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Read Archives: Advice on Dedicated Line install

I already looked at the forum archives on dedicated lines but am looking for additional detailed advice.. I have an electrician scheduled to come out next week to estimate the work on installing 2 dedicated lines. I have a DK Signature integrated, Jolida JD 100, Modwright Sony 999, Shunyata Hydra 4 and will soon be receiving an Audio Magic Mini Stealth (not the Digital). I have Reimer Wind River speakers- I plan to connect the integrated to one line and my digital gear on the other line. The biggest concern I have is regarding hum, which I've heard can occur when having more than one dedicated line. I do not have problems with hum now. (should I just go with one ded line?) I'll be getting 12 ga Romex or 10ga if I can get the electrician to work with me. What talking points do I need to make with the electrician? What about grounding? (I really don't understand how to communicate the topic of grounding) Electricians don't seem to have a clue about the goals of an audiophile for installing dedicated lines. When I told the electrician on the phone that I had hospital grade outlets already- he said "wow you're going all out." I'm not very technically oriented either, so if you can, please answer in laymans terms. Thanks.
foster_9
4 responses Add your response
dman514
2 posts
 
To eliminate potential hum, tell him you want the circuits on the same leg. Your AC coming into your breaker box consists of two hot wires or legs, a neutral and a ground. If you measure the voltage between the two hot wires you will get either 220 or 240 depending on the power company in your area. Measuring between either hot wire and the neutral will give you 110 or 120. You want to make sure that both breakers for your dedicated circuits are attached to the same leg. Also, when your electrician is connecting the outlets, make sure he uses the screw terminals and not the backwire terminals. The backwire terminals have a very small contact area and could cause problems. If he wires everything up to code then you shouldn't have to worry about grounding. I have heard some audiophiles insist that the ground wires be side by side on the ground bus bar in the breaker box. I'm not sure of the reasoning, but you may want to have your electrician do that just to cover all the bases.

Hope this helps
philbrady
89 posts
 
Thank you for the well thought reply. I was wondering the same thing. I do not have dedicated lines but will have them installed eventually. Phil Brady.
forrestc
114 posts
 
In addition to what Dman514 says above, and since you are going to install two lines, rather than install both receptacles in a common quad-box, have your electrician install each line's outlet receptacle in it's own box. Yes, there is a little more dry wall or plaster work involved, but generally when two receptacles are installed in the same box, even when each is on it own dedicated circuit, building codes in many areas require that the two ground wires from each circuit be tied together. When the two grounds are tied together in the same outlet box, as well as the at the ground buss in the breaker panel, may lead to unwanted noise due to multiple ground points. When each receptacle is contained in it own box, the ground can only be joined in one place, and that is in breaker box
redkiwi
1,092 posts
 
I have done a few installations of dedicated lines. Everytime we do it we connect cable to the breaker box and run the cable naked through the corridors to the stereo, put a receptacle on it and then test combinations. This is an important step and deceptively easy to do. One interesting finding was that the TPC power cables turned out to be directional - don't tell me they can't be, you weren't there. The advice you have received above is good, but you can actually check it easily this way. There are so many small insights, too many to mention here, but one I haven't often seen mentioned is to use ceramic fuses. No not glass fuses, they sound horrible. The ceramic fuses sound great and beat a breaker every time - and you can remove and clean them easily from time to time.
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