ALTAIRA grounding hubs

johnthomas

johnthomas

Member
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
327
Location
NC
Can anyone elaborate on this grounding system as number of boxes needed/ cables etc. I’m already using the Everest for the Chassis grounding part. How does that effects using the hubs. I do realize it’s not yet available on the open market.

Thanks
 
It’s a product that won’t be ready until the summer. There is a lot of documentation and video training being developed.

But basically, one is chassis grounding and the other is signal grounding. We’ve been testing the prototype for weeks in the store.

We have done several tests of having it all connected than removed, than connected, than removed. Richard from Shunyata was conducting this AB live in our room. Let’s just say everyone had the same reaction we’ve been having for weeks.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
Here is a completely different approach.

Chassis and signal ground still makes sense but Audiophile grounded ? I sure can hear a difference in that video...wow :cool:

 
Devg said:
Here is a completely different approach.

Chassis and signal ground still makes sense but Audiophile grounded ? I sure can hear a difference in that video...wow :cool:

Click to expand...


One of the most ineffective demos I can ever remember seeing.

I feel for that guy in the front row, who seems like a nice guy, but likely left more confused than when he arrived.
 
Devg said:
Here is a completely different approach.

Chassis and signal ground still makes sense but Audiophile grounded ? I sure can hear a difference in that video...wow :cool:

Click to expand...

Oh boy. I sat through this ‘demonstration’. It was a slick carney act. 20 seconds of music, flip a switch, 20 seconds of music, “Did you hear that?”, 10 seconds, now let me flip this switch.

No time to hear anything. I will be kind and say nothing more but the entire room, roughly 10 people, all walked out at the same time in the middle of the pitch.
 
Richard from Shunyata did the A/B for my group of merry audiophiles on Saturday morning. We listened to the Eagles, Long Road Out Of Eden for 3 or 4 minutes with the new systems plugged in. He and Mike M unplugged everything and played the same song again. Boom. Congestion went away and the sound stage became smaller. 3 or 4 minutes and they plugged everything back in.

Boom - clearly better sound. No words, no sales pitch, just tell us how you want us to run this test and listen.

If they come in at the price points suggested and can get them in peoples rooms to demo, I think they will sell a lot of them. I know one or both units will be headed my way.
 
crwilli said:
Oh boy. I sat through this ‘demonstration’. It was a slick carney act. 20 seconds of music, flip a switch, 20 seconds of music, “Did you hear that?”, 10 seconds, now let me flip this switch.

No time to hear anything. I will be kind and say nothing more but the entire room, roughly 10 people, all walked out at the same time in the middle of the pitch.
Click to expand...

If I had been there, it would have been 11 people.
 
Puma Cat said:
If I had been there, it would have been 11 people.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure I was one of them. I was just not a fan of this room - it simply didn't sound good to me - nor of the presenter. I agree it felt far too slick and carnie. Fwiw I heard zero difference. But you always have those few people oooohing and aaahing. He actually even used the word voodoo at one point, which was the only thing he said I believed.

I tried visiting that room 3 or 4 times hoping to just hear the system, but each time he was deep into his "human grounding" act.

The Shunyata rep was more credible to me in every way. He took time to explain things to me personally. I wish I could have heard the demo he did.
 
jmusica said:
I'm pretty sure I was one of them. I was just not a fan of this room - it simply didn't sound good to me - nor of the presenter. I agree it felt far too slick and carnie. Fwiw I heard zero difference. But you always have those few people oooohing and aaahing. He actually even used the word voodoo at one point, which was the only thing he said I believed.

I tried visiting that room 3 or 4 times hoping to just hear the system, but each time he was deep into his "human grounding" act.

The Shunyata rep was more credible to me in every way. He took time to explain things to me personally. I wish I could have heard the demo he did.
Click to expand...

Yes, the Shunyata rep was Richard Rogers. He's excellent and really knows the subject matter domain.
 
