I ran a quad shielded 10 wire directly to the panel on a 20 amp circuit. I installed another grounding rod attached to the original grounding rod, about 5 feet apart. I used an AQ plug in the wall that has a very tight connection. The voltage drop is less than 5 percent at the plug. Throughout the rest of my old ranch house, I have endeavored to rewire with quality parts, such as a $5 dollar plug vs a 79 cent plug. If I could start with a clean slate in a new house, I would be careful to select the best parts available. There are panels that have thicker copper bus bars. I would say that the more robust your electrical system is, the likelihood of better performance with whatever you're plugging into it is ensured. When I ran the dedicated circuit for the main system, I believe that things got quieter. I do have things plugged into a Furman Elite 20PFI, mostly for protection from spikes. If you don't want to run a dedicated circuit, then I would at least install a quality plug and tighten up connections at the panel. Electrical systems require maintenance just like anything else. I am seeing million dollar homes getting built in my neighborhood as older homes get torn down. These homes likely have the cheapest parts installed that is required to meet code. When the "amazing" builder gets estimates from three electrical contractors, he doesn't select the best man for the job, he selects the cheapest. Modern electrical systems are designed to last about 10 years.
Dedicated 20 amp circuit - Electrician laughed!
I brought my electrician out to my house today to show him where I would like to install a dedicated 20a circuit for my system. He laughed and said that's the stupidest thing he's heard and laughs when people talk about it. It said, if you're going to do it, you have to have it separately grounded (shoving a new 8 foot rod into the ground) but even then, he sees no way there can be an audible improvement.
Now, he's not just an electrician though. He rebuilds tube amps on the side and tears apart amps and such all the time so he's quite well versed in audio electronics and how they operate.
He basically said anyone who thinks they hear a difference is fooling themselves.
Personally, I'm still not sure, I'm no engineer, my room's not perfect, and I can't spend hours on end critical listening... But, he does kinda pull me farther to the "snake oil" side and the "suggestive hearing" side (aka, you hear an improvement because you want to hear it).
I'm not taking a side here but I thought it was interesting how definitive he was that this not only WILL not make a difference but ALMOST CANNOT make a difference.
Now, he's not just an electrician though. He rebuilds tube amps on the side and tears apart amps and such all the time so he's quite well versed in audio electronics and how they operate.
He basically said anyone who thinks they hear a difference is fooling themselves.
Personally, I'm still not sure, I'm no engineer, my room's not perfect, and I can't spend hours on end critical listening... But, he does kinda pull me farther to the "snake oil" side and the "suggestive hearing" side (aka, you hear an improvement because you want to hear it).
I'm not taking a side here but I thought it was interesting how definitive he was that this not only WILL not make a difference but ALMOST CANNOT make a difference.