AES New York 2013
Tutorial T5
Thursday, October 17, 4:45 pm — 6:45 pm (Room 1E10)
T5 - An Overview of Audio System Grounding and Signal Interfacing
Presenter:Bill Whitlock, Jensen Transformers, Inc. - Chatsworth, CA, USA; Whitlock Consulting - Oxnard, CA, USA
Abstract:
Equipment makers like to pretend the problems don't exist, but this tutorial replaces hype and myth with insight and knowledge, revealing the true causes of system noise and "ground loops." Unbalanced interfaces are exquisitely vulnerable to noise due to an intrinsic problem. Although balanced interfaces are theoretically noise-free, they're widely misunderstood by equipment designers, which often results in inadequate noise rejection in real-world systems. Because of a widespread design error, some equipment has a built-in noise problem. Simple, no-test-equipment troubleshooting methods can pinpoint the exact location and cause of system noise. Ground isolators in the signal path solve the fundamental noise coupling problems. Optimum interfaces between unbalanced and balanced connections, RF interference, and power-line treatments are also discussed. Some widely-used "cures" are both illegal and deadly.
