Interconnection-1
Introduction
This note, originally written in 1985, continues to be
one of our most useful references. It’s popularity stems
from the continual and perpetual difficulty of hooking
up audio equipment without suffering through all sorts
of bizarre noises, hums, buzzes, whistles, etc.— not to
mention the extreme financial, physical and psycholog-
ical price. As technology progresses it is inevitable that
electronic equipment and its wiring should be subject
to constant improvement. Many things
have
improved
in the audio industry since 1985, but unfortunately
wiring isn’t one of them. However, finally the Audio
Engineering Society (AES) has issued a standards
document for interconnection of pro audio equip-
ment. It is AES48, titled “
AES48-2005: AES standard
on interconnections —Grounding and EMC practices
— Shields of connectors in audio equipment containing
active circuitry
.”
Rane’s policy is to accommodate rather than dic-
tate. However, this document contains suggestions for
external wiring changes that should ideally only be
implemented by trained technical personnel. Safety
regulations require that all original grounding means
provided from the factory be left intact for safe op-
eration. No guarantee of responsibility for incidental
or consequential damages can be provided.
(In other
words, don’t modify cables, or try your own version of
grounding unless you really understand exactly what
type of output and input you have to connect.)
Rane Technical Staff
RaneNote 110
© 1985, 1995, 2006, 2007, 2011 Rane Corporation
Sound System
Interconnection
• Cause & prevention of ground loops
• Interfacing balanced & unbalanced
• Proper pin connections and wiring
• Chassis ground vs. signal ground
• Ground lift switches
RaneNote
SOUND SYSTEM INTERCONNECTION
