How many dedicated lines?


I'm planning on running some dedicated 20 Amp power lines to my audio/home theater system. My question is how many separate lines should I run? I've heard of one audio system where every component practically had its own line. Is that overkill? Would two or three lines suffice for an entire system? In all, I have about 11 different components that need to be plugged in. Thanks for your help.
macm

Showing 3 responses by bob_bundus

Try one heavy line for high current analog. One smaller line for all other analog. One line for digital + TV. Temporarily install them lying across the floor, then listen & experiment. Try adding more lines if you really feel the need & see if you hear differences. Experiment with directionality; some report that one way betters the other. Be sure to allow adequate time for conductor breakin.
I ran my own single dedicated line: three strands - the usual black, white & green (with some advice from Mike VansEvers) using #10 solid copper THHN. Line them up straight, & tape the ends all together. Put that combo into your power drill chuck & fasten the other loose ends tight in a vice. Now spin the whole bundle slowly until tight like a spring. It will unwind a lot when you power off the drill. Exchange ends & finish the twist. Run this bundle from the fusebox to a dedicated outlet. BTW: a 20A ceramic fuse sounded much warmer & smoother than the glass fuse. Regarding directionality: you just look at the printing on the wire's insulation & ensure that all 3 conductors are aligned identically. One direction may sound better than the opposite direction - you can try running the bundle either way (installing it temporarily of course). Re: the twisted conductors - this relates to something about the magnetic flux fields canceling each other. You'll find that some upgrade AC cords are made this way too.
Of course you must run this twisted wire bundle in a conduit (or in 3/8" Greenfield if code permits - much easier to work with). Regarding surge protection & filtering: I have a big Joslyn gas-discharge primary arrestor, across the whole house' primary, in the basement. Then a G.E. MOV (metal oxide varistor) in parallel across my Wattgate 381 outlet (mounted in a box) upstairs. MOV's are not supposed to degrade the sound; Chang Lightspeed uses them internally for transient protection. I also use two Chang Lightspeeds (a 3200 and a 9900 Amp) in addition to some pretty seriously expensive upgrade AC cords. The dedicated line sounded even better with the Chang's than it did standalone.
I'm gleefully satisfied with the results so far. Dramatic improvements over the house wiring! I polished the ceramic fuse clean & bright with crocus cloth, then applied Kontact. Same with the #10 solid conductors' ends, just like I do with all my AC cables. If you use anything larger than #10 it becomes a bear to work with. #10 is stiff too, but at least it's still workable. Also consider isolated grounding.
Yes that is correct & it's another good point! All the evens are on one of your 120V phases and all the odds are on the opposite phase. Best to use the same side for everything, hopefully most all the noisy loads in your house are wired on the opposite phase, or can be rewired that way (I did that). Don't unbalance your transformer's loading too much though.
Read again: "consider isolated grounding". I am not recommending it, but many users do so from experience so I just threw that in. However think about what is your objective? Are you more intersted in good sound or in meeting code? Poor analogy: When I'm in a hurry to get somewhere, the last thing I worry about is obeying "the rules" (speed laws)