A great decision…may you enjoy it many years to come.
Yes upgraded power cables make a big difference, or at least in my case they do.
The tough part is that with new power cables and new P15 is the burn in time.
Having both new P15 and power cables…is that they each have burn in times.
These of course will vary.
Your P15 will make your system sound better from the get go…will just get better
over time…enjoyable right away.
The cables on the other hand …that’s a different story…hopefully your new power
cables will play nice while burning in.
Should your new P15 have "off moments…blame it on the power cables until these fully
settle in…so as with all new gear patience…enjoy the ride friend!!
Thanks. The plan is to run the p15 and evaluate. Install the cable and evaluate. Then install the dedicated line and evaluate.
Lastly, give it all 3 weeks and listen for changes.
Thanks to this forum I kinda have an idea what to expect with regards to burn in on cable and regenerator.
I was doing some wiring at my house today and realized that I have LED ballasts, a tankless water heater, a water softener, and several other miscellaneous outlets and power supplies all on the same circuit as my audio/video setup. I guess I should run another circuit. At least the circuit that I’m on is 14 gauge wiring on a 15 amp tandem breaker in a main lug. Maybe that’s why my total harmonic distortion is always 4.2%
I like ACME fuse better than many others (it is more likely due to other upgrade, or break in. I am a bit confused about many changes at once). It is $22 and I have a spare. I can send you one if you want to hear some wonder. Its 2A so I am not sure if you have any gear can fit it.
Of course, the things that Wile E. Coyote bought from Acme tended to blow up in his face. Hopefully that won’t happen with the fuse… (People under a certain age will have no idea what I’m talking about. Sorry.)
A dedicated circuit in your situation is a must. If you can pull the wire yourself that would be a bonus! Maybe do two circuits. Some people like to use a separate ground for their audio power. Some use multiple special ground rods. Some soak the ground with special fluids where their ground rods are an hour before they listen. Then there are recommended circuit breakers and all that. I’d pull 12.3 before 14.3. I think 10.3 is also an option. I am guessing someone here has experience in such matters.
When I built my home I ran five dedicated 20 amp circuits pulling 3 individual 8 gauge solid copper insulated wires through 5 different greenfield runs. I do not use a separate ground or special ground rods or fluids. Yet. LOL
The sound is very similar to Purple in fact, and I never had vmax issue with the Purple. Next week after I come back from a short trip I will compare it to the Purple in the streamer. Right now I have no idea since I’m still breaking in a cable, a wall plate, a fuse, and some power plugs🤔
As Al said you are best served having separate individual 20 amp circuit(s) for your stereo gear.
I use three 20 amp circuits on 10-2 romex. One for the source stack and one each for the left and right power amps. If you dont expect to own high draw amps you can just use one circuit for the amps.
Try and keep all circuits on the same incoming power leg if possible. Normally the breakers alternate between legs as you go down the line so every other breaker is on the same leg.
The regenerators are good to have in the system for various reasons although some power amps are supposed to sound better plugged into the wall I have found they sound better plugged into the regenerator.
I use a P12 for my source stack and a P20 for each power amp and sub although I could squeak by with a single P20 overkill is OK in this situation.
I like the reserve capacity that the regenerators offer along with voltage regulation and an added layer of isolation / protection from the mains.
Best money I ever spent on my hifi was putting in a 20 amp circuit.
That circuit powers my P20 which powers my entire system.
For demos for friends, I’ve taken everything out of the P20, into a power strip.
Without the P20, my system sounds like wearing shoes that are two sizes too small.
My system doesn’t typically draw more than 5 amps at loud listening levels. I’m sure it could draw more at higher levels but in my situation that level would be too high. I have been planning on running 10-2 romex and using a dedicated 20 amp circuit but this too seems like overkill for my 5 amp draw. What is the rational that people use for more than 14-2 on a 15 amp circuit? Has anyone compared a dedicated 15 amp circuit with 14-2 vs a 20 amp circuit with 10-2?
With the five circuits I have two are currently unused. One feeds my P20 which fully loaded with my Preamp and source gear is putting out less than 400 watts at full steam. Overkill? Oh well. Another circuit has both power cords for my Gryphon Apex power amp. It uses two 20amp power cables. I have tried using a different 20 amp circuit for each leg, but one of the “I am not happy” red indicator lights on the front of the Apex goes on when I try this. But both legs into one works well even when I have the Amp set to kill. Odd. It is a Class A amp with three selectable bias settings. Low bias it uses about 300 watts. Medium bias uses about 450, and full bias uses around 800 to 1000 watts. The last circuit provides power to my NAS. Two are sitting free if I can find something to plug into them.
Amps directly into the wall is and has always been my preference. Even if the P20 can handle the load. It resets immediately if I have the Apex plugged into it and set it to full bias. At medium bias it is fine but I do not detect and improvement. So Amp into the wall.
The bigger wire has a lot more current carrying capacity. Even though your system only shows 5 amps average it could still need a lot more current for a micro second or two during playback.
The bigger wire add more reserve capacity to the system too. It is money in the bank like a high horsepower car that only needs 25 HP to cruise along at 55 mph but can easily go 150 mph if you need a thrill that day.
Al, for the price it’s a very good fuse. It’s bettered by Blue, Orange, Purple, Audio Magic Super and M-1 (all of which I’ve tried) but really punches way above it’s weight so to speak.
Maybe that’s why my total harmonic distortion is always 4.2%