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Dedicated power circuits... Huge improvement!!!

One would think spending money on dedicated lines to your audio gear is foolish and the last thing you want to spend money on but I would recommend it to be first inline. Sure it’s easy to purchase cables and whatever else imaginable and I’m certainly in the same league. But what I can say is after chasing what’s going to make a difference, I found you have to start with the source. If your gear isn’t happy with a good feed, you’ll never notice any other changes you make(at least to a lesser degree). I just had an electrician run 2 dedicated circuits with solid copper awg10 and I connect it to Maestro outlets and initially I thought it was a waste of money. Well, it took about an hour before the new circuits started to settle in and that’s when the magic started to happen. There was more separation between the instruments, everything sounded more real and lifelike and dynamic. It appeared as though the overall volume was a bit less but really what I heard is less background “hash” which makes for a more enjoyable listening experience. Certain instruments have more attack and separation. Bass is tighter and seems to dig a bit deeper. I know this sounds crazy but I think my amp is now very happy with a good solid power source and now I think changing cables may make more of a difference.

Rick
128x128rickraymond59
wig's avatar
wig
1,202 posts
 

Are there any specifics we should relay to the electrician in regards to dedicated lines? My system is currently on a 20A circuit with maybe 4 outlets connected but only 2 are being used.

Thanks,

Wig

whart's avatar
whart
2,967 posts
 

@wig- there are some threads where @jea48 has weighed in with some excellent tips, all in keeping with Code. This summary won’t do the subject justice, but:

look for the quieter leg if you are in the States, the one with fewer noisy appliances, like refrigerator compressors, HVAC, etc.
use a separate breaker box if you are tight, with a copper buss bar;
oversize the gauge of the cable runs
don’t bundle the in wall cable runs
use hospital grade receptacles- the Porter Port is a good modestly priced unit meant for audio
have your electrician pull a permit consistent with local code
have the electrician double check your existing grounding while the work is being done.
make sure the receptacles are in phase.
newer installations may require Arc-fault breakers and possibly, child proof receptacles.

I’ve had much better luck with commercial electricians. I’m sure there’s more, this is what came to mind off the top of my head.

sc4a
28 posts
 
JPSLABS.COM  has specially designed in - wall power line cable. see reviews at their website.
ponchit
3 posts
 
Sharing my experience:
Hired an electrician to run 4 dedicated "homerun" circuits. My Levinson 39 and 331 are each plugged directly into separate circuits, per manufacturer. Both 39 and 331 have built-in protection, it is claimed. The remaining 2 homerun circuits are each dedicated to a large surge protection device. Which the rest of my equipment (those without built-in protection) are connected.

Above investment was based on good science, and a bit from personal experience. Before this installation, with my rig plugged into non-dedicated circuits, I heard noise when same circuit is shared with another appliance. Today, it is total silence in between music. But does latter sound better? Can't prove that, but it sure feels good to align with science.
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