Ground loop, cheater plugs, power cords, many ques


I thoughly done a search on curing a ground loop problem I had with my CATV and amps. Cheater plugs did work the best without any trade offs as with matching transformers and whatever, and I did numerous things on this problem. Couple questions? Has any one ever measured and compared the noise level with a cheater plug and CATV on and without the CATV and cheater plug. Just want to know if there is any differance. Please post.

Example, you just bought a $300 power cord and added a 50 cent cheater plug to it. Now that the ground wire is not being used, does this mean you are using only 2/3 of your power cord, or $200 worth? No pun intended, but why not remove the ground wire at the female end of the cord, cover and heatshrink, then reassmble?

To go even further, has anybody thought of putting a toggle on back of the amp or power conditioner to switch the ground wire out (float or lift). This means drilling a hole in the back of the unit, but wouldn't this give you a more purest path than using a cheater plug?

One last thing, you have your Porter outlets, Hydra cords, Wattgates, Hubbles and etc, why add a cheap$ cheater plug in the chain. Granted, it is only an inch and half long and made out of something that is really not the same quality level of conductance as stated above. My last question is, is there a oxygen free copper, shielded, cryoed, teflon coated, polyurethane jacketed high end cheater plug out there? If there is, let us know.

I have only been in audio for a year now, and I am finding out that the biggest impact per dollar on a descent sound system, other than the source, is what is feeding it, the ac. By eliminating as much ac noise as possible, my audio system does sound much better, but its those 50 cent cheater plugs bothers me the most. Yes, it is quick, easy and cheap to do, but are any of the alternatives I mentioned above would have a better impact on sound than the magical cheater plug? Please post any comments and thank you.
eldulcesol
I had problems on my home theature system as well with ground loops. I disconnected every wire, one at a time until I traced it to my cable feed (coax cable). I purchased a 75 cent part from the cable company that I wired near my main electrical panel. This piece has two screw on coax connectors on it and a screw that screws into the outside metal part of the connector (the grounding outside sleeve of the coax cable). I wired this wire to my main panel ground and instantly eliminated my grounding hum in my HT system. No cheater plugs are required, no more lifting the ground lift switch on my bryston amps.

You might give this a try as well to solve your problem if you're getting noise coupled through your cable feed.

I subscribe to the no cheater plugs are required in a properly grounded system camp. Though now that I type that, I do admit I've got a 1500 watt chandaleer on a 2000W dimmer that I positively can't have on during vinyl playback. Though I think even that problem will be fixed once I get off my arse and securely ground the table. I have it jury rigged because I don't have the right connector for ground on this ancient table. I have no problems with cd's through that same system w/ or w/o the monster light on.

Regards,

JJ
Jjurich, do you have a device similar to the the device you installed, on the outside of your house that has a ground wire connected to a ground rod the cable company installed when the cable was installed? This a lightning arrester. If that is the case that sure would cause a ground loop condition. When you wired the new device directly to the ground in your electrical panel you put the cable shield on the same ground plane as your audio equipment, equipment grounds. Both now have the same ground potential, 0. I just bet if you were to lift the ground wire from the device you installed and take a voltage reading between your panel ground and the device there would be a difference of potential, voltage. By the way the place you installed it is the best place. If lightning were to inter the cable it will be bleed off to earth thru your electrical service grounding electrode conductor/s via the gronding electode/s.
Jea48. I'll have to check that in a week or two. It is hovering around 5 degrees here and I'm in no hurry to rush outside and check :)

JJ