Do you need to ground a turntable?

Turntables that do not have a built-in preamp need grounding. Turntables that need grounding feature a cable that needs to be attached to your preamp (whether it's an external preamp, mixer, amplifier). Turntables that are not grounded will produce an obvious humming sound.

Similarly one may ask, how do you ground a turntable?

How to Ground a Turntable Properly and Promptly

Step 2: Find Out the Turntable's.
Step 3: Locate the Grounding Terminal on the Amplifier or the Receiver.
Step 4: Make the Grounding Wire Connect to the Amplifier's Grounding Terminal.
Step 5: Drop the Ground Wire with the Spade Connector to the Grounding Terminal.

Furthermore, why is there a ground wire on turntable? The ground wire earths the chassis of the turntable, mainly the tone arm, to reduce this voltage. Its resistance is lower than the signal wires, but more importantly, it earths the chassis, which is then weakly coupled to the signal wires.

Simply so, how do you ground a turntable without a ground wire?

Re: How to ground a turntable that has no ground wire Then attach one end of the wire to the chassis of the amplifier, NOT to a speaker terminal, but rather to a shiny screw in the bottom of amp. Then take the other end of wire and attach it to a shiny screw in the metal chassis of the turntable.

Do I need to ground my preamp?

The preamp, being the heart of the system, should be grounded. The amps, for safety reasons, should be too, but for audio reasons (ground loop prevention) they should not.

31 Related Question Answers Found

How do you ground a turntable preamp?

System 1: Phono preamp is in the receiver

All you have to do is plug your turntable's audio signal cable into the receiver's phono input. Just below the phono input is a metal post labeled "GND", for ground. Connect your turntable's ground wire (if it has one) to this post.

Can you use speaker wire to ground turntable?

The ground wire does not carry audio signal. Any insulated wire will do. It doesn't have to carry an audio signal.

Why are ground loops bad?

Ground loops are a major cause of noise, hum, and interference in audio, video, and computer systems. Wiring practices that protect against ground loops include ensuring that all vulnerable signal circuits are referenced to one point as ground.

How do I stop my turntable humming?

Answer:

Turn down volume control.
There must be a connection from the metal parts of the turntable to the chassis of the preamp/amplifier; from there to ground on a water pipe, a grounded electric outlet box, or a radiator.
Disconnect the phonograph plugs from the preamp or amplifier.

Where do you connect the turntable ground wire?

Locate your turntable's grounding wire. It is typically connected to the underside of the metal turntable chassis and has an unconnected copper spade connector. Most turntable grounding wires are green, although yours may be a different color.

How do you ground a receiver?

Cut ground wire to adequate length. Take the roll of 16 gauge wire, knot one end of it loosely at the location of the receiver, and walk it to the area where it will be attached to the water pipe. Be sure to allow for extra length needed for running the wire along walls or behind furniture.

Do I need a preamp if my receiver has a phono input?

If your turntable has a LINE output, it has a built-in preamp. And if your amplifier/receiver has a PHONO input it also has a built-in preamp. If you are using powered speakers they might have a built-in phono preamp as well.

How do you extend the ground wire on a turntable?

You could use any electrically conductive wire, preferably one with an insulating outer sheath (even speaker wire). You'd strip both ends of the extension wire, connect one end (just bare wire) to the small spade on the ground cable, and connect the other end (just bare wire) to the grounding pin on the receiver.

Do RCA cables need to be grounded?

No, the RCAs do not need to be grounded. Like seth said Its the Remote Turn On Wire.

Can I use any wire for ground?

Can you use any wire for a ground cable? type - yes, but it is best to use an oxygen free, multi strand wire thats meant to be used in car audio to keep interference out and corrosion down. also, it is a lot easier to deal with since its a lot more flexable then solid wire.

How do you hook up old turntable to speakers?

To use a vintage turntable with these newer units or to play through a computer, powered speakers or headphones, the turntable signal must pass through an external phono preamp. You'll then plug the output from the phono preamp into line-level inputs on your gear (these may be marked Aux, Tape, Line, Video, CD, etc).

What causes turntable hum?

Hum is caused when there is a problem with the wiring somewhere in your audio system. If hum occurs when your amplifier is set to all inputs, not just the one that your turntable is on, then you have a different problem than what this article discusses. If there is still hum, then the phono preamp is likely the source.

What does a turntable preamp do?

What is a phono preamp? A phono preamplifier, also known as a phono stage, is an audio component that amplifies the signal from your turntable to a level that allows you to connect it to your sound system the same way you would with any other audio source.

What is GND amplifier?

GND is left audio ground. LIN is left audio positive. GND is right audio ground.

Do I need a preamp?

The purpose of a preamp is to amplify low level signals to line level, i.e. the “standard” operating level of your recording gear. So you need a preamp for just about any sound source. But this doesn't have to be an external device. Most audio interfaces already come with built-in preamps.

Does a phono preamp make a difference?

A moving coil (MC) input is needed only with a moving-coil cartridge that is low-output. A good phono preamp can make a major difference in sound quality. Then it must adjust the signal from the cartridge so it does not sound distorted.

How do you ground an old amp?

Just hook the ground wire to the chassis. Pick a screw on the back of the amp that goes into metal and attach your ground wire to that. That ground wire on a 3 prong plug, is there to take any shock from the chassis, which you can touch, and give it a path ground, so the shock doesn't go through you.