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Quick Definitions - From the ground up

• Ground - A reference point by which a difference of electrical potential is measured.
• Earth Ground - An electrical reference formed by direct conductive electrical connection to the earth.
• AC Ground - The distributed third wire (ground bus) in standard 100V- 240V Alternating Current systems. Ultimately, this bus wire is normally referenced   (bonded) to the Earth ground.
• Chassis Ground - The physical chassis of a piece of equipment, usually metal.. Ultimately, in professional balanced audio equipment, chassis ground normally gets referenced (bonded) to the incoming AC Ground at a specific location on the chassis within the equipment.
• Audio Ground /Audio Reference/Audio Common - The distributed form of the Zero Volt Ground used as the reference to amplify audio.  A more general term that encompasses the more specific terms, Circuit Ground/Reference (implying circuit level references within a specific piece of equipment) , and Zero Volt Ground (implying power supply references).Ultimately, in professional grounded balanced audio equipment, audio ground normally gets referenced (bonded) to the AC Ground/Chassis bond point.
  • Zero Volt Ground/Reference - The same as circuit ground or audio ground. This can be considered a somewhat more specific term than "audio ground", implying a more specific reference to the power supply.
  • Circuit Ground/Reference/Common - The zero volt reference established by the DC power supply that is used by the audio circuit for the audio reference ground. Functionally equivalent to the Audio Ground.
  • Signal Ground/Reference/Common - The same as Audio Ground. Can also refer the incoming shield connection of a unit where the chassis/earth ground and the audio ground are isolated. This would require the incoming shield to provide a reference ground.

Ground 

The term "ground" is somewhat confusing as ground can mean "audio ground", "chassis ground", "circuit ground", "AC (Alternating Current) ground", "earth ground", or "zero volt reference". Ground by electronic definition is a general term meaning the reference by which a difference of potential (voltage) is measured. In our audio equipment, audio ground and AC ground are generally held at the same potential. However, it is extremely important to be aware that they are completely different, derived separately, how it is done, why they are bonded together, and where they are bonded together. A basic understanding of AC, neutral, earth ground, and an audio bipolar DC power supply's zero volt audio ground referencing will help you avoid some of the pitfalls of grounding audio systems.  The term "ground" gets bandied around so much it gets confused with being a specific term instead of a general one. It would be helpful to you that every time you hear the term "ground" you should think "reference" - an electrical point from which voltages are measured.

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