Dedicated outlet..suggestions..

I am having my system wired October 7th, wondering too!!

There are many here who have replaced their outlets and been very pleased. I'm building a house and will, within the next 6 weeks, have an opportunity to test several different types. I've purchased 4 Hubbell Power Outlets (HBL53621) for $12.50 each for use in my HT system in my rec room (actually, I'll have one left over to test elsewhere). I've purchased 3 Purist Audio Design Cyro Outlets at about $32 each for my power amps and television in my main system. I've purchased one First Impression Music (FIM Model 880) for about $70 for my digital equipment and one Wattgate Model 381 (can't remember cost but pretty pricey) for my pre-amp and analog equipment. I got most of it at The Cable Company (fatwyre.com). I'll experiment and try the different kinds of outlets on different equipment once I get in the house. From my prior research, I would guess that the best bang for the buck would be the Purist Audio Designs, but ... More to come after I move in.

...are they worth it? YES! it's a very cheap tweak that will bring the noise level down alot.

...What equipment? I used 10 ga. romex in a grounded sheathing. See my thread "Tweaks and how my system disappeared" for full detail. Aqs far as outlets, I believe the best buy (highest result for the least price) are the Hubble Hospital Grade as mentioned above. I have a PS ‘Power Port' that is better, but not all that. I just installed a Wattgate 381 and am very impressed, but the upgrade from the Hubble to the Wattgate is not equal the cost. My minimum recommendation is Hubble Hospital Grade.

...15 or 20 amp? I went with 20 amp.

...one or two better? Two is a minimum, One for the front end used with a power conditioner. (Even if you do not use a conditioner yet, you will after finding out how important noise treatment is to the power lines. It will become apparent after you install this dedicated line. The second line will be used on power amps that require large current and are effected in a negative way by most power conditioners.

Again see my thread for more information on how I tried various wire configurations and what I settled on. The grounded sheathing is a major advance and is highly recommended.

One more thing, I purchased from Brian at Hello Simply Music and found his prices better than any other and his service the best at Audiogon.

The more dedicated lines the better. I now have three and am adding fourth shortly (I hope). One 30 amp circuit for each of my two amps, one 20 amp circuit for my front end, and hope to add another to separate the digital from analog.

The biggest difference was with the first dedicated line. You will notice the difference immediately.

Richard

Pass And Seymour Spec Grade are as good if not better than Hubbell for less Money. Same outlet as the Hospital grade without the green dot. Saves you money.

If you can afford it I would recommend a 220V dedicated line going to a isolation transformer that can drop the voltage down to 110V with 2 balanced poles (rather than one live and one neutral). I did this in my last listening room and was very pleased with the results. Isolation transformers are not inexpensive. Hoever, it pretty much eliminates the need for additional power conditioners, and in my case there would have been 4 separate locations for power conditioners, so the isolation transformer was cost effective.

One thing to be careful about if you use separate dedicated lines for the amps (and perhaps Rives' suggestion alleviates this problem) is the possiblity of a ground loop hum, even if the recepticles are grounded to the same box. I've had that problem with my separate dedicated lines for each channel of amplification, to the point that I float the grounds on my amps. I'm sure there are ways around this, but it is something to keep in mind.