Earth Plug

Though vinyl is one of our most cherished and enjoyed music platforms, the equipment used to playback records is - by its very nature - prone to issues and problems that can disrupt your experience. One of the most common issues reported to us is mains hum, and though this can be a problem it is almost always not down to a faulty turntable; instead it's because there is not a strong enough 'true' earth in your system.

All turntables are prone to attract some level of noise, however, most (like all Pro-Ject record players) are engineered to reduce this tendency as much as possible - so you often only hear it with the amplifier volume on maximum and no record playing. When there is a noise that's audible during normal playback it is often due to poor grounding (even with the supplied ground lead linking the turntable to your phono stage/amplifier), and the problem is typically environmental.

There are lots of messy or impractical solutions to try and find an alternative earth-point, but we've found that anti-static earth plugs like this are a great solution in most instances. Simply take an additional ground lead, connect one end to the junction box on the back of your turntable and the other to one of the screw terminals on the plug, then plug it in. This plug has plastic pins at the live and neutral terminals, but a metal pin connected to the earth - so you can utilise the same ground-point your home electrical system uses to try and eradicate any noise in your system.

Start enjoying your music again!

This earth plug can be used when...

You have an earth hum (or buzz) through your system, even when the earth lead is connected between your turntable and phono stage/amplifier.

Your turntable has a carbon fibre tonearm. Carbon fibre is an ideal material for a tonearm, as it is hard and lightweight - however it is not as efficient as a conductor, when compared to other metals, so it can in some instances lead to an insufficient ground.
This earth plug should not be used when...

The noise generated is due electrical interference from the turntable motor or other equipment.
The earth noise disappears when you touch the tonearm tube. This more likely indicates an issue with the tonearm wiring.
The earth lead is not connected between your turntable and phono stage/amplifier. In the vast majority of cases, this is a sufficient way to fully ground your turntable.