Origin Live Ground Anchor turntable grounding device
We are growing accustomed to the fact that it is beneficial to a hi-fi system to deal with any noise that comes in on the mains or is put onto the mains by other system components. And there are many products that help deal with that, such as the Isol-8 Powerline Extreme mains conditioning block I reviewed recently on this site.
In the past couple of years, however, one or two companies have realised that there is a further source of noise that can degrade the performance of a vinyl replay system, and that is the noise/interference that is picked up on the tonearm earth/ground cable. The Chord Company and Puritan Audio Laboratories offer products to tackle that problem, and they are now joined by turntable specialist Origin Live with their new Ground Anchor.
Aware of this problem, Origin Live have designed their Ground Anchor, in collaboration with noise specialists Puritan Audio Laboratories, to help reduce airborne, mains, system and microphonic component noise picked up by the tonearm wires.
As a turntable and tonearm manufacturer themselves, Origin Live are only too aware of the problems. They point out that, because of the very low-level signal produced by a cartridge – anywhere from 0.1mV to 5mV – it is particularly vulnerable to airborne interference.
Origin Live also know that to get cables through an arm tube without interfering with the arm’s mechanical operation, it is generally necessary to use thin, unshielded cables, leaving the arm tube to take care of any shielding. The tube is then grounded to stop noise getting in.
But, say Origin Live, the tonearm tube and external cables still act as antennas for radio frequency and electromagnetic interference, and while standard grounding removes loud hum, it leaves low level noise behind. The Ground Anchor has been designed to deal with this.
What lies within the Ground Anchor is a closely-guarded secret, despite my best attempts to wrestle the details out of Origin Live founder Mark Baker. But he did say that it contains advanced, noise-absorbing technology that converts ground-referenced interference into harmless heat, removing it from the signal path.
At just over 16cm (6.5 inches) long, the Ground Anchor is compact. Priced at £545, it is designed to sit between your arm cable earth and phono stage or amplifier. It is only connected in line with the earth. At the input end, it has three grounding posts. Most users will only need to connect their single ground cable to one of those, but anyone using one of Origin Live’s premium tonearms will have multiple grounds (ditto SME arms). At the output end, there is a single, high-quality gold-plated beryllium copper binding post that can accept a 4mm plug or spade connector. A half-metre ground cable is provided with which to connects it to the phono stage or amplifier. Adaptors are provided if you want to use banana, spade or spring clip connections. If your turntable has phono output sockets to allow for choice of arm cables, simply connect its ground terminal to the Ground Anchor.
Two systems
To assess how the Ground Anchor could improve the performance of a system, I connected it both within my home system and also took it to my local retailer to try it in another system and environment.
At home I use an Audio Note TT3 turntable with PSU3 power supply, Arm Two and Io1 cartridge, fed to an Audio Note S9 step-up transformer, playing through an Audio Note Meishu Tonmeister integrated amp and Fyne Audio Vintage 10 speakers.
At Home Media in Maidstone, my local retailer, I connected it to a system comprising a Vertere DG X turntable with Sabre and Sabre Lite cartridges, played through a Vertere phono stage, Hegel 190V integrated amp and Oephi Lounge 2 speakers. My thanks to Home Media for making their facilities available to me.
I will say upfront that the results were the same in both locations, proving that what the Ground Anchor does, it does in different system set-ups, both high-end and more modest (there is about a £10,000 price difference between the price of the Vertere and the Audio Note turntables). Thus when I talk about the differences heard, they apply to both systems.
Up Anchor
The first track I tried was the gorgeous Summer Rain by guitarist Torsten Goods. With the Ground Anchor connected, there was no doubt that Goods’s guitar was more focused and detailed, the bass beat sharper and more tuneful, while vocals were cleaner. All the instruments were better defined and had more space around them. The piano and drum parts were better separated and could be followed more easily. Musically, the track simply moved and hung together better. Taking the Ground Anchor out of circuit caused the soundstage to collapse a little and everything sounded more ‘muffled’.
Switching things decidedly more uptempo, I played the track No One Emotion from George Benson’s 20/20 album. This track really moves and has an infectious, 100mph beat. With the Ground Anchor in place, that fast-moving synth bass line was cleaner, tighter and really pumped the track along. Benson’s vocals were more open and emotive, while the drum machine parts were snappier, cleaner and more dynamic. It was also easier to listen into the various layers of this lush and complex arrangement, with keyboards better voiced and separated. When I took the Ground Anchor out of circuit, the sound slowed down and became less involving.
Another track that has a bass line that you just can’t help wanting to move to is Larry Carlton’s wonderful cover of Minute by Minute on his Discovery album. When I connected the Ground Anchor this superb recording was even better focused and separated than I had already become accustomed to. Carlton’s guitar was more real with a greater sense of how he played each note, while keyboards were better defined and drums sharper and snappier. The horn section was also better separated and that wonderful, sinuous and syncopated bass line was deeper, tighter and moved better. The backing vocals had more space around them and Kirk Whalum’s wonderful sax solo also had more bite, presence and inner detail. In short, the track moved better, had more composure and inner detail and I was able to better listen into what the individual musicians were contributing.
Universal appeal
The opportunity to try the Origin Live Ground Anchor in completely different systems in two different listening rooms was invaluable. And the interesting thing was that the differences I heard at home introducing the Ground Anchor into my system were precisely repeated in the system in Home Media’s dem room. The improvements it made were the same.
In both systems, the Ground Anchor brought the music into sharper focus, put more space around individual musicians, allowing me to hear more of how they were playing. It also improved dynamics, with instruments and vocals gaining better life and impact, and it sharpened up the music rhythmically, making it duck and dive more purposefully.
These differences were intrinsically musical and not tonal, as can sometimes be the case when comparing, say, speaker cables. The Ground Anchor did not monkey with the tonal balance in any way, making the sound neither duller nor brighter. It just made the music make more sense, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it did this in most systems.
I will be leaving it in my system and I would recommend wholeheartedly that you give the Origin Live Ground Anchor a try. Is it worth the asking price? In pretty well all cases I would say definitely yes!
Pros
Clear reduction in low-level noise and interference
Noticeable gains in clarity, focus, and instrument separation
Improves timing, rhythm, and overall musical cohesion
Enhances dynamics and transient snap without altering tonal balance
Works consistently across different systems and environments
Particularly effective with low-output cartridges (very low signal levels)
Simple to install inline with existing grounding
High-quality build with versatile connection options
Benefits are musically meaningful rather than merely “hi-fi” effects
Cons
Relatively expensive for a single-purpose accessory (£545)
Internal technology is undisclosed, which may deter sceptical buyers
System-dependent value—less revealing setups may show smaller gains
Adds extra cabling and another component to system complexity
Requires turntable to have ground wires, not all have this eg Rega