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Dedicated Lines - Sub panel or no?

Hi folks,

In a few months time I will be moving to a new home, where a spare bedroom and an understanding wife will enable me to enjoy the luxury of a dedicated listening room.

The first thing that comes to mind is installing 4 dedicated 20A lines. The breaker panel is on the ground floor, the room is on the 3rd.

I'm wondering which is better:

-to run all four lines from the breaker box all the way to the wall outlets,

-or install a sub-panel (is that the right term?) in the room, and use a single, very heavy guage line from the breaker box to the subpanel, then run 4 short lengths of 10 or 12 gauge from the subpanel to the outlets.

Thanks in advance for your advice

Kind Regards
Mick
128x128mickey_sg
emailists
923 posts
 
Wow, what a great thread. I can't do any of things suggested here due to being a renter, and not sure even how long I'LL be in my current location. But I'm looking to buy an apartment within the next 18 months, and at that point can really investigate an serious power delivery system.

For now I'm lucky I have found in our new place 1 dedicated 20 amp line with only 1 outlet wired to it. (I switched it to Oyaide R1)

When I am an owner, I would also like to try opening the wiring connections to the breaker box, and the breaker connections to the bus themselves, clean them with Progold and coat them very lightly with Quicksilver Gold.

I use Quicksilver on the in wall 10 gauge wire before inserting the wire into the Wall outlet, and when making extension cords, gang boxes, etc.

I can't compare the benefits of using Quicksilver on the power connections, but on the internal connections of an output section of an amplifier, I heard significant improvements after using Quicksilver.
hevac1
812 posts
 
Ngjockey,
I tryed the a started also at the time. The starter held just the breaker still tripped, it was a 50 amp breaker. I think I will have to try fuses. I can get fuses that will hold at 8 times the inrush. Costly they will be. I am also thinking of putting on a Line Reactor, it will slow down and or eliminate other issue with electrical power. I use then i my trade to stop unwanted noise from going into or out of a VFD.
ngjockey
1,042 posts
 
Just an idea, but how about a motor start capacitor (over 70 mfd) or two and a relay on the secondary side to shut it/them off (for lack of a centrifical switch).

I've also heard of somebody using motor caps in series to block DC offset, which can cause saturation, but I have no idea of the sizing.

Haven't used a Line Reactor but I'm considering options for one site that's been mysteriously chewing up gas valves and ignition modules.

Frankly, I'm having trouble understanding how you've had so much trouble and the numbers you've got. I do remember when I first started experimenting with power transformers and building a TVC (transformer volume control) line stage at the same time. It's a wonder I didn't pull out all my hair. It was like living in a houseful of women, with sychronized cramps.
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ngjockey
1,042 posts
 
Dug up some old links.

http://diyparadise.com/dablok.html
http://sound.westhost.com/articles/xfmr-dc.htm
.
ngjockey
1,042 posts
 
Hevac1,

Sorry for obsessing.

Here's the question: You have 208V, which is used in condos and multi-tenant buildings and typically just two legs of 3 phase, which is 60 degrees out of phase as opposed to 90 degrees for 240. Could that be the source of the problem?

I'm assuming you're using something like:
http://www.signaltransformer.com/Data/Datasheets/DU-SU.pdf
and
http://www.geocities.com/jonrisch/catch2.htm

The only other options I know being something like APC/Tripplite

As I've said, you can try 120V but ...
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