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Floating Ground...Does It Cause Damage?

Hi all,

I've got a pair of VTL MB125's that have been making some noise for many years. It was one of my very first tubed pieces of equipment, and thought that it was, for the most part, "tube noise".

This noise was more noticeable on some speakers than others, and I've lived with it for a very long time, as the noise usually was not heard at the sweet spot. But, with an addition of a new power cord, along with new(er) speakers aimed almost directly at me, I noticed the noise far more than in the past.

I had asked about this noise several weeks ago while using different speakers, and one of our fellow inmates suggested that I float the ground. So yesterday, after work, I went and bought two adapters and placed them onto the cable.

I was astonished to find that there was absolutely no noise, and I mean none, as in ZERO! It was so quiet, in fact, that I had to look to see if the amps were even on.

Needless to say, I felt quite silly thinking that I've lived with this ground problem for all these years without even realizing it. I've experienced ground issues in the past (mainly with tt cables) and thought I knew what a "ground hum" sounded like. But the noise out of the VTL's were not like that at all, so I assumed it was something else or something inherent to the amp.

I was so wrong.

I know that I should take these amps into a dealer to get them repaired, but am a bit afraid of the cost that might be attached to that work.

What I would like to know is if there's any damage that can be caused by powering the amps without a ground connected. What, exactly, does the ground in the system do?

Thanks for all your help.

'Dwebe
"Man, that mouse is Awesome." - Kaemon (referring to Jerry, of Tom and Jerry fame)

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Topic - Floating Ground...Does It Cause Damage? - AudioDwebe 08:22:04 06/30/10 (110)
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