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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. 
dtximages

Showing 4 responses by spenav

spenav
444 posts
 
Hi Dtx

I had a dedicated line with 14 AWG wire that I recently upgraded with a 8 AWG line and noticed very positive differences.  I followed the advice of Vince Galbo of MSB (see the article here: https://www.msbtechnology.com/faq/how-to-wire-your-house-for-good-power/).  He seems to know what he is talking about. I was using  a Synergistic Research PC 12 SE conditioner and an Active Ground Block SE and still was able to improve on the sound.  His article is very comprehensive and I can confirm his findings.  The only thing I did differently is using Perfect Path Technology Total Contact instead of his recommended Silver Paste.  Hope that helps.
spenav
444 posts
 
Hi tvad
i used an outlet that came with my PC 12 conditioner, they call it the black outlet. It accepts up to 10 gauge. The electrician used a reducer to go from 8 to 10 gauge. I then used a 2-gang box with a dummy outlet (not connected) to make sure I had enough room to maneuver the wires, they are really thick. 
spenav
444 posts
 
@mitch2 

Please read the link that I provided and you will understand where 10 gauge might not be optimal. You might get away with it, heck! I got away with 14 AWG. And it wasn’t bad, just not optimal. 
spenav
444 posts
 
 Hi Mitch

I suspect that 10 AWG is very adequate for your distance.  My panel is much farther to my outlet (50+) and since I was going to start from scratch I figured why not do it by the book.  I probably would not change a thing if I had a 10 AWG installed.  Having said that, I was frankly surprised by the improvement going from a clean 14 AWG (house is only 3 years old) to an 8. I didn't expect the highs to be improved so much.  I was under the impression that my bass was going to get all the benefits, but I was wrong.
For people starting from scratch, listen to Mr. Galbo's recommendation:
  • 1 to 40 feet: 10 gauge wire
  • 40 to 60 feet: 8 gauge wire
  • Over 60 feet: 6 gauge wire


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