Ground loop isolator? Yes or no
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Car Audio
Forum Discription: Car Stereos, Amplifiers, Crossovers, Processors, Speakers, Subwoofers, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=45188
Printed Date: May 30, 2024 at 5:39 AM
Topic: Ground loop isolator? Yes or no
Posted By: bigboi11
Subject: Ground loop isolator? Yes or no
Date Posted: December 14, 2004 at 10:51 AM
I've been hearing local places tell me that a ground loop isolator will fix my problem as far as the alternator wine. Will it take away from the overall sound of my system.
Replies:
Posted By: OCURIEL
Date Posted: December 14, 2004 at 11:03 AM
I would try to figure out the source of the whine & then fix the problem instead of using a ground loop isolator. I beleive it does affect the sound in a negetive way, but can't be certain as I only experimented with a ground loop isolator once. What kind of set up do you have & how is it wired. Are your rca cables running on the same side as your power cables?
Posted By: haemphyst
Date Posted: December 14, 2004 at 11:13 AM
There is no clear cut answer to this question, as we cannot tell you if the noise is entering through your RCAs or if it is in the HU, or amps, or antenna... we need a little more information, to make a educated guess. If you remove the RCA from the amp, is the noise still there? If yes, then NO, a GLI will NOT solve your problem. If you remove the RCA from the head unit, and install shorting plugs, is the noise still there? If yes, then maybe, a GLI might solve your problem. Does the noise change volume with the headunit volume? If yes, then NO, a GLI will not solve your problem. Where is your power cable in relationship to your RCA cables? Is the noise in the wole system or just one set of drivers? If the highs are runing off deck power, and there is noise in them, NO, a GLI will not solve your problem.
Also, yes, a GLI WILL add some additional resistance to the RCA path, lowering total output, and your high frequencies will be attenuated more than the rest of the frquencies in the system, due to the additional inductance of the transformer in the GLI. It is something to know also, a GLI is a band-aid and should only be used as a last resort, BECAUSE of the bad things it can do to your audio path.
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It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."
Posted By: bigboi11
Date Posted: December 14, 2004 at 11:30 AM
If I remove the rca's from the amp the noise stops. I ran my power on one side and the rca's on the other side they do come kind of close together at the amps but thats it. I don't know what shorting plugs are. The noise does not change with the volume cause when i turn the volume up I can't hear it over the rest of the system. The noise is only coming from the amp I have hooked to my mids and tweets, it may be coming from the subs to but the freq is to high to hear from the subs. There is a slight noise coming from the sub but you can only hear it in complete silence or when it turn on my head lights it makes a quick burp. I'm trying to isolate the problem without replacing the amp and the HU. How do i use a DMM to check ground resitance. I was afraid that the isolators wouldn't really be fixing the problem.
Posted By: Wiseguy
Date Posted: December 15, 2004 at 2:23 AM
haemphyst wrote:
Also, yes, a GLI WILL add some additional resistance to the RCA path, lowering total output, and your high frequencies will be attenuated more than the rest of the frquencies in the system, due to the additional inductance of the transformer in the GLI. It is something to know also, a GLI is a band-aid and should only be used as a last resort, BECAUSE of the bad things it can do to your audio path.
very true... the ground loop isolators like the ones you buy at like CC or Bestbuy are crap, i use some good old western electric transformers, very wide bandwith and have no effect on the sound and got rid of all my alternator noise that i couldnt solve with the big3 (it does help with some noise). ------------- Clarion DXZ745MP
Kove ZX504
Kove AG1400
Kove 12" T3 Armageddon
Kove 6.5" Compaxials
WILDER 6.5" Pro-Audio Drivers
Custom Pre-amp
Posted By: bigboi11
Date Posted: January 03, 2005 at 8:31 AM
I got some pac GLI's and they worked perfect and they didn't take anything away from the sound.
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