Running dedicated circuits; What next?
Be sure to invest in some good wall outlets (e.g., Porterports or Jena Labs) as part of your dedicated circuit project; then plug directly into the wall outlets. Next, get some Walker Extreme SST contact enhancer to use on all of your connections (power cords, interconnects and speaker cables). Unless you're having some severe line noise problems or some significant line voltage fluctuations, you'll get more sonic benefit making these investments before power conditioning. . |
Hello Rushton, just read the interesting thread posted earlier on SST. I was wondering if this should be applied to my Romex and outlets during installation or am I going to catch something on fire. I was also wondering if I need to shut off power before plugging in PC's.(again back to the fire thing)? Thanks |
Hi Audiofire5228, I've heard very positive reports from a number of people who have applied SST on their electrical connections from the circuit breakers themselves all the way through to wiring the power outlet. I haven't done it yet myself, but it's on my list to do sometime (is there ever enough time?). There is no fire hazard to applying SST itself, just keep in mind that it is highly conductive: you want to apply it in a very thin coating (don't smear on a thick layer), and you want to keep it where it belongs (on the contact only) so as not to create a short. I suggested investing in and using Extreme SST before spending money on power conditions because I've consistently seen great benefits to using it in both video and audio. The results from power conditioning are more variable. . |
I'd order Walker Audio Extreme SST directly from Walker Audio. Otherwise, order from your favorite retailer, for example: Acoustic Sounds Music Direct The Cable Company . |
Its done, and I must say I am rather impressed with the results. Thanks for the recommendation Rushton. I cant wait to hear after I run the circuits. Speaking of, I was wondering if there is much benefit to running 2 circuits compared to 1. Im thinking of just doing one and saving the hassle of running 2. If I was to run 1, would it benefit me to use say 10ga instead of 12ga.? I would rather not run 2 lengths of conduit over my garage. Im not sure how educated you are on this subject but I would appreciate any help. Thanks |
Thanks for the follow-up comment on your results so far with the Extreme SST. You will get differing opinions on the number of circuits to run. The answer will depend the power load you need to support in your listening room. Lloyd Walker and I have talked about this at some length in connection with his Velocitors and getting the best audio sound from a system. He's a believer in running everything from a single circuit if the load is OK because this often gives lower background noise in his (extensive) experience. On the flip side, many other audiophiles like to keep their digital equipment on a separate circuit from their analog equipment to minimize the high frequency has digitial can sometime intorduce along the electrical lines. My recommendation would be to pull two circuits while you're doing this. The cost won't be much greater if the work is done at the same time, and you'll have the extra capacity if you ever need it. Then, try plugging everything into a single circuit, then balancing your gear over the two circuits, and see if you can hear a difference in the noise background. I have 5 dedicated circuits with isolated grounds and 10ga wire pulled to my audio system, but when Lloyd helped me set-up his turntable in my system, he recommended plugging as much into a single circuit as we could. He also recommended using 12ga rather than 10ga for the front end components (that don't draw a lot of current) if I ever changed anything (which I haven't). He has solid reasons for his recommendations, and I've always found it worthwhile to at least try first what he recommends. No matter what you do, I expect you will hear a noticeable improvement with a new dedicated circuit or circuits to your system. . |
