All circuits, audio and non audio, are connected. This is why it’s important to clean all outlet contacts everywhere in the house. You know, since noise is additive and cumulative, whatever. Dirty contacts and/or loose contacts produce micro arcing, and micro arcing produces noise. Wall outlet covers I sell are intended for all audio and non-audio outlets in the room - even UNUSED outlets - but for an entirely different reason, obviously.
Quality of outlet not directly powering equipment important?
My new room that I have dedicated to music Has 5 outlets. They are all daisy chained around the perimeter of the room. They share nothing else on the circuit. From left to right of the room, the power goes from 1-5. The system is powered by outlet 4, which is an SR black. The house was built with very poor outlets, the kind that literaly bite down on the wire using a hole for insertion and a quick release tab, not even screw down terminals.
Upon seeing these POS outlets, which are in my "chain", I replaced outlets 1-3 with my collection of audiophile grade outlets. 1, with a wattgate 381 silver cryo, 2, with a teslaplex SE, And 3 with a furutech gtx-d (r). I did this to at least have high quality links for the Romex to feed the SR BLACK (4). I would assume that even with this "mix" of outlets in the chain, they must certainly be better than the absolute garbage outlets that were links in my electrical circuit. I would imagine less voltage drop at the very least.
Now, outlet 5 remains a contractor POS outlet. Its technically past the system, but being that this AC, and not DC, wouldn't it technically also be part of the AC chain feeding the stereo? Would it behoove me to change that one out even though it's past the stereo and not before the stereo?
Upon seeing these POS outlets, which are in my "chain", I replaced outlets 1-3 with my collection of audiophile grade outlets. 1, with a wattgate 381 silver cryo, 2, with a teslaplex SE, And 3 with a furutech gtx-d (r). I did this to at least have high quality links for the Romex to feed the SR BLACK (4). I would assume that even with this "mix" of outlets in the chain, they must certainly be better than the absolute garbage outlets that were links in my electrical circuit. I would imagine less voltage drop at the very least.
Now, outlet 5 remains a contractor POS outlet. Its technically past the system, but being that this AC, and not DC, wouldn't it technically also be part of the AC chain feeding the stereo? Would it behoove me to change that one out even though it's past the stereo and not before the stereo?
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If you remove receptacle 1, are the rest of the outlets still powered? If so, then the receptacles are pig tailed and the first three are not in the chain to the equipment outlet or to each other. They are bypassed by wire nut connections. So if you remove, replace or leave alone #5 it would have no effect on the circuit.. |
Gs5556, If I unplug outlet one and just have the wires not connected to anything, yet live, the other outlets do not power up. Bcowen, I did not do a before and after comparison. I automatically just did it once I saw the garbage in the wall, and unplugged outlet 1 to see if power to the other outlets would be cut. Sure enough, they were. |
Based on my R&D with outlets and power cord connectors, I am going to theorize that outlets #1 and #2 are going to have very little (if any at all) influence on the sound. You have a GTX-D Rhodium for outlet #3, which will really clean up the voltage a lot before it gets to #4 SR BLACK. I would make sure that outlets #1 and #2 are definitely high-current capable (at least something like 20 Amp Hubbell hospital grade outlets). Having your Wattgate and Tesaplex as outlets #1 and #2 are not going to hurt anything for sure. But if you have somewhere else you need them, I would say they can be replaced by Hubbell hospital grade. |
audiolover718, The more duplex outlets connected in the daisy chain the greater the load on the feed through connections on the outlets upstream of the downstream connected loads, the greater chance of series arcing. It only takes a small load plugged in here and a small load plugged in there, repeated along the entire length of the branch circuit wiring to add up to a fair amount of load on the feed through contacts of the duplex outlets closest to the start of the branch circuit feed. To make matters worse the 120V 15 amp daisy chained convenience outlet branch circuit/s may also be powering ceiling lighting loads as well. It also should be mentioned, as in your case where only 5 duplex outlets are daisy chained along the length of the branch circuit run, there is no limit to the number of receptacles that can be connected to the branch circuit in a residential dwelling unit, per NEC Code. You may have other branch circuits in your home that have, 8, 10, or ??, connected to the a branch circuit. And again maybe ceiling lighting loads as well. I did a quick search on the net and found this link with pictures showing a daisy chain branch circuit wiring and a pigtail method of branch circuit wiring. It also has pictures showing the cheap internal spring clip used in the quick stab in the back residential grade duplex receptacle. **(Link is supplied for picture purposes only.) https://www.handymanhowto.com/how-to-replace-a-worn-out-electrical-outlet-part-1/ https://www.handymanhowto.com/electrical-outlets-side-wire-versus-back-wire/ //
As for the type of wire connectors used to make up the joints and pigtails in the outlet box I would recommend a spring type connector. Example is 3M Scotchlok brand or equal. Ideal and Buchanan wire conductors are also very good. These are the type of wire connectors that are found is the wiring specs of commercial buildings and industrial facilities. The steel spring inside the connector is designed to expand and contract with the wires keeping the connection of the wires tight at all times. Varying connected loads to the branch circuit wiring can cause the conductors to expand, high loads, and contract, little or no load. Good example of adding a big temporary load to a 120V 15 amp branch is plugging in a portable vacuum cleaner that has a motor that draws 12 amps. (Imagine what a 12 amp connected load does to the connections in the cheapo stab in the back residential grade duplex receptacle.) Example: https://www.grainger.com/product/BUCHANAN-Twist-On-Wire-Connector-6VG18?opr=APPD&pbi=6VG26&a... Stay away from using the hard plastic twist on wire connectors. These are fine for connecting the leads of a light fixture and such to a branch circuit.Avoid the quick connect crap that is being used today by some residential electrical contractors. IMO, they are no better than what you have now. They may work fine when new but how will they be 15 years from now? . |
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