Ground Loop Question


Just curious about this....

What exactly is a ground loop and why does it affect the stereo like it does? What exactly is happening to cause this? I'm a little rusty on electrical but i know the basics and terms. I would assume a ground loop is actually where a ground gets fed back into itself and maybe oscilates and causes the hum? or am i totally reaching here?

My buddy's ol man has a pretty decent mid-level system that is PLAGUED by this Hum. He has a MONSTER 3600 stage 3 power filter and the hum is still there.

Better yet, when he turns on the lights the hum gets WAY worse. (not a dimmer switch either) Normally i would attribute this to bad power, but shouldnt the stage 3 filter be clearing this? Does this sound like it could be a ground loop?

What are some common causes of ground loops and some common fixes?
slappy
When two or more components are connected to a common ground through different paths, a ground loop occurs. Current flow through these multiple paths can cause noise or a 50Hz/60Hz hum.

To eliminate ground loops, all signal grounds need to go to one common point. When multiple grounding points cannot be avoided, you must isolate the signal and grounds of each ground point from the other.

Some components do not really need to be grounded directly; so eliminating the ground connection on that component will also solve the problem. An AC "cheater plug" is a quick fix, and/or an easy way to test each AC connection and locate the offending connection.

A power filter or conditioner by itself will not solve a ground loop hum.
See,http://www.epanorama.net/documents/groundloop/index.html

Previous thread: Is cheater plug safe with grounded monster power?

See also, http://aikenamps.com/StarGround.html

greg
HI SLAPPY, FIRST OF ALL IS THE HUM COMING FROM THE SPEAKERS OR A COMPONENT? IF IT IS COMING FROM SAY THE AMP OR PREAMP IT IS QUITE POSSIBLE THAT THERE IS A DC PROBLEM THAT'S CAUSING THE TRANSFORMER TO HUM. FOR MONTHS, I HAD A HUM PROBLEM WITH MY PIONEER SX-1980 RECEIVER. MY HUM WAS LOUDEST WHEN STREET LIGHTS WERE ACTIVATED. DUKE POWER CAME OUT AND CHECKED THE STREET LIGHT/S CLOSEST TO MY HOUSE AND COULD NOT FIND ANY PROBLEM. POWER CONDITIONERS HAD ABSOLUTELY SO AFFECT ON THE HUM. AS A LAST RESORT, I DECIDED TO TRY THE HUMBUSTER FROM PS AUDIO AND IT WORKED IMMEDIATELY. NO FURTHER PROBLEMS. HOPE THIS HELPS. KEEP ME POSTED.
Does he have the stereo hooked to the TV? If so, disconnect the coax and see if the hum goes away. If it does you can get a ground break for the coax.