Turntable Earthing Issues

Though vinyl is one of our most cherished and enjoyed music formats, the equipment used to playback records is - by its very nature - prone to issues and problems that can disrupt your experience. One of the most common issues reported to us is "mains hum", and though this can be a problem it is almost always not down to a faulty turntable; instead it's because there is not a 'true' earth point in your hi-fi system.


Pro-Ject have created a great guide to resolving this problem:


FOR MORE ADVICE ON EARTH HUM, READ OUR HANDY GUIDE HERE.


All turntables are prone to attract some level of noise, however, most (like all Pro-Ject record players) are engineered to reduce this tendency as much as possible - so you often only hear it with the amplifier volume on maximum and no record playing. When there is a noise that's audible during normal playback it is often due to poor grounding (even with the supplied ground lead linking the turntable to your phono stage/amplifier), and the problem is typically environmental.

To resolve an issue with earth hum, simply take an additional ground lead, connect one end to the junction box on the back of your turntable and the other to a 'true' earth point. Within the hi-fi system, this could be by linking your turntable directly to the amplifier, or outside of the system it could mean linking to a nearby radiator or the metal earth terminal on a UK mains plug. As soon as you are able to electrically join the problematic components in your system, there should no longer be an electrical imbalance and the noise will go away. 

Start enjoying your music again!


Replacement Earth Leads are available for purchase here.


There are also some products which you can purchase, which can help in the reduction of hum or noise, while also adding a performance benefit to your turntable. 


Pro-Ject High Power-IT

Pro-Ject have also produced an affordable upgrade power supply for all of their DC-powered turntables. The High Power-IT switches from a "wall wart" style power supply to an "in-line" model supplied with a 3-pin IEC lead for a direct connection to electrical ground. This is an affordable, convenient way to resolve almost all grounding issues with current Pro-Ject turntables.

Find out more about High Power-IT here.