Simple, Bargain Basement Rewiring For Audiophiles


As life marches on, it seems I might be leaving the big city for life in the country.

The house we hope to buy needs a bit of work, so I am hoping during the process to organize a bit of tweaking for the room where I will locate my audio gear.

Unfortunately, I will have already blown the budget on this house and wont have the space for an Albert Porter style dream room, but I would like to consider just a few things -- a dedicated line perhaps, some sort of power strips to accomodate several components without looking too tangled or plasticky, perhaps a couple of high quality grounded outlets for a power amp or AC conditioner etc.

My quirkiest request - I like to change CDs, experiment with volume, tweak turntables, change interconnects etc without racing back and forth between a rear or side wall and my listening chair.

Therefore, I would like a recording studio styled console or specially constructed pedestal on casters to roll up next to, or in front of me in my big comfy chair. Therefore, it might make sense to put an outlet or two into the floor to power the whole rig?

The house we hope to buy has extrenely thick stucco walls so I am worried that doing just about any in wall wiring or heavy modifications could easily run into big bucks.

Therefore, could anyone please advise me on how to prioritize a wiring project, where the best point on the value curve is for outlets, is a dedicated line really worh it, can I use off the shelf components from Home Depot? Any other costly or impractical mistakes to avoid for such a project? Can a normal electrician do this type of stuff etc?

Thank you very much.
cwlondon
Marty

Thanks for the advice on steak, but I think you are on the wrong thread -- check out "In Praise of Audiogon".

(And for steak in NYC, I would suggest the aged rib eye at the Post House on E 63rd over the ones you mentioned.)

Further to rewiring for listening rooms, can anyone give me more information on the basics of the dedicated line set up?

1) do the electrical companies know about this? Should I tell them I need an EKG 24/7 or something?

2) Can anyone suggest a good website or supplier for fuse boxes, "medical grade" outlets, cable to rewire etc

If the rest of the house is not up to code, I am not so concerned.

I just want my ML 23.5 amp to sing like never before!
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Hmmm, after looking at your system I'd think your priorities should lie in bringing the most out of what you've already invested. Do it right the first time and it will be cheaper in the long run. Others may chime in with different opinions but in my experience a new line is easily pulled where an existing line is, so worrying about your heavy stucco walls is something you needn't do. Runing a dedicated line is an easy DIY project also. Wiring only gets complicated when there are lights and multiple switches/outlets on a circuit. Home Depot probably offers a Saturday class on simple wiring upgrades but any good electrical supply house can draw you a simple diagram for dedicated lines. The archives are full of great descriptions about what products to use at various price points. Subaruguru has kits for power strips that are very good for the investment. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to slam dunk my values in your life as I appreciate all of the excitement that you must be experiencing now, but I'd budget less for the audiophile commuter car and invest it in your music room. Of course, I don't even listen to anything while I drive and don't have to go anywhere if I don't want to. As always, I wish you the best in your pursuit of audio nirvana.