The dark art of system grounding, how to engage with it and why it’s worthwhile.
By Roy Gregory
It’s not exactly news that system grounding and grounding configurations are a growth area when it comes to optimising audio system performance. From cables that employ enhanced grounding topologies (such as Nordost and latterly, Siltech) to standalone parallel grounds (like those from Entreq, CAD, TriPoint and again, Nordost) we are being invited to investigate and invest in superior grounding solutions to improve the performance of our systems.
And it works.
In fact – it always has…
In decades long gone, more than a few products featured grounding posts and ground lifts. Like many things in audio they fell out of favour and out of fashion – and like many things in audio (and in fashion) they’re enjoying a second coming. Only this time round the emphasis is less on avoiding ground loops and more on lowering system noise floor. As source and system resolution has improved, shortcomings in dynamic range and the noise floor it rests on have become ever more audible. When it comes to making the residual noise in systems less intrusive, grounding is and always has been key. So perhaps it’s far from surprising that so many companies are now offering to improve your system’s grounding – at a price. On that front, I’ve recently written about the second generation CAD Ground Control GC1 and the wonderfully discrete, effective and versatile Chord GroundARAYs. Meanwhile, I’m ringing the changes with a full suite of Nordost QKore grounding boxes. But what all of these different products and options make clear is that, whatever ‘add ons’ you might apply, to get the best out of them you first need to get the basic grounding topology in your system sorted. So, before wading into the full Nordost QKore grounding solution, its options priorities and benefits, here’s a brief look at what might be described as the ‘classical’ approach to grounding a system.
First things first…
Let’s start by assuming that you’ve got a separate, parallel ground on the AC supply – because if you haven’t, it’s high time that you did. This is, along with a dedicated AC line for your audio system, possibly the most cost-effective upgrade you can make. Unless circumstances make it impossible (you live in an apartment block with no exterior access, or a desert, where the water table is way beyond reach) it makes no sense to invest in grounding boxes if you haven’t sorted out the main AC/ground feed first. Electrical contractors come way cheaper than audiophile grade components! Once you’ve got that dedicated AC feed and parallel clean ground (or at least, the cleanest ground you can get) you are ready to start worrying about the actual grounding topology of your system.
Received wisdom and personal experience both suggest that a star-grounded arrangement is ideal, something that companies like Russ Andrews and Audioplan have been espousing for at least the last 30 years. With an increasing number of star-grounded distribution blocks available, that is easier than ever to achieve. It’s taking it to the next level where things start to get complicated. As with all emerging trends in audio, there’s a whole raft of accessories and tools necessary to make them happen – tools that have to be found, invented or re-invented. Now we don’t just have signal cables and power cords, we have ground wires too. At which point the question becomes how and where to attach them…
