Your One Bullet Point Solution; Electrical Upgrade

mkgus

For not-so-efficient systems that require lots of current, you could see a few volts of drop in longer lines during dynamic peaks.

Quite so!

How would this affect the performance of an amplifier? Would it be better to size the line as large as reasonably possible to keep the voltage as close to 120V at all times?

Yes. Derating the wire is accepted practice. NEC specifies only the minimum standards for electrical safety and performance.

Good point. Code books tell you what you need to keep things safe and working. They don’t tell you what you need for high end audio performance. Has anyone written a book or article on this? What is an acceptable voltage drop? Do different types of amplifiers fare better than others with voltage drop on the mains? I would guess switching class D with feedback would be less affected than class A/B, for example.

The service up grade is done! So far, I'm very happy with the sound - as long as the sound works. From what I can tell, the Internet over power line devices are not locking on the signal as sent from the router through the power lines and then back to Ethernet in the room. 

This worked perfectly previously, but now these devices will not hold a lock on the signal. They work for a minute or so, allowing ROON to connect the server/streamer, then drop it. Would the power change from 60A to 200A have any effect on that? 

I wonder if the IOP devices got compromised. I did have to replace a set of them a couple years ago, and the diagnostics were similar. I'm not too worried about things, as the first moments of hearing the system were great, and the fact that it was playing at all is proof that it should work consistently eventually. 

Thoughts? 

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS (I think),

The intermittent playback has been resolved. Andrew from Small Green Computer, and Adrian from SONORE were not surprised by the diagnostics. It appears that when the power was lost, the Signature Rendu SE was no longer pointed to by the ROON software. Following a simple set of steps to reset and point to it has rectified the problem, and the music is flowing perfectly.

I consider the service upgrade a success, as I was very pleasantly surprised by the improvement of the sound. Due to shortages of electrical home panels because the factories were closed, I went with the Eaton panel without the internal surge protector. The sub-panel for the music/HT room was eliminated, and this seems to have had no ill affect on the performance, perhaps the opposite. I can’t say for sure, as the comparison is not apples to apples. Nevertheless, the overall change is quite positive. The electrician mounted the similar surge protector outside the panel. My fear that a surge protector might introduce some noise was unfounded. A new grounding rod was put outside. The system is quiet, and I detect no noise on the power line, which was a primary concern for a good upgrade. I assume the amps are particularly benefitted by the increased amperage (if I have said it correctly), and I consider the event to be a bonus for the audio hobby.

I am in the process of also reviewing a different set of cables, and so far working with just the power cords. The system has undergone a distinct change with the insertion of six of them, with two more to go in particular setups. It’s always fun to hear what power cords alone can do for a system. I am not interested in debating that last point with anyone, just sharing.