Designer in wall wiring - worth it?


I have two dedicated outlets for my system using standard 12 gauge with short runs of about 15' to the breaker box. I used 12 gauge in this case due to the very short runs. I have recently experienced some very positive results with Audience speaker and ethernet cables, and it got me thinking it would not be crazy money to try the Audience in-wall shielded 10 gauge cable. Has anyone tried the Audience cable or other "designer" AC cabling? Did you find it to be a significant upgrade?

 

zlone

Thanks for the comments. Point taken @pindac, the Audience wire is rated C3, which is technically, and probably code-wise, not a replacement for standard romex. 300v vs 600v. Just an idea at this point and was curious if anyone had tried it.

 

@ted_b Thanks for the comment. Both lines are on the same leg of my box, and I am using Furutech outlets, so I have those bases covered. I am using a PS Audio P15 to clean things up, so I am not too worried about noise. My amp is Audionet, and I have recently plugged it back into the P15 instead of the wall due to some ground potential imbalance between it and my preamp. That’s another story.

@zlone,

AC Power Wiring Types: ''Two conductor plus 1 ground MC (Metal Clad) is a good choice for Non-Isolated Ground A/V systems. MC cable contains a safety grounding conductor (wire). The three conductors in the MC cable (Line, Neutral and Ground) are uniformly twisted, reducing both induced voltages on the ground wire and radiated AC magnetic fields. The NEC article 250.118 (10)a prohibits the use of this cable for isolated ground circuits because the metal jacket is not considered a grounding conductor, and it is not rated for fault current.'' Also the safety grounding conductor (wire) is insulated. See here pages 11-13

Mike

While you’re at it, check with the power company and get them to replace the wiring from wherever it’s generated to your house. indecision

The belief that the last few feet of wiring or a power cord can make any obective difference, is laughable.

@ditusa Thanks for the metal clad suggestion, I am guessing that works pretty well. Probably not a fit for my situation as these outlets are on an outside wall in an old house. Wiring them is a real trick involving angle drilling into the sill that is recessed on the foundation wall. It is why I used 12 awg on this set, I wired 10 awg on my previous room and it was really difficult to route. Metal clad would require compromising the sill I think.