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Is ground noise really normal? If so, why?

I was playing my turntable for my kids tonight and remembering how amazing it is. But the ground noise between tracks was really bothering me and my kids asked what “that noise” was. I can’t imagine it’s not there during the songs. Am I missing something or is audible ground noise completely normal? I’ve had the tech over and I recall he thought it was normal. My turntable is a Clearaudio Performance DC and my phono preamp stage is a P-5xe Twenty. 

If this is normal, why? And are there companies out there that make phono stages that have no ground noise? It’s 2019 for godssakes. 

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Showing 2 responses by millercarbon

millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
Well white noise is a thing. Like pink noise only with more treble. Dead silent is a thing, its the complete absence of noise. Near is a thing. It means close but not quite there. So yeah I would say near dead silent white noise is a thing.
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
A certain amount of noise is indeed completely normal. What is a completely normal amount of noise for vinyl is also a lot more than the near dead silent white noise you and your kids are used to from digital. (That the digital signal is itself noise is a whole other story.) Exactly what amount of noise is completely normal however is hard to convey sight unseen in a forum post.

What I do know for sure however, there is no ground noise. There is groove noise. Surface noise. Ground loop hum. Radio frequency noise of all kinds and levels. Seismic vibrations of all kinds. Ground itself however is where spare electrons go to die. Ground is ground. To have good ground is almost by definition to have no noise. Ground itself is the opposite of noise. It is the anti-noise.

So what are you talking about? Hum? How much? Sounds like its only audible in the silence between tracks??

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