AC Dedicated Line

he reworked the single panel, keeping the larger draw appliances "away" from the music lines in, on the opposite side of the panel.

Well, that’s a new one.

Behind the panel where most never look are two great big bus bars. All the breakers attach to the bus bars. These things are so thick it can’t matter where on the bar you take off.

Regardless of which side of the panel they are mounted on all 240V breakers are run off of both bars. Otherwise they would be 120 instead of 240. That’s just how it works.

All the circuits, every single one of them, they are all just as electrically connected to every other circuit on one side as on another. The only thing putting a lot of them on one leg can accomplish is to draw more from that leg. This won’t have any effect, except for one thing- some amps have transformers that are susceptible to noise caused by DC on the line. Having less active drawing circuits on the system side might- might!- help lower this DC offset and lessen the liklihood of getting this kind of DC offset transformer hum.

The biggie though with panels is the RFI they bring into the system. I didn’t believe this until a simple test proved it. First I flipped all the breakers to every circuit except for my system. This is the only way to break the electrical connection between all the circuits. The sound with everything disconnected like this is like the sound you get late at night when the grid is quiet- blacker backgrounds, greater effortless detail, much less grain and glare.

This is different than turning everything off. Turn something off, it is still connected to the wires, to the panel, and back to your system. Don’t believe me, do like I did, try it both ways. Turn everything off and listen. Then flip the breakers off and listen.

Or do the other test I did, which is to flip off all the breakers with things that are running and listen. Then flip off the breakers with things that are NOT running and listen. Even disconnecting things that are turned off makes an improvement. Therefore it has to be that the wires themselves are acting like antennas bringing RFI into the system. Its not just EMF etc from running appliances. Its the wires.

I sound like Mark Wahlberg in that stupid MKnightSham I am movie, "Its the trees!"

Pretty sure this is the big secret that accounts for at least some of why The Gate works so well. Anyway, you want to hear what all those circuits are doing to your sound? Go flip em off.

he reworked the single panel, keeping the larger draw appliances "away" from the music lines in, on the opposite side of the panel.

There are many threads related to this concept, consensus seems to be keeping high-current-draw appliances and SMPS devices away from audio circuits. I mean keeping a physical distance on the service panel for the audio line’s hot and neutral; ie, audio line breakers near top of panel. Refrigerator, air conditioner, etc. located lower.

My panel with subpanel is wired this way, although I disagree with all high current appliances wired to the opposite leg. The service panel must have a relatively even current draw on each leg.

I differ to @jea48 and @almarg on this subject.

With regards to running everything through one outlet, what are the limits to this?  One Outlet/single circuit are rated to handle only so much?

Being my rig is split
- class A monos and dual subs behind spkrs all plugged into a good 4 plug distribution box (no conditioning) which is then plugged into single outlet on front wall

- my “front end” rack off to the side all plugged into a conditioner (tube pre, tube dac, streamer end point, fiber converter, LPS’s) and conditioner plugged into one outlet on aids wall.

Not that this is uncommon, but is the key in this config for all components in their respective “area” to be all plugged into a single distribution block, conditioner etc..?

i thought about running sep circuits but sev people in my circle say don’t bother as the power sub stations where we are are located have been “updated” and money would be better spent in other areas. 

I tried 2 x 20amp 12ga lines once and got hum.
I’ve been running 1 x 20amp 8ga line for years and it is super quiet and sounds great. (it did when I first implemented it so I guess it's still good.)
Electrical inspector was bemused but said it was fine.

Thanks millercarbon and lowrider57 for your thoughts around the positioning of the dedicated audio lines on the electrical panel.  I live about 1/2 mile from a large radio tower and pollution is a true concern.

As these things go, two days ago I began sampling a set of Varastarr Grand Illusion Evo Series 10' speaker cables that belong to a friend.  Varastarr claims RFI within and without one's audio chain is addressed by having their cables on-board.  Proof's in the puddin'...yep, more of my truth and these are stayin' put!  More Peace, Pin