I watched the PS Audio video around dedicated lines a few months ago and have somebody coming out to take a look in about a week. I have an old house…130 years old. I’m planning to soon become very educated on the electric make up and possibilities. Anyway, from the video I learned that 10AWG and 20-30 amps is a good goal for this project. I’m hiriing a professional to keep me honest and within codes et cetera, but thought I’d throw this out there to make sure I do it right and hopefully learn from others experiences.
The dedicated port will feed my trusty P12 and a new P3. Thanks for chiming in and respecting the fact that I’m acknowledging some ignorance around the topic (i.e. I’m no EE, but am educated), and just want to learn about the most important aspects of the project from a non-diy point of view. Cheers!
Stick with 20 amp breaker and outlet. Running a 30 amp breaker and a 15 or 20a outlet is not to code, anywhere.
10awg or even 8awg is the key to better sound/lower impedance.
I would have the electrician make sure the house ground is solid. Cleaning and seal the interface between the ground rod and wire. Adding a 2nd grounding rod to the existing rod 6’ away is a good idea if practical too. Do not create a separate ground. The goal is to improve the 100+ year old one.
The electrician in your area will know the local code that has to met in your area. I agree that using #10 is a good choice, but don’t confuse grounding with bonding.
Article 250.54 of the 2008 NEC specifically prohibits the use of isolated ground rods, or earthing, as the sole means of equipment grounding, although some have used other sections of the NEC to justify this practice. The “NEC Handbook” provides the following commentary associated with Art. 250.6 (Objectionable Currents)
Follow advice in here. Also tighten every connection in main panel either new new or old even if not the dedicated audio. I just put in four new breakers and lines. Difference after retightening of everything not just dedicated circuits in main panel is considerable and measurable by a P20 in distortion and output voltage into the regenerator. ELECTRICAL DELIVERY SYSTEMS OVERVIEW | Galen Carol Audio | Galen Carol Audio
How secure the connection is can be disastrous to your equipment. I’ve seen light bulbs blowing up and things burning out that is plugged into one side of a balanced 120v circuit when the neutral cable from the main 240v electrical panel got so corroded it lost contact because it was aluminum into a copper bus. You are supposed to apply anti-corrosion grease to dissimilar metal contacts because of the chemical reaction it causes. The lost of the neutral send 240v through the circuits!!
I just had a shop come out and request $45 for the call, $150 for diagnostics, and they wanted $3300 for three dedicated lines and the work around it. When I asked for the results of the diagnostics, the business went south fast and they split. Really touchy when asking for the results of the diagnostics that they wanted $150 for!
If your house is newer, you could check with the electrician the builder originally used. Have done this 3 times and have gotten a good deal each time.
Little update: I’ve seen several electricians and think I finally have one that isn’t a wanker. Wondering if I should supply the OFC 10 or 8awg myself and ask for a BoM ahead of the work? I have some great outlets ready to go, but nothing else.
Definitely build a BOM with him or her. Just to avoid paying for parts you simply don’t need.
Do your outlets support 8awg or do you plan a short tail for 10awg?
I got a new toaster a couple weeks ago. Makes my P10 hum but you have to be in the room with it, it’s not in the listening space, to hear it. And of course toasters don’t run very long. Dedicated circuits help with this cross contaimnation but the drop in impedance with the good part.
If you can, run both 8 and 10. I only had to go 23’ with 10awg and I’m happy but of course I’ll never know what 8 sounds like.
Edit: a guy I knew, knew of, in high school became and electrician and died about 10 years later shock and fall from roof.
Great input. Thank you. I just checked my Maestro outlets (that I learned about here…I also have the PSA variety), and it accepts 10awg, but doesn’t say 8. I’d have to short tail it, and I’m not sure if there is benefit in doing so.
Nah, didn’t know him well. He was a grade above me and a football-jock type and I had the impression he was quite full of himself. Anyway, I don’t want to speak ill of the dead…
8awg is probably still worth doing even with 3" of 10awg to connect the outlet. The electrician will b*tch and moan though. 8 is that much harder to work and it will cost more.
