Worthwhile $5 Tweak

Sean, some mfg'ers in the high-end do exactly that. But apparently they filter out the offending frequecies (the effects) rather than the cause. And then even an excellent line conditioner may sound inferior when paired with such a component.

I would highly recommend reviewing the bottom half of the below thread:

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?ymisc&1050555107

Specifically, look for MusicFirst's postings. He is the distributor for Foundation Research and has some interesting, even very keen comments about high-end components, line conditioning, and the execution thereof.

As for your other points, unlike you, electronics are not my area of expertise, so I really can't comment much there. I only know what I think works and then try it and/or buy it.

Sean, as for your last statement about profit and hype that drives the high-end industry, not performance?

Profit is what makes capitalism work. Ain't nobody doing nothing for free, right?

And yes, there are certainly some to many who create or ride the hype for what they can get out of it. I can think of some popular line conditioners and amps that are among them.

But that's human nature. Care to discuss political parties and/or affiliations?

But then again, there's a whole underground audio market with their honest performance-oriented engineering that helps keep things somewhat in check. I think.

-IMO

Grounding...The basic rule is:

For analog circuits...single point ground. Do the preamp, and let everything else get grounded via their connections to the preamp.

For digital circuits....ground as many places as practical. Sometimes shields are best left floating at both ends.

For either type of circuit...Feel free to experiment. The rules are not cast in concrete.

Eldartford -

that makes sense for signal grounds but not for AC grounds (IMHO.).

>"Needless to say, floating the ground still helps."

Stehno: I am sure those power conditioners/line filters are nice. Still, I would have to guess the manufactuers does not endorse lifting the ground. None that I have owned have ever endorsed the idea, in fact most specifically say that it must be grounded. Some wont' even work unless they are grounded. (or will throw an error light).

The concept of gas filtering, while an interesting analogy, isn't really an accurate metaphor. Still, playing along with that - one would have to say, that if you took the fuel filter out of the circuit, and nothing was effected, did it really do anything at all? Lifting the ground, to me, is akin to taking something out, rather than adding something in (e.g. putting a fuel filter in-line).

For me, I prefer the grounds be in place, mainly for peace of mind, and since I don't hear a difference with lifitng them, I think that's my best solution.

YMMV,

-Ed

Ed: I am reasonably sure that the Foundations that Stehno uses come from the factory with the ground disabled (as the manufacturer figures they sound better this way) with the ability to reverse this. Stehno, obviously will be able to shed more light on this. It is interesting to note that a number of aftermarket cords do in fact come with the grounds disabled (although many of the purchasers of these cords may be unaware of this) or the ability to disable the ground for improved sound quality.

Stehno: I read Musicfirst's posting and explanation and it appears that he and i share several common theory's / beliefs. From what i can tell, it appears that these devices use several independent isolation transformers within one common chassis. At least, that is what i gathered from reading his posts. If such is the case, there is nothing new about this idea as it has been done in several other designs / products on the market. Depending on the quality and type of isolaton transformer being used and the layout of internal wiring, it is quite possible for one product with similar specs to perform very differently than another product of similar specs when it comes to real world situations though. Sean
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