HIGH Quality Electric Service Panel

The usual top two I know of are Siemens and Square D which has a couple of different lines.

I think Federated/Federal (can't remember the exact brand name) should be replaced when found. They were driven out of business for selling breakers that didn't break.

GE is very popular but I've read reliability issues with the breakers.

elevick

Making sure it is properly grounded is more important than anything else.  Don't ground it near the house ground.

Actually, you should follow NEC and local code, which will require grounding the panel with your house ground and the utility's ground. Cutler-Hammer panels have tin-coated bus bars, which are preferable to aluminum bars, imo.

A high end audio dealer, especially a local one, should be able to give you the design recommendations for your panel. Local code will dictate what is required, but their expertise should provide you with what you want/need.

I like Siemens for two reasons: (1) it's German, and (2) their high duty breakers and their regular breakers have the same part number. That means, IMO, that their regular breakers are made to high duty standards (i.e. 2000 on-off cycles).

My audio sub-panel is Siemens, and I also use their circuit breakers for on-off switches, and haven't had a failure, though it's only been 4 years.

I agree with cleeds: ground the panel with your house ground, or you may end up with a ground loop. Siemens, by the way, has a surge suppressor option.

Yep, Siemens and Square D offer in panel surge suppression, though I'd probably recommend it at the service entrance instead of a sub panel. The extra impedance of the line between the main panel and sub panel can keep the surge voltage high.

Always follow the NEC AND local codes. Always. If you don't know what that is, hire an expert who does.

Now one "trick" if affordable is instead to run a 220V line to a wall mounted step-down transformer instead. This will give you the lowest impedance, and a great deal of noise immunity. However it's so rarely done I doubt most electricians would be willing to do it in a home.

Best,


Erik