Puma Cat said:
One of the most ineffective demos I can ever remember seeing.

I feel for that guy in the front row, who seems like a nice guy, but likely left more confused than when he arrived.
Click to expand...

Well, I guess I agree to the fact of SR's vodoo science is very confusing but I have to say that I got their newly released carbon tuning disc yesterday and it works wonders. Just don't know how though and in no way I thought or imagined before those small disc can do anything. On the contrary, Shunyata's product are indeed based of real science but they doesn't seem to work on every system, just like any other product - I have some of their latest that are collecting dust but that doesn't mean they can't work wonders in other systems.
 
7ryder said:
Chassis grounding I understand, but what is signal grounding? TIA
Click to expand...

In electronics engineering, a signal ground is defined a point in a circuit as a reference point. This reference point is known as ground (or GND) and carries a voltage of 0V (zero volts). Voltage measurements are relative measurements, so a voltage measurement must be compared or referenced to another point in the circuit. If it is not, the measurement is meaningless.

David Davenport at DIY Audio has a very good introduction to this complex topic.

It goes without saying, that in order for an audio component to be worthwhile, it must process an audio signal in some manner. For a signal voltage to be meaningful, it must be referenced to something. In some cases, as in a differential amplifier, the signal is presented to the positive input and the reference is the negative input. In other cases, as in a single-ended amplifier, the signal is presented to the input and the reference is “ground.” I will call this ground “signal reference.” A triode is a three-terminal device: the input signal is presented to the grid with the cathode as the reference, and the output is taken from the plate with the cathode as the reference. The cathode is usually connected to power common, either directly or through a bias resistor. Thus, signal reference is connected to power common; however no current flows in the connection between power common and the signal reference. Each circuit has a signal reference and some circuits may be analog while other circuits are digital. It is a good idea to keep the digital references separated from the analog references.

The last use of the term “ground” that I will address is shields. There are basically two different shields in an audio system – chassis and cable shields. There are two important characteristics of a shield: the continuity of the enclosure and the material it is made of. By continuity, I mean that for a shield to be maximally effective there must be no holes or gaps in the chassis or in the connection between the cable shield and chassis. This may not be practical in an audio system, but it is good to keep in mind as a goal. Of course, plastic or wood will offer no shielding, while copper or aluminum will provide electrostatic shielding and steel or mu metal will provide both electrostatic and magnetic shielding.

Rule 1. In Morrison [1] (page 39) states, “An electrostatic shield enclosure, to be effective, should be connected to the zero-signal reference potential of any circuitry contained within the shield.”

It is Important to not have a chassis isolated – it must have some ground. Everything has a potential to everything else. Either control it or you have noise potential. Thus a chassis or cable shield must be connected to signal reference; however, no current flows in the connection between the shield and the signal reference.

I use the terms “ground buss” and “star ground” in this article. A ground buss is a piece of wire at ground potential. A star ground is two or more grounds connected to one physical point. A star of stars is just that – several star grounds in turn all connected to a single point.

And this is where the noise issues for Signal Grounding specifically come into play. Dave continues:

So in an audio system we have earth and possibly multiple safety grounds, power commons, signal references and shields; all interconnected. I have said that under normal, non-fault, conditions that no current will flow in these interconnections. This is not entirely true. for there is noise in the system which may flow between the different “grounds” and cause degradation of the sonic performance of the audio system.

Therefore the goal is to minimize the noise traffic in a system by first reducing the noise and second, by reducing the propensity for the remaining noise to move around; or alternatively to control the paths so as to minimize the effect.

The Signal Ground Altaira hub is designed to remove noise from signal grounds, specifically.

Hope this helps...
 
BTW, the Shunyata Ground Hubs came are named "Altaira" after the daughter of Professor Morbius, played by Anne Francis in the classic science-fiction movie, Forbidden Planet 😎
 
Just to clarify, you don't have to have Krell products to use the Altaira? ;-)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top