Grounding of K50?

Upgrading
41

Was there continuity between the IEC earth and ground of the RCA spdif?

42

Antipodes K50

Baseline 0.3

Power Ground to:

  • AES Pin 1 - 0.3
  • SPDIF BNC - 0.3
  • SPDIF RCA - 0.3
  • USB Out - Could not measure
  • Word Clock - 0.3
  • Chassis Screw Upper left of IEC connection - 0.3
  • Chassis Screw on back middle of top plate - 0.3
3 Likes
43

I too have found that using a spare RCA on my EX (Oladra upgraded) was the best location for signal grounding. I use Nordostā€™s QRT ground units and when initially experimenting for the best signal ground location on the EX I had also tried an unused Ethernet connection, but it was too much of an effect and I found that the unused RCA was the best optionā€¦

My CX (also Oladra) is not yet grounded so I have been pondering what would be the best signal ground for that unit. Curious if anyone has thoughtsā€¦?

I expect Ethernet on the CX would similarly be too much of an effect as with the EX, but since the CX does not have any RCAs the alternative would be to use one of the USB connections (none of which are in use on my CX). Perhaps one of the USB Audio connections would be best for that unit as they should pertain to signal path moreso than the other USBs on the unitā€¦

44

Shunyata has provided a decision tree that can help one determine the best approach for grounding a device. It involves using a voltmeter to measure resistance to ground. If, for example, RCA, BNC each have a less than 1 ohm variance to ground, they are all good candidates for grounding, but the best choice will be the one that has the least resistance to ground.

I actually have a voltmeter in my Amazon shopping cart as I intend to complete the following worksheet at some point.

45

Thanks for the reply and suggestion! I might have to get my hands on a voltmeter.

46

Itā€™s rare in this hobby that we can use objective methods to reduce uncertainty, but this seems to present a unique opportunity to do that.

2 Likes
47

I did the continuity measurements and provided my multimeter measurements above. I have been using an Altaira CGS unit for about a month. I have my K50, Bricasti DAC/Pre and Buffalo switches connected to it.

I am using the middle chassis screw on the top of the K50.

The Altaira gets my highest recommendation.

1 Like
48

I tried to ground the K50 to the chassis ground Altaira from Shunyata. Signal ground and chassis ground measurements show that there are less than 0.2 Ohms between. The grounding with the Altaira CG has some influence on sound quality. Without CG the sq is more clear, more details. With CG the sound appears a bit warm, covered with a blanket. I will try next a Signal Ground Altaira for the K50 and my other digital devices like router. Then I have separated analog devices on CG and digital devices on SG.

1 Like
49

I am a bit puzzled how it can be too much of an effect.

I have found noise (and other interferences, distortions etc) gives the impression of more derail and noise reduction can seem more dull ā€¦ initially! However I have also found that stripping away noise (and other interferences, distortions etc) in various ways including ground creates a new cleaner foundation of sound that has lots of detail together with other benefits. The detail sounds different, perhaps more accurate. I now think I understand what is meant by ā€œhearing deeper into the musicā€.

A simple analogy could be wearing sunglasses on a bright day, especially looking into water where with sunglasses the water surface has far less glare and os a lot more transparent. And grounding just one device might be like using dirty or scratched sunglasses.

50

Hi @dbastin2605 - too much in the sense that it was detrimental to the soundā€¦ to the point that it stripped some of the life out of the music. Sort of became clinical sounding instead of natural with presence.

51

Just a thought/possibility is that you donā€™t like the efffect of what has been left behind, and that has been highlighted by grounding a component. That could be a problem that is not addressed by grounding, and/or something somewhere else in your system may be causing it. Sorry this sounds criptic, but something other than grounding may be the culprit.

52

Thanks @dbastin2605 - I understand what youā€™re saying. Certainly many factors at play in audio, everything matters.

In my case, grounding to an RCA on my EX does produce a very favourable effect, and is where I left my grounding unit connected on that device.

In contrast, grounding (instead) to the Ethernet connection on the EX did have a positive effect; however it was certainly not as preferable to using an RCA.