New home - shoulda woulda coulda's


Working on my new home design. Would be interested in hearing of some new construction strategies that would service my audio needs. I'm interested in what infrastructure-related products that you folks might consider indespensible. I'm primarily interested in exceptional 2 channel audio support in my main living area. Eventually I will have a dedicated home theater/audio room in the basement and would require support for that room. Again, just interested in critical backbone products and not a home "media system" that will be outdated in a couple of years. However, if anyone knows of some exceptional "in-wall" products that might service some peripheral listening in other rooms, I'd be interested in those as well. I'm not afraid to spend the money as I cannot go a day without music. Oh yeah, no WAF issues so let loose with your bad selves! No need to rehash old threads I may have missed, so please offer up some links. Thanks.
slothman
You all have been great in your responses - much appreciated! WOW Mitch2, a 30 amp circuit just for your amp! Your shack must rock! Can you weld with that amp too?

Seriously folks, I've started to assemble quite a punch list thanks to you all and really getting excited about the build. Can't wait for the day when I'll actually be able to power up my gear, pour myself a scotch and sit back and....#&^@* it just seems so far off! Guess I got lot of checks to write between now and then.
I just finished one last year and ran four dedicated circuits to the audio area, 1 at 30 amps for the amplifier and the rest at 20 amps, should be enough. I used P&S outlets. Consider a whole house surge protector. Also, I would recommend lots of fiberglass in the walls. Maybe investigate the feasibility of in-wall bass traps (I don't know if that would even work due to reflection off drywall). If the room will or could in the future be used for HT, you may want to run wire from a binding post jack in the wall to the ceiling for surround speakers. Finally, the thing I forgot to do is to run a subwoofer cable to the rear of the room for HT bass, fortunately I was able to pull it between the floor joists above the basement drywall ceiling. Have fun.
Uncertainsmile makes a good point. a couple of other issues along the same line -
1) Don't pay too far in advnace - I had an electrican disappear after getting a $1000 check.
2) Completely define the work you're getting done, and have it agreed before. Make sure you know what you want and don't let an electricain tell you they'll do it a slightly different way. I've had to redo a lot because of him not having a clue what I was trying to accomplish.
3)If you're getting more than one dedicated line have a foolproof method of telling which is which rather than having to investigate what's where - another disappearing trick.
WATCH them work! make sure what you want done is DONE! don't have any doubts about your electrical wiring. ASK what they are doing. i can't stress this enough. d.
Slothman, Albert has been distributing my spycam videos for years. He tells me the Bart Simpson/Eric Cartman secret gay encounter is his best seller.
Make sure you have dedicated circuits (and grounds) and LOTS of outlets all over the place (even in the ceiling - lighting and ??)

There's a number of threads regarding dedicated circuits here. A little research and you'll find a lot of info.
I would start with 'dedicated' lines for your equipment . Run seperate lines for analog and digital items . Connect these lines to a seperate 'isolated' ground system with the grounding rod at least 10ft. from the main house system grounding rod . Use 30amp hospital grade recepticles for their better metal content and superior plug holding ability . The red ones denote isolated ground. Use 10/4 copper cable for the runs and 30 amp breakers . Do not group these 'dedicated' wire runs with those from the rest of your house . Make sure that the grounds are 'isolated', within the confines of the panel, from the rest of the house system . Use the best components that you can reasonbly afford, don't go crazy !
This system will give you an abundant power source for your equipment that won't be cross contaminated from anything else in your system or home . It will not however 'clean' the power that is coming to your house. That is a different process that has been described here many times and is not part of the 'infrastructure'.
Good luck .
Actually the girlfriend got the biggest kick out of the "porno room" idea but then got overly inquisitive about the Nicole Kidman videos - not that there's anything wrong with that...

Thanks for the Auralex link - I'll definately spend some time there.

What about dedicated circuits/power conditioning - opinions?

Was thinking about a "little" room (closet) in the basement to house a server for music and video and origin for ethernet runs. What else could I hide in there?
Hey Gunbei !
Don't forget to build a secret spycam porno room with secret entrance accessible and known only to you.

Is that where you got those movies of Nicole Kidman and I that have been circulating the internet?
If you have a joisted floor, think about extra stiffening under speaker and rack locations (deeper joists or even posts.) Also, it would probably be best to think about some kind of wall shelf for your TT (if you will have one.)

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elevator to move those 500 lb speakers up and down the floor when you get tired of them.
Don't forget to build a secret spycam porno room with secret entrance accessible and known only to you.
Nsgarch -

Floor is joisted over a daylight basement however I'll have radiant heat tubing running under the floor (stapled foil panels for retention)I'm in the northeast.

10-4 on the ethernet and extra conduits!