Lots of threads on the subject already, but I’m a little confused on one thing. Is the dedicated line just for the amplifier (in my case an integrated) and another line for the other components? Or, is it just one line for everything in the complete audio system?
A note on 10awg romex. Yes, the wire is extremely stiff and you may not be able to install it. You CANNOT fold this wire when pushing the outlet back into the box. It is just too stiff. When I did mine, I had to run the Romex straight through the wall from behind into the junction box and then "square bend" one wire at right angles so that there's enough space. A 12awg romex would definitely be much easier to handle.
If you have the room in your wall you can use a deeper outlet box to make the job easier.
lancelock - Looks intersting (and expensive). I will contact Well pleased Audio on Monday and check it out.
auxinput - invalid: I was starting to think #10 was the ticket, but you’re right #12 with it’s better flexability should be sufficient. Or possibly the product lancelock recommends above?
If I’m only running one line (most recommended way to do it here) I will need less than 50’
I would like to add that I did run 2ga wire to a sub-panel as close as possible to my listening room. This enabled me to run the quality Giga cable a much shorter distance and then the size doesn't matter as much. Ohms law, shorter distance means less resistance.
This is perfect, as I work in Canada (getting paid in Dollarettes) so I can ship it to my office there and just bring it across the border myself and hopefully save a bunch on shipping.
The electrician will be on-site very soon and I will see how much we need before I order it.
I have two dedicated 20 amp circuits. I use one for the amp, and place everything else on the other. I have two quad sets for a total of 8 plug-ins in my audio room. I don’t use line conditioner’s. This is good enough.
I don't know about the difference in price, but I do know the difference cryo makes. The guy who runs Cryo-One in Orting is into shifter karts, when he heard I was PCA track instructor we hit it off and so now I know all about cryo. Pulled all my wire and had him cryo, 50 cents a pound. So I know exactly the difference cryo makes from having heard the same wire in the same system before and after.
Audio gear is unique compared to the average appliance that the electrical system in your house was designed to accommodate a century ago. The original pioneers in household electrical design were designing around predictable resistive loads like toasters and incandescent lamps that demand X amount of amps continuously, but modern amplifiers are extremely dynamic electrical loads. Also, most amplifiers are more sensitive than you may think to the many different challenges presented to them by home wiring and nearby equipment. Even if you aren't actually fixing a problem that exists now, you are future-proofing your audio room so it can accommodate larger amplifiers or future nearby noise producing appliances. I commend you for your effort and your sound system will reward you with better sound.
You are getting great advice from previous posts but I would like to add two recommendations. The single best thing I can recommend you do to eliminate most of those electrical problems is have a small subpanel installed very close to your audio gear and only use one electrical phase for all of the audio gear no matter how many breakers you decide to install. For example installing a 24 space subpanel you could have a maximum 12 breakers for audio gear leaving another 12 unused breaker spaces. This way you will have much larger wiring running most of the way to your amplifiers that can easily supply the instantaneous current they demand. Then, if you want to use 12 AWG the last couple feet to your outlet it doesn't matter much, but I prefer to use 6 AWG in conduits feeding a single audiophile outlet. An audiophile power cord that doesn't break the bank like a Pangea Audio AC-9 MkII Power Cable uses 7 AWG so using a similar size wiring in the wall would make sense. After your licensed electrician has finished the work you can hide your electrical subpanel behind a picture or sound treatment panel. The electrician may give you grief for requesting oversize wire but they won't refuse to install it like they would if you were requesting undersized wire which would be a safety issue.
The next best thing you can do for your system is plug your amps directly into an outlet because almost all but the most expensive power conditioners will make your amps sound worse. If you insist on plugging your amplifiers into a power conditioner, then buy something like the AudioQuest Niagara 7000 that can handle the instantaneous current demands of an amplifier.
Why a "dedicated circuit" when everything gets lumped together upstream of the comnpponent?
Dedicated lines can avoid the noise and voltage drop that may result from daisy chained convenience circuits. It’s a difference you can measure, so it’s silly to debate it.
Many users do both. It's not an either/or choice.
I stepped in some of that the last time I crossed the pasture. It wasn't hard to scrape off my shoes but left a lingering odor.
Physics and engineering does not support your claim.
Elimination of daisy chained outlets is huge. Mine was wired that way at first. Of all the things I have done with AC - cryo, 4awg, 240/120 step down - the biggest was the cheapest, eliminating the daisy chain going direct.
Considering this was the first thing I did, way back in the 90's when my system wasn't nearly as transparent and revealing of improvements as today, that is really saying something.
millercarbon - gotta love those 90’s and pullin’ yer wire! Yes, cryo is good. At one time I was a sales rep for Black Sand Cable and all our power cords were cryo’d, prided ourselves on the fact.
thyce - very informative, thank you, but plug directly in to the wall socket. I presume you have whole house surge protection?
The way I’m reading it so far (Fremer included) is just one dedicated line for audio.
I installed a single 8-gauge, 20-amp line/breaker with the thought that if all of the equipment is on the same source, neutral, and ground, it should be less likely to hum or develop ground loops.
If one were to pull two lines from the two busses, which line would you use to ground a metal outlet box, or would you use both grounds on the box???
Well we did it today. The run was 121’ of 8-gauge wire, with another 2 feet to run between the plugs. Seeing as how I had a 125 foot spool of wire, I cut it pretty close!
It is not easy, but not impossible to feed in and jumper the 8-gauge between two hospital plugs in the dual wall box, but using the deep box, we managed.
I also ran RCA panels with six leads from the inside to the outside of the entertainment cabinet to allow me to access various aspects of the system from outside of the cabinet. For example, this would let me bi-amp if I so desired.
Just need to mud a couple slots in the drywall and paint now.
You won't be disappointed in the LC-Y EVO Cable. It is directional so tell the electrician so he doesn't install it backwards. There are arrows on the jacket. It will need a little break-in time.
@lancelockYeah I noticed that, will be specific with the electrician to follow orders. Also apparently the drain wire should be connected to earth at only the fuse box end.
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