Lets talk dedicated lines


About a year ago I installed a dedicated 20 amp line for my system...and went as far as modding the whole power structure from the street transformer to my panel to my house...at some fairly major expense. The result was certainly an improvement for my system.
Recently i got to thinking that a lot of us have a system that utilizes the standard 15amp line that more than likely only supplies one other component in our rooms...and that is the lights. While lights can be noisy on the system, particularly if they are halogens, then this is a source of considerable hash and noise. However, since the only other thing shared by this line are the lights...and not the more power hungry grabbing stuff..like the refrigerator, or the Ac etc, then simply playing the system in the dark should essentially allow for a dedicated line effect to materialize on the gear that is attached to this line as well. The standard room convenience outlet( which is what we are talking about here) is 15 amp breaker protected and is only supplying the lights and the convenience outlet in a room....so ( assuming that this is the case--and the lights are the only thing supplied besides the outlet) what is the real advantage to the 'true' dedicated line ? Twenty amps is more than a lot of auto gear needs, so I doubt that is the issue...thoughts?
128x128daveyf

Showing 1 response by john_g

My listening room is in a house completed in 2005, with a main disconnect panel outside serving one subpanel upstairs (where my listening room is) and another serving the downstairs. The listening room has one 15-amp circuit for lights and a separate 20-amp for the convenience outlets; I was able to move its breaker to the top of the subpanel by switching wires with another 20-amp circuit. Various finagling ensured that the audio equipment is the only thing on that circuit, although there are still a few unused convenience outlets on it.

The wife's out so I just tried millercarbon's experiment of shutting off all the other breakers in the subpanel, and am pleased and disappointed at the result.

I'm pleased because it indicates that shutting down the other circuits improves the sound, even though there was nothing but a few wall warts drawing current on them at the moment.

I'm disappointed because it means I'll have to figure out some way to run new cable from the subpanel on one side of the building to the outlets on the other, without benefit of attic access. Conduit on the outside of the building would not gain spousal aesthetic approval.

One question:  Do unused outlets on the circuit detract from sound quality somehow?