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Authored by: DavidRavenMoon on Oct 22, '02 09:58:43PM

A scratchy sound is just interference from the radio producing parts inside the Mac. Or it can also be what's known as "DC offset," which is where there is a DC voltage along with the AC audio signal in the audio path. A ground loop, which is what Apple is referring to, sounds like a humming or buzzing noise.

You should never use the built in audio jacks for anything important. The Mac is filled with all sorts of interference inducing circuitry. I use an M-Audio Audiophile 2496 and it sounds great, nice and quiet.

Another way around ground loop problems is to make sure every piece of gear is plugged into the same outlets. If you have equipment with three pin grounded plugs, use adapters on the AC plug to "lift" the third pin, you know, the kind used to plug into the old 2 pin wall sockets. Only leave one power cord, the Mac, grounded.

Another strategy is to make new patch cords with the shield grounded only on one end, and plug that end into the Mac. This way you avoid the ground loop.

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