Dedicated Power Line Project

dhite71-

I was leaning to simply going 10 ga and cannot imagine dealing with 8, 6 or 4 in a wall box!!

Ahh, I see this is the thread where noromance instigated me to putting my system on-line. Here it is: https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8367

Look close, that is 4 ga wire coming into the step-down transformer. At one point it went from there into an outlet box. So you do not have to imagine, I have done your imagining for you, as in actually did it, and no it is not anything I would recommend. In fact I would not recommend anyone do anything I have done. I am not an electrician. I am an audiophile. Who knows a little something about electricity....

Please read my first post in this thread. I just read it again and wouldn’t change a word. People are running around fretting over stranded vs solid and what gauge, when its been clearly stated what really matters is that the line be run direct. Its not that these tiny little details don’t matter at all. Its that they matter so little that in the big scheme of things you could be doing stuff that makes a huge easy to hear difference instead of struggling to figure out which wire might be a tiny little bit better- a difference you will never hear because unlike me you will do it only once.

Look at it this way. There’s things you can do to your existing wiring that will be a whole lot faster, easier, and cheaper, and make a whole lot bigger improvement, than anything you will ever get from any wire you can buy at Lowe’s.

noromance-

Millercarbon, your set up is awesome overkill. Some pics in Virtual Systems would be entertaining and educational.

Working on it. The camera is literally on a tripod right now. So when I get home what will I do? Take pictures? No. Eat, sit, listen. Get enough Perfect Path Solutions Total Contact in your system and believe me, that’s all you will want to do too. Well, and drink.... and.,... well let’s just say its legal in Washington State....

Recently pulled the step-down transformer, took it in the shop, stripped it down, coated with Total Contact, put it back. Whew. Pics woulda been nice. Ripped the Medusa Power Center open, more mods, pics? Actually probably not a good idea. More than enough guys here already think I’m nuts. If they saw inside that thing it would be the end. Lol! Try to make it look nice, sort of, but bottom line results-oriented.

I’ve learned stuff you guys would not believe. People worry about a measly few volts. There’s an Audio Consulting isolation transformer inside the Medusa. Its only about a 35 watt transformer. Connected with tiny hair thin silver wire to an outlet originally used only for one Oppo player. That was years ago. Forgot all about it. Then last March added 2 Dayton sub amps to power my DBA. Guess what they got plugged into? Right.
By the tech spec types I’ve heard a million times here that should have a) burned out, b) flamed out, c) taken the neighborhood out, d) been the weakest most pathetic bass ever, or e) not worked at all. Right? Right???
Pretty sure there’s something right here in this very thread about the bass being so poor from big ol copper wires. This is hair thin silver strands. When I get around to pictures people will freak. Well it was by accident.
Point is, go back and read my review of the DBA. Awesome bass. Best ever.

Now granted, when I opened it up and discovered my mistake I fixed it. Moved the transformer over to the MPCs and ran ordinary 12 ga copper to that outlet. Not gonna lie, the bass got even better. But nothing like anyone would think. In fact if you didn’t know you would never suspect. You would be freaking impressed with how good it was.... when running through a 35 watt power supply.
So yeah, in light of all that I guess you could say overkill.
I’ll try and get pics up this weekend. Thanks for the reminder.

I never cease to be amazed at the propensity of some people to make extra work for themselves. Apply Total Contact. Better than any weld.

Been there, done that. Almost exact same distance and scenario. Originally, wired to code, the system circuit daisy chained like yours with my system near the end. This was replaced first with a direct run of 12 ga. Then this was replaced with a direct run of 4 gauge 120v. This was then upgraded with the 4 ga going 240v to a step down transformer just below the listening room. Very high quality audiophile grade silver windings transformer. Then this was all pulled out, cryo'd, and put back in.

A lot of people have ideas, and theories, and write papers and posts pontificating on their ideas and theories. Writing is a whole lot easier than going out and buying wire, running circuits, hooking everything up, playing music, and hearing what actually happens in the real world. As opposed to, you know, in your imagination. Which is what I predict you will get from the other dozen or so responses this will surely generate.

So, setting theory aside for a moment and going with what actually happens in the real world, the main thing you want to do is avoid connections. Your paper I'm sorry to say is BS. The biggest improvement by far is in eliminating connections. Run your big wire if you want, but realize I went a lot bigger than you did and even that didn't make as big a difference as going direct.

My current setup is so direct the "fuse" is 1" of pure silver wire soldered at each end to the 4 ga and bus bar. This is what I would do if I was serious, which I am. But a lot of guys only pretend to be, and almost all the rest are so scary afraid of voltage and understand electricity so poorly they would have you believe I have burned down my whole neighborhood five times over by now. If not brought the whole PNW power grid to oblivion. Instead of everything working just fine for like 15 years now. If you're serious let me know, I can PM you exact details. So as not to shock the Nervous Nancy's, you know.

This is all not really a lot of money, at least not if you DIY, but it is a lot of work. Would be nice to know just what you can expect from such a project. Well, here you go:

You'll get the improvement in speed and slam and pitch definition you are looking for. Most of this however is from the reduced RFI and other noise eliminated by going direct. Based on my ears, and I have no idea what a volt meter will show, but I do know what sounds better. Cryo'd large gauge wire run direct and with a step down transformer is the bomb. HOWEVER, all that is only about as much improvement as one Synergistic Research Blue Quantum Fuse.

Yeah. No kidding. Let that one sink in a while.

And I hear the Orange is a lot better than the Blue.

Of course being serious you want to do both. All. But big wire is a headache. Thick and stiff it has to be wrestled around and is especially hard to connect, unless you either MacGuyver it like me or go with the junction boxes, which loses with connections a lot of what you gained with the gauge. So to me it just makes sense to run direct whatever you're willing to work with, and not worry too much about it. Anything direct, even 10 ga, will be a whole lot better than what you have. 6 or 4 ga will not be a whole lot better- even if you go the Full Monty like I did. 

Especially not when you consider the improvement difference your thicker wire will get you is only a fraction of say one SR fuse. Which I bet will cost a fair bit less- and be a whole lot easier to install.

Oh, one more thing- ground. You can try a dedicated ground rod if you want. But ground is tricky. You may be better off with existing normal to code ground. Or not. So many wrinkles its hard to say for sure. Something to keep in mind, as they say, just in case.