XPA-5 Grounding Wire

[ScudDawg]

I have recently purchased a CMX-2 to get rid of my XPA-5 speaker hum coming from my 2 side surrounds. Unfortunately the hum is still there so I decided to take the CMX-2 off of my dedicated 20 amp circuit feeding my 2 amps and try it on my power center circuit which has all the rest of my gear plugged into it. The hum is still there after trying this but I have decied to leave it on the second 20 amp circuit. My question is where would I connect a grounding wire to my XPA-5? My Monster 5100SS has a grounding terminal hookup on it and I would like to try to use that with my XPA-5, but I am unsure where I would attach it. Also where do I buy a grounding wire? I would only need a 6 footer.

[Deleted]

Any screw that you can see on the XPA-5.

[ScudDawg]

Oh that will make things easy on me. Where do I find a grounding cable to purchase is my next question?

[Deleted]

You don't need any special grounding cable, a length of speaker wire from Home Despot will work just fine. Just strip the ends to reveal a half inch or so of bare wire and go for it...

-RW-

[ScudDawg]

I might have some stuff here I can try if I can just use some speaker wire, thank you for the information i do not know a lot about electric.

[ocezam]

Apr 17, 2013 13:07:03 GMT -5 ScudDawg said:

I might have some stuff here I can try if I can just use some speaker wire, thank you for the information i do not know a lot about electric.

If you have enough laying around, I'd double or triple the speaker wire depending on gauge. One will probably be enough, but ground cables are usually thick, and I'm an "overbuild it" kind of guy. In fact, I'd triple the wire, shrink wrap it, and terminate the ends with the appropriate terminal. I do have all of this lying around. (because I'm an "overbuild it" kind of guy).


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[ScudDawg]

I just ordered some 14 gauge stranded wire from Lowe's, i am going to use ring terminals on both ends.

[ScudDawg]

The only wire I know that is thicker and easy to get is car audio stuff, will the 14 gauge I ordered be sufficient?

[AudioHTIT]

Yes, something similar to the amps power cable will do, 14 gauge will carry 15 amps if needed and be fine.

[Deleted]

Ocezam wrote:
" In fact, I'd triple the wire, shrink wrap it, and terminate the ends with the appropriate terminal. "

I think before I went to all that trouble, I'd simply strip some wire ends and put it in place to see if it solves the problem. If so, then make up your super-duper, ADHD-inspired grounding wire <g>. If not, no need to go any further, something else is causing the problem.

And keep in mind that you are probably grounding only a few millivolts of signal, no need to go with firehose-sized wire...

-RW-

[ScudDawg]

okay I will give it a go then, I may have some old car audio stuff laying around, I might give that a go as well and see what happens.

[AudioHTIT]

Right, try anything laying around to see if it solves the problem.

[ScudDawg]

This hum is making me try all sorts of stuff, lol. I have a second CMX-2 on the way as well, I may send it back if this ground wire works and keep the one I have on the rest of my gear here.

[ocezam]

Apr 17, 2013 14:41:26 GMT -5 @rlw said:

Ocezam wrote:
" In fact, I'd triple the wire, shrink wrap it, and terminate the ends with the appropriate terminal. "

I think before I went to all that trouble, I'd simply strip some wire ends and put it in place to see if it solves the problem. If so, then make up your super-duper, ADHD-inspired grounding wire <g>. If not, no need to go any further, something else is causing the problem.

-RW-

Jeez, there you go again being practical. Double checking that the solution actually works before gold plating the solution. Common sense, how boring...


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[Goliath]

ScudDawg; were your solution with the wire a success in silencing the hum? I'm also struggling with ground loop and googled towards a ground loop isolator box but cannot see how this would be implemented on the XPA with no available RCA-inputs.