mains wiring systems, which, because of their need for safety grounding, are very relevant indeed to the problems of audio grounding, and shows how ground loops arise. These loops cause unwanted noise currents to flow ...