dedicated power line for audio equipment

I just rebuilt my house from scratch, added a dedicated listening/HT room as well.

I have two 20A (w/ 10/2 romex) dedicated lines on the sidewall for the source, two 20A dedicated lines to the front for the amps, one 20A line for the A/V equipment, one 20A line for the TV, and one 20A line for the projector.

All of them to a subpanel that also powers the lights and outlets for 1/2 of the house.

Originally I wanted to provide separation between digital and analog sources. That's why I have two dedicated lines for the source. But I ended up plugging everything into a PurePower conditioner. So I am only using one dedicated line.

For the TV & the Projector, I have the PS Audio Soloist installed into the wall. I used the PS Audio Premier Outlets for all the other dedicated lines.

Some people swears that converting the amp to 220V makes a big difference. But I didn't want to go there.

FrankC

Look at your system. If you have only two channel audio system , then one dedicated line for each amp and another dedicated line for the low level equipment (which should be all plugged into a conditioner/multiple power outlet device). So, for example for me, I have two amps each with their own dedicated line to the power panel, one additional line for my pre-amp, tuner, cd transport, music server, DAC (1), DAC (2)(don't ask), Turn table, phono stage, all plugged into a power conditioner/outlet device.

If you have a home theater system in the same room, then I would run an additional dedicated line solely for the home theater equipment.

20 amp lines with 10/2 type Romex is adequate, however, look at the manufacturer's recommendation for each amp's power requirements.

also, for electrical purposes, make sure the power lines are balanced on each side of the power panel. Example would be if you have two amps, then one amp on one side and the other amp on the other side to balance the house load. Any respectable electrician will ask for specific loads per power line to determine how to split the load at the power panel. Most homes in the US have 220-240 volt or so coming into the home and it is split on each side at 115-120 volts on each side. Then they split the house load on each side to balance the load.

enjoy

I have 1 dedicated 32 amp line with a 8kva transformer and a high current power strip for the main audio system and 2 dedicated 20 amp lines for the rest of the equipment (av, etc). For me, the 32 amp line with the transformer certainly improves the overall sound of the system.

Whatever wire guage you use, as long as you have any say in it, don't let them staple the wire to the 2x4's inside the walls - the usual consrtuction practice and not a very sound-friendly thing to do. Work out some other solution that neither uses ferrous metal fasteners nor pinches the wiring when secured to the framing. The physical pinching can lead to a somewhat narrower audio bandwidth - easily avoided when having your home built, but to be sure you will probably have to be physically present to keep the workers from doing things the way they're used to.

First get a electrician who is good with commercial installations. Pull a 100 amp feed and wire it to a Square D commercial panel with a on and off capability (switch or breaker), make sure it has enough circuits (one for each component). Make sure you balance the load between components, which a good electrician should know. Use a 1 inch conduit from panel to receptacle for each dedicated line to each component. From here you can experiment with different wiring techniques, different receptacles, etc. (most important part of the installation).

Like different components in an audio system, so is the difference in electrical components and set up behind your wall, everything makes a difference, and it starts with your electrical.

So if this is the first step one must do to build a stereo or home theater system, unfortunately its only step one of..... At least you started on the right foot, something I and probably everybody else hasn't.

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