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Dedicated line help

Finally getting the dedicated line I've always wanted, but had a few questions on how it should be done for best results. My electrician is kinda young and is not an audiophile (the flipside is he's only charging 75 bucks to do it), so I'm relying on you guys for the details.

Some general info in case it's helpful: The system is in the basement and in the same room as the circuit box about 30 feet away. The wire will be fished behind the walls that fortunately have a few access panels between the box and my system, and there is no insulation between the wall and the foundation -- just some heat pipes (steam heat).

Questions:

Is 20amp strongly preferable over 15amp line or does it not matter that much? I'm currently running a 125wpc push/pull solid state amp but may very well run something like a 100wpc class A ss amp in the future, if this makes a difference.

I'm going to purchase a Porter Port, but is there certain type/brand of wire that should be used from the circuit box to the Port or will the standard stuff do fine?

Should I have him run 2 lines -- one for analog and one for digital, or is there another way to separate these guys (or is it sufficient just to do this at the power conditioner, which I don't have yet)?

Anything this guy could do wrong that could cause problems or create a fire hazard?

Any other tips you guys have either on the installation or equipment would be most appreciated. THANKS FOR ANY THOUGHTS/HELP.
soix
soix OP
9,585 posts
 
My dedicated lines are being run as I type this. Thanks for all the advice. My electrician is running the lines on the same leg and not sharing a neutral bus, which I don't know if he would've done had it not been for your advice. I ended up running two lines (12/2 Romex) one of which I'll plug in my amp and pre, and my DAC and transport will go in the other. I know I should've probably run more, but this seemed like a good start and since a power conditioner or surge protector is in my future this may end up being enough.

So now I have my old line, one dedicated line with a Porter port and one dedicated line with an average recepticle (I'll upgrade that to a Porter port at some point). This should make for some interesting comparisons and I'll report back on the differences in case anyone might be interested.
tobias
1,534 posts
 
Sure, Soix, if you got the time to report back, I'd be happy to read your impressions.
riddellsr1
13 posts
 
I originally ran 2 dedicated 20 amp lines. 1 for digital and 1 for analogue. I was impressed. I have since added 3 dedicated 30 amp lines, now having a seperate line for each component in my rig. I am completely floored by the improvement!
The result however is that each component now seems to be very sensitive to changes in Power Cables and AC outlets. AC outlets I am running a mix of PS Audio, FIM,Cryo'd Hubbell and ATL Newcablestudio. The ATL's are the sweetest of the lot.
All components share a single ground which has prevented Ground Loops and so far has not transferred noise component to component.
Dedicated lines have been great for me, however they do shine a bright light onto the weaknesses of the components which depending upon ones point of view may be a caveat.
Isn't Audio fun!!
terra3
60 posts
 
"My electrician is running the lines on the same leg and not sharing a neutral bus"

While my electrician will follow this, I'm not clear on it. I had thought all main breaker boxes have a single neutral bus i.e. there is no choice. Or am I missing something very fundamental (which could easily be the case! My understanding of this is limited).
tobias
1,534 posts
 
Initially my "dedicated" line shared its neutral side with other circuitry on the same floor. The electrician had run a single wire from the breaker box upstairs down to the ground floor and connected the neutrals of several ground floor circuits into that. He did this because it was easier to fish one wire than several, and the space behind the wallboard was already cramped. I had him do my dedicated line over again, properly dedicated on both sides this time.
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