2. misc-audio
  3. 131574-3719

Dedicated Outlets - The Latest Recommendations

This topic has received a lot of attention over the years, but I'm having trouble pulling all the pieces together so that I can communicate to the electrician exactly what it is I'd like to have done.

I'm hoping to add two separate, 20 amp lines for my audio equipment, and since we are having our roof redone, this presents an ideal window for a project like this.

The service panel is on the lower level of the house near an outside wall, and the lines would come up the wall, travel across the space above the ceiling and under the roof (roughly 12 inches), and then down an inner wall to a room on the upper level.

I'd like to know what type of wire is best to use (the total distance from panel to outlets is about 75 feet), how it should be attached to the service panel, and what type of outlets are recommended.

I recall seeing advice in the forums to use twisted wire to reduce hum and EMI, and not to have the two runs too close to each other.

Any advice for specifying specific materials, and communicating with a non-audiophile electrician would be greatly appreciated!

And I'm hoping Jea48 and other knowledgeable members will chime in with either sage advice, or links to relevant sections of past discussions.  Perhaps we