AV Link Ground Loop Isolator

Product Information

Frequency analysis not only helps in detecting ground loops but can also be instrumental in identifying other types of interference or noise sources, making it a versatile tool in any audio detective’s kit. Concept: Rather than allowing devices to have individual grounding points, they converge at a central ground point. When devices connected to these different grounds are linked, a discrepancy in potential between them can cause current to flow. This flow, trying to equalize the potential difference, inadvertently forms a loop.

Ground Loop Isolators | CPC UK

In the vicinity of electric power wiring there will always be stray magnetic fields, particularly from utility lines oscillating at 50 or 60 hertz. These ambient magnetic fields passing through the ground loop will induce a current in the loop by electromagnetic induction. The ground loop acts as a single-turn secondary winding of a transformer, the primary being the summation of all current-carrying conductors nearby. The amount of current induced will depend on the magnitude and proximity of nearby currents. The presence of high-power equipment such as industrial motors or transformers can increase the interference. Since the conductors comprising the ground loop usually have very low resistance, often below one ohm, even weak magnetic fields can induce significant currents. Several weeks ago I was pulling my hair out after I installed a new component into Reference System 3 for review. It was an amplifier that came with a three-prong power cable. Immediately after placing the amp in my system a very noticeable 60Hz hum starting pouring from my speakers.

I noticed I was getting a LOT of digital noise on my analog audio path, and narrowed it down to coming from my Yamaha MODX7 keyboard. If I potted it down on the mixer, the noise disappeared. However I didn’t hear it if I plugged headphones directly into the MODX, so I was suspecting a ground loop. Turned out it was exactly that – and the offending item was the USB wire on the MODX. The mixer was connected to the PC via USB (I use my mixer as an audio interface, it has A/D and D/A built in), the MODX was connected to the mixer via analog connection, and the MODX was connected to the PC via USB (for MIDI and USB audio). When I disconnected the MODX USB connector from the PC, the noise disappeared. I’ll cover some additional tips below that can help sometimes. Do ground loop isolators affect sound quality?

Ground loop (electricity) - Wikipedia

External power supply needed for iDef3.0 to break the Ground when USB-powered DAC is used. Not required if USB is internally-powered by DAC.)

I recently built a new Ryzen-based PC with a 2080Ti GPU and found that as soon as the GPU was utilized, I would get horrible interference from my JBL powered monitors. I narrowed it down to USB devices, as plugging headphones into my front-panel or rear IO ports resulted in clean audio. At the heart of many electrical systems is the concept of grounding, a silent guardian that keeps our devices safe and our experiences optimal. It’s more than just a connection to the Earth. Purpose