Ground Zero ground loop elimination system by Granite Audio. Listen to your music, not your hum.


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	Ground Zero How It Works


	GROUND ZERO How Ground Zero Works Ground Zero Pricing Go to bottom of How It Works Page.


	NEW MODEL #501


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	The back of the GROUND ZERO chassis is divided into 3 sections and each section has it's own dedicated impedance switch. This feature divides your system into 3 subsystems. The green GND section is covered in the owner's manual and is used to connect 2 Ground Zeros together and/or to connect Ground Zero to your house ground.


	COMPONENTS POWER AMPS PRE-AMPS CD PLAYERS GROUND ZERO CABLES INTERCONNECT SPEAKER POWER CORD DIGITAL VIDEO ACCESSORIES TEST CDs CONES CAT PAW TIGER PAW DEALERS PRODUCT REVIEWS COMPANY HISTORY FACTORY PHOTOS EMAIL US TROPHY FISH STORY TRADE SHOWS HI-FI '98 CES 1999 CES 2000 CES 2001 CES 2002 CES 2003 CES 2004 CES 2005 CES 2006

How GROUND ZERO works:

This is where GROUND ZERO does it's work. It functions totally in the ground circuit, so there's no interference with the music signal path. GROUND ZERO first bonds all the components together in a central star location with identical wires & terminations. The wires are all of the same large gauge and ultra-pure OFC flexible copper for identical low-impedance ground paths. Then all the terminations are gold plated and soldered to the copper wires for low impedance and long life integrity. The chassis banana jacks are one-piece construction and internal wires are also heavy gauge & soldered. The toggle impedance balancing switches are the most expensive parts in GROUND ZERO . These switches are ultra-low impedance, less than 5 milliohms, and have silver contacts rated at an impressive 32 amps per switch for long life integrity. So, GROUND ZERO presents a super high integrity, and uniform ultra-low impedance matching system for your components.

Any 2 components connected to the same color banana jacks will always have their GROUND ZERO cables at the same impedance, regardless of the position of any of the toggle switches. So, components connected to the same color jacks are bonded to each other at the jack itself at the lowest possible impedance, and this will not change with changes in switch positions.

Components that are connected to different colored jacks have their GROUND ZERO cables isolated by the corresponding toggle switches. This feature allows the user to match and balance the different ground impedances of each section to each other section. Each toggle switch has 3 positions it can be set to. High, Low, or Medium Impedance. These settings determine the ground impedance bond between the 3 sections. With 3 sections, 3 switch positions, and the possibility to plug components into different sections; there are a minimum of 27 different impedance matching settings. Because of the basic design of GROUND ZERO , many different settings will actually yield the same noise floor readings on a decibel meter. But, one or more different settings will give the lowest audible & measurable noise floor. So, relax, there's not 26 wrong settings and only 1 needle in the haystack. Depending on your system, you will probably find that you will get 3 to 5 different results. A result is a difference in the audible or measurable noise.

How to easily install GROUND ZERO in your system:

You are now ready to install GROUND ZERO . All you need is a screwdriver. Make a mental note of your system's noise floor before installation. Be sure to start with your entire system OFF and all components turned OFF. The GROUND ZERO chassis can be located anywhere. Each supplied ground cable has a high quality banana plug on the end that plugs into GROUND ZERO . The other end of the cable has a stepped spade. The step allows this spade to connect to a variety of different sizes of screws and terminals. The spade end connects to your components. It's very important that the spade is only connected to the component's chassis or terminals that are clearly marked "GND" or "GROUND" or are known to be grounded terminals. Never connect any GROUND ZERO cables to positive speaker binding posts, speaker binding posts, any posts marked with red stripes, or any other point that may not be a ground point. If you are not certain of your connecting points, you must consult the factory or other qualified technician before connecting the cables to your components. To avoid getting shocked by components that are faulty, do not handle more than one cable at a time and wear rubber or leather gloves. This safety procedure is necessary because your ground loop may be caused by voltage present on the chassis of faulty or improperly grounded components. This possibly present voltage is why "cheater plugs" are so potentially dangerous.


	The cables are designed to be connected to your component's chassis. The best way to do this is to loosen one of the chassis screws a few turns until the spade can slip between the screw head and the chassis. Smaller screws will allow the spade to insert to the tighter step. Larger screws and dedicated grounding posts will engage the larger mouth step of the spade. Tighten the screw against the spade. It's just that easy.

Connect one ground cable to each component chassis. The standard GROUND ZERO kit comes with 4 - 5ft and 2 - 8ft cables. The chassis will accept 8 cables. Custom length cables can be ordered from your dealer. If you have more than 8 components in your system, you can simply buy two GROUND ZERO kits and bond them together with the special two-kit cable available from your dealer.

Based on much testing in different systems and with vary different gear, GROUND ZERO is already laid out in the optimum starting configuration for 95% of our customers. The sections are clearly labeled for which components should be initially plugged into each section. Power amps and other high-power high-current devices should start out plugged into the section labeled "POWER AMPLIFIERS". Other components such as CD, DVD, tuner, DAC, transport, and other low-current source components should start out in the section labeled "SOURCE". Signal processors, preamps, line-stage amps, phono preamps, and other middle components should start out in the section labeled "PREAMPLIFIER".

How to simply use GROUND ZERO in your system:

Now with all your components connected, start with the impedance switches all in the "HIGH" position. Power up your system, but do not play any music. All settings will be tested with no music playing. Listen to the existing background noise of your system. You may turn up the volume to make the noise more audible, but remember to turn it back down when you're done with the setup. Now click the switches, one at a time, to each of their three positions. Listen for changes in the audible background noise. Some of the switch positions may actually increase the audible noise. But, don't be concerned. This is to be expected. Continue clicking the switches until you get the lowest audible noise. The use of a decibel meter will help you get the absolute lowest noise setting. Once the noise floor gets low enough it may be difficult to hear the differences between settings. This is because of the Fletcher-Munson Curve where your hearing is less sensitive at the lower bass frequencies including the 60 Hz ground loop hum. Contact the Granite Audio factory or your dealer for details on a loaner decibel meter.

We have been able to achieve a lower measurable noise floor with GROUND ZERO in every system tested so far. Even in systems with new properly wired dedicated 20A circuits with high quality 10AWG wiring in the wall & in the AC power cords, and each component on it's own dedicated circuit. While this system yielded the least improvement, it did improve. And, unless you have an endless budget and are prepared for major house rewiring, GROUND ZERO is an affordable safe alternative. If you live in an apartment or are renting your home, rewiring may not even be an option.

You can also reconnect components to different banana jacks to see if this improves your noise floor even more. Wear gloves while doing this and only handle one cable at a time. Discovering the best final settings for the impedance switches will give your system the lowest possible noise floor that can be achieved by ground impedance matching, without rewiring your house or using dangerous "cheater plugs".

GROUND ZERO Pricing:

New Model #501 Ground Loop Elimination System. MSRP $600.00
This kit will be perfect for the average audio system.
Includes: One GROUND ZERO box, four 5 foot cables, and two 8 foot cables.
GROUND ZERO box dimensions including feet and toggles 7" x 4.5" x 3.5"
Shipping weight is 5 pounds.

Additional Stock Size Ground Zero Cables.
5 Feet $30.00 each.
8 Feet $36.00 each.
15 Feet $54.00 each.
20 Feet $66.00 each.
25 Feet $80.00 each.
30 Feet $90.00 each.

Custom length cables.

Contact your dealer for pricing. GROUND ZERO cables can be made to any length. Because of the ultra-low impedance of the entire GROUND ZERO system, the length of the cables will not effect the kit's performance. So, you can use very long or very short GROUND ZERO cables and still get maximum impedance matching in your system.

Old Model #500 Ground Loop Elimination System. MSRP $550.00
This kit will be perfect for the average audio system.
Includes: One GROUND ZERO box, four 5 foot cables, and two 8 foot cables.
GROUND ZERO box dimensions including feet and toggles 7" x 4.5" x 3.5"
Shipping weight is 5 pounds.


	Download the GROUND ZERO worksheet Adobe PDF format.


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