This is a subject I've discussed with the dealer a number of times, and the bottom line is this:
I am pretty sure there are no safety concerns, and I know that Nordost know what they are doing as well.
Sonically, this is something I have experimented with extensively with the older 400RS and current 500AR monos, and the results have been interesting:
1) With the amp grounds in place and everything connected, I've always had a very faint hum from the speakers, audible only if you stick your ear to the woofer and it was barely audible. It's unclear where the loop is, considering that all cords and interconnect lengths are respectively identical and the same respective brands
2) With the amp grounds lifted, the hum is gone, even if I lift one amp's round, but prior to recent power-management changes I am not sure I heard real sonic differences either way
3) With my current full loom of 13 Shunyata Venom NR & XC cords plus Denali 6000/S V2, and a much cleaner signal all around (from source to speakers), the difference and improvement WITH GROUNDS LIFTED is fairly easy to discern and appreciate. There is incredible fidelity to string tone, even from FM radio, and timbre all around is really a notch higher. That tiny hum seeping through the ground connections can be a killjoy. I would love to be able to figure out where it's coming from, but my efforts so far have been fruitless.
Just my experience, and obviously, proceed carefully if you were to entertain this type of experimentation.
-ack
The way to lift the ground for the amp is to use a 3-2 adaptor into the wall socket. If you'd like to do something more elegant then I could order you a Nordost QRT QB8 MARK II. They also make smaller ones namely the QRT QB4 MARK II or QRT QB6 MARK II. If you use the Nordost then everything is floated (without using cheater plugs) except for one socket where the preamp is plugged in.
I am pretty sure there are no safety concerns, and I know that Nordost know what they are doing as well.
Sonically, this is something I have experimented with extensively with the older 400RS and current 500AR monos, and the results have been interesting:
1) With the amp grounds in place and everything connected, I've always had a very faint hum from the speakers, audible only if you stick your ear to the woofer and it was barely audible. It's unclear where the loop is, considering that all cords and interconnect lengths are respectively identical and the same respective brands
2) With the amp grounds lifted, the hum is gone, even if I lift one amp's round, but prior to recent power-management changes I am not sure I heard real sonic differences either way
3) With my current full loom of 13 Shunyata Venom NR & XC cords plus Denali 6000/S V2, and a much cleaner signal all around (from source to speakers), the difference and improvement WITH GROUNDS LIFTED is fairly easy to discern and appreciate. There is incredible fidelity to string tone, even from FM radio, and timbre all around is really a notch higher. That tiny hum seeping through the ground connections can be a killjoy. I would love to be able to figure out where it's coming from, but my efforts so far have been fruitless.
Just my experience, and obviously, proceed carefully if you were to entertain this type of experimentation.
-ack