Re: [PLUG] Ground Loops / Hum

So pro-tips from an audiophile at home.

First, hum most of the time is due to ground noise. You can address this in a few ways:
* Power conditioners, noise up the line and different filtering capabilities. Make sure your audio equipment is all on the same phase (but not shared with a fridge or air conditioner).
* Better power supplies: IFI PowerSupplies are something I run exclusively with my RNHP headphone amp

* Digital can help, but not always because ground noise on the cable can haunt you. There for, there are usb noise isolation options. I've seen some audio purposed ferrite beads but they're a last resort/moon shot.

* Balanced cables: it will still carry ground noise but it will help cancel out noise picked up by the cables themselves.

I have noticed that some ground planes just can't play nice (usually different phases), if you absolutely must unplugging some inputs from other sources should help. If you must cross ground planes, there are some interface boxes that go from single ended to balanced, then back to single ended.

If you MUST connect audio and you have 1 connection that just doesn't work, I would just consider a wireless connection. You can have analog wireless connections that will not have a noticeable delay.

-Will C

On Tue, Mar 25, 2025 at 9:28 AM jeffv via plug <plug@lists.phillylinux.org> wrote:

speaking of hum... if you're getting it between 2 pieces of audio
gear... connect the signal with cables grounded at only one end. Meaning
take a normal cable and remove the ground connection from one end.

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