When should I use the included ground loop isolator with the HyperX Mixer?

When should I use the included ground loop isolator?

When connecting multiple pieces of active (powered) audio equipment together, they can have different ground potentials, creating what is called a ground loop. This includes both devices with their own power supplies, as well as those powered by through USB. Devices such as passive (unpowered) headphones and microphones will not cause ground loops. Ground loops can result in annoying humming, buzzing, whining, or other constant undesirable noises.

This can sometimes be fixed by making sure that devices share the same ground by connecting to the same power source. This is not always practical or possible and may not fix the issue. When this occurs, a ground loop isolator can be used.

The included ground loop isolator can be placed in-line with any 3-pole (TRS) 3.5mm connection. The most frequent use would be the Audio Mixer’s line input or line output, as these are very likely to be used with other powered devices. The ground loop isolator should not be used with 4-pole TRRS headset connections, as it will not allow the microphone audio to pass through. In these cases, the TRRS connection would need to be split into 2 separate TRS connections so that microphone audio would bypass the ground loop isolator.

Please note that using a ground loop isolator can result in a reduction of signal level or low frequency response; therefore, it should only be used when necessary to eliminate noise.