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Are there alternatives to grounding a stereo?

Flapjacks

Flapjacks

Member
I've got a newer record player but my stereo has a spot for a ground and hums with the phono input. Would grounding the stereo to something (random metal?) get rid of it?
 
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Has a spot for a ground or did you mean no spot?

If your stereo amp or receiver has a phono input it should have a ground terminal. If it doesn't then any metal spot on the cabinet might work. But if does not then is there a preamp either in between the turntable and the amp or built in to the turntable? Standalone preamps usually have a ground terminal too.
 
Montycat said:
Has a spot for a ground or did you mean no spot?

If your stereo amp or receiver has a phono input it should have a ground terminal. If it doesn't then any metal spot on the cabinet might work. But if does not then is there a preamp either in between the turntable and the amp or built in to the turntable? Standalone preamps usually have a ground terminal too.
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Stereo has a ground hookup but the record player doesn't. I have a constant hum when I'm using the record player.
 
I usually run a ground wire from the receiver to a grounding lug on the AC wall plate. Won't work with a plastic box though.

PS ... as mentioned, anything in the signal path should be grounded. Also a good idea to check all the signal wires on the cartridge are tight.
 
What turntable do you have? If if has no obvious ground cable it might be grounded through the RCA cable shields. Or it might need a ground wire and it's missing.
 
Montycat said:
What turntable do you have? If if has no obvious ground cable it might be grounded through the RCA cable shields. Or it might need a ground wire and it's missing.
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It's an Ion turntable not much but it was an upgrade over my ultra crappy 80s kenwood one with no counterbalance or anti-skate controls. No ground anywhere to be found.
 
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sKiZo said:
I usually run a ground wire from the receiver to a grounding lug on the AC wall plate. Won't work with a plastic box though.

PS ... as mentioned, anything in the signal path should be grounded. Also a good idea to check all the signal wires on the cartridge are tight.
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I'll give that a try! Can you explain what I'm looking for on the cartridge? I'm a total novice hahaha.
 
Wires. You're talking extremely low signal levels, and it doesn't take much to screw things up.

There should be several wires attached to the back of the cartridge. These can oxidize or loosen up over time causing noise. A q-tip with D5 or alcohol should spiffy up the connections, and a careful crimping to tighten them up can work wonders. Also maybe a good idea to make sure the connections are right.

PS - P mount cartridges don't have the wires, but still a good idea to clean the socket and pins ...
 
sKiZo said:
Wires. You're talking extremely low signal levels, and it doesn't take much to screw things up.

There should be several wires attached to the back of the cartridge. These can oxidize or loosen up over time causing noise. A q-tip with D5 or alcohol should spiffy up the connections, and a careful crimping to tighten them up can work wonders. Also maybe a good idea to make sure the connections are right.

PS - P mount cartridges don't have the wires, but still a good idea to clean the socket and pins ...
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It's a P mount. I'll get some stuff to clean it soon! Another question. Since it's a P mount I can get a better cartridge that's not stock for this cheap turntable for a bit of an upgrade right?
 
That can get tricky as you can end up with tracking issues. Does your arm have adjustable overhang and tracking weight?
 
Don't know, not having seen your setup. If you can lengthen the arm using those adjustments, then yes, you're talking overhang. That should match the original arm length from pivot to stylus tip, then adjust the tracking weight to get the correct grams for the new cartridge.

Sounds like an interesting project. Luck wit it, eh ...
 
sKiZo said:
Don't know, not having seen your setup. If you can lengthen the arm using those adjustments, then yes, you're talking overhang. That should match the original arm length from pivot to stylus tip, then adjust the tracking weight to get the correct grams for the new cartridge.

Sounds like an interesting project. Luck wit it, eh ...
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Its adjustable at the end of the arm. I can move the cartridge backwards and forwards.

Thanks! I just don't have the money at the moment to get a nice turntable so just trying to get the most out of the one I have.
 
Some of the cheaper tables can surprise you with a bit of work. New isn't always better either - I've managed to keep my "new" table working well for 40 years now. If you eventually track down the hum and end up liking what you're hearing, no real reason to "upgrade".

Oh. Before I forget. A fairly common problem on tables is stress breakage where the RCA cables go into the table. Try wiggling those around during play and see if it makes a difference.
 
whoaru99 said:
Hmmm...a P-mount normally doesn't have adjustment like you describe.

P-mount cartridge maybe, in an adapter, to mount on a conventional headshell it sounds like.
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Total novice when it comes to this stuff. Might not be a p mount. I'll post a picture in a while. It's got pins and little fittings idk.
 
What is your reciever ? Most the RCA's GNDS are connected to each other in the phono stage. I wonder if your ION has its GND
in the RCA's or if got torn off maybe?

Can you tell if the RCA's might have had a "center" wire between the signal wires that got cut off and its not that noticable?

Athanasios
 
Nashou66 said:
What is your reciever ? Most the RCA's GNDS are connected to each other in the phono stage. I wonder if your ION has its GND
in the RCA's or if got torn off maybe?

Can you tell if the RCA's might have had a "center" wire between the signal wires that got cut off and its not that noticable?

Athanasios
Click to expand...

I'm guessing it's grounded through the rcas. My receiver is an old Kenwood KR 6050. The ion turntable also has a switch to switch between line out and phono out so I'll hook it up the Aux inputs to see if I still get a hum.
 
So I'm just stupid and was causing ground loop from having my turntable plugged into a different outlet >.< but back to another question is this a pmount cartridge?
20210310_021738.jpg20210310_021812.jpg
 
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