PowerPlant Ground - How does it work?

Power Components
1

I am using a PowerPlant P15 and I really like it. My question surrounds the grounding for outlets, it seems to be different than a straight ground. Why is this an issue for me, I will explain. I have an Audionet PRE G2 preamplifier and it has an interesting requirement that you must ground the case using a separate cable tied to the ground lug on the back of the unit. The difference in sound quality between grounding, or not, is very significant. Why that is the case is a separate question, though I am interested in opinions. The issue for this post, if I ground the preamp by plugging the separate ground wire into one of the P15 outlets, I do not get the sound improvements. Plugging it directly into the wall, I do get the benefits.

This makes me believe that the grounds on the P15 outlets do not go straight to ground, and probably for a good reason, but in this case it makes a difference. Can anyone shed some light on how the PowerPlant grounds work?

2

I assume you are in a location that uses 220v as your preamp’s manual implies that you can rotate the mains plug 180 deg to get the correct phase. This means that while the preamp’s output mains connector has 3 male pins the supplied cord only two which is different than the power cable that came with your P15. If you used the same cable as the P15 on the G2 you would not need to run the additional ground wire.

3

Thanks for responding! I am in the U.S., using standard wiring and a power cable with ground for both the P15 and the G2 preamp. I have confirmed that the phase is correct for the preamp as well. The following is an excerpt from the G2 manual:

4.4 Additional earth connection
Included with the PRE G2 you will find a green-yellow cord for the additional earth connection. Attach this cord to the earth connector 15 on the
back panel of the PRE G2 and put the plug into the mains socket right
beside the mains cord of your PRE G2. This ensures an additional and
stable earth connection resulting in a better sound.
Note
· We strongly recommend using the additional earth connection!
· Also, a stable earth connection is necessary for the PRE G2 detecting
the polarization of mains phase correctly

This is the extra ground I am referring to, which greatly affects the sound quality if it is not connected. When grounded to a spare P15 outlet, I do not hear the improvements.