Altaira questions
 

Ever since discussing the Shunyata Altaira system with Ivan, and following the threads here since then, I'm extremely interested in making this move. While I don't fully understand how it works its "magic", I've no doubt that it does indeed produce astonishing results. This would not be the first time a product came along that defies our understanding to a degree (think: ADD-Powr) but nevertheless works "magic".

I do somewhat understand what the idea is, and how the grounding hub system is intended to be implemented. While I'm not quite financially ready to take the plunge (the 1st quarter of the year is always tight for me) I do have some questions as to the implementation of the grounding hub, and what areas of my primary system "qualify" for connection to the system.

I may have some incorrect assumptions, so please correct and/or enlighten me. That's the reason for my post. For now, I'm limiting the discussion to the grounding hub, and not the signal hub (yet).

Here goes:

As I understand it, the initial procedure involves checking measuring resistance from the chassis of the individual components and ground. Those components that measure zero resistance between these two points are good candidates. They "qualify". It's my understanding from reading around, that "qualifying" components must have IEC power connections. (Three-wire power cords with ground).

The rubs:

First, many components comprise my system. These include some signal processors, and an active crossover. Not all of these have the IEC (3-wire) type of power cord. Some are two-prong.

My hope would be to connect the really "important" components (system preamp, CD Transport, DAC, Amplifiers, Power conditioner) to the grounding hub.

Let's break down a bit what seems to "qualify" and what may not.

First, my McIntosh C40 preamp, the heart of the system, surprisingly only has a two-prong power cord. It does have a chassis ground, intended for a turntable. Is my preamp "disqualified"?

My three McIntosh MC501 amps all have IEC power connections. However, I have the ground lifted on one of them (the one that powers my JBL B460 Subwoofer). This was done a long time ago to eliminate hum. I haven't yet experimented to see if I can get rid of the ground-lifting "cheater" plug. I'm thinking I probably can't do that due to hum. If I can't, is there no point in connecting this amp to the grounding hub? The left and Right amplifiers do not have their grounds lifted.

My McIntosh MCD1000 transport, MDA1000 DAC, MS750 Music server, and my PS Audio P12 Power regenerator all have IEC connections, and do not have their grounds lifted.

My McIntosh MP100 phono preamp has a chassis ground (for the turntable) but its power cord is two-conductor.

My Bryston BUC-1 USB converter (seldom used) does have an IEC power connection, as does my Oppo UDP-205. This unit even has a chassis ground lug.

I think my main questions are going to surround mostly around my C40 preamp with its two-prong power cord, and my third MC501 amp with its lifted ground.

Thoughts? :scratch2:

Pete… my personal experience is to ground all components, including those that only have a 2 prong AC cord.

The Altaira Chassis Ground Hub is a next level component upgrade. I now have Altaira’s on every single audio system I own. :yes:

Ivan....in that scenario, we'd be talking about 15+ components. Sounds like a lot of cables, and cable budget.

I'm not fully up on the cabling options yet. I see 7 grounding posts on the Altaira grounding hub. How many components can the hub accommodate? Is there a limit per unit?

Pete… terminals 1~6 can handle 3 ground cables each; so that is 18 components total. Start by doing your Pre-amp, Amps, and DAC. Continue adding at your own pace; you will instantly become a “True Believer”.

I thought it was something like that....perfect.

I'm already a believer....I'm just not a member of the club. Yet. :thumbsup:

Go with Alpha Ground Cables too. :ok:

Isn't there some sort of gizzy that attaches to a chassis without a grounding post, that the grounding cable then connects to?

Shunyata makes “tails” but those are primarily used for the Signal Grounding Hub.

:scratch2: :scratch2: :scratch2: