What type of wire for dedicated 20A AC lines?


I’m about to have two 20A dedicated lines installed. What type of wire should I use? I know there are differences of opinion on whether to use 10 AWG or 12 AWG, however the link below makes a great case for using even 8 AWG solid core copper on longer runs like mine will be (50 ft), to ensure a lower resistance, lower voltage drop over the long run, and therefore more access to instantaneous current for my Gryphon Diablo 300. The wire would need to be stepped down to 10 AWG to connect with the receptacle. The article actually states that the thickness of the wire is more important than the fact that it is dedicated…

Assuming I want to follow this advice, which again makes sense to me, where would I find such wire to give to my electrician?

 

nyev

Showing 1 response by perazzi28

Good intentions and bad information about having 2 20amp 120v dedicated circuits & outlets will create a massive ground loop and hum.  A 15amp 120v outlet will generally suffice for 2 channel home audio. 

If you must add a dedicated 20 amp 120v circuit/outlet in your room....use the following: 1) compatible 20amp 120v breaker for your service panel 2) 12 ga Romex 2 conductor w/ ground 3) 20 amp 120v outlet. Do not increase the wire size beyond 12 ga. as this is a code violation and will not give you better ac quality or quantity.

You should use a large quality 15amp or 20 amp multi-outlet strip with enough outlets to plug everything you require into it.  If that is impractical then use identical smaller outlet strips piggy-backed into one another. I have great success using 2 identical Furman  6 outlet 15 amp rated outlet strips.

You can pm me for more advanced instructions to make your system as quiet as possible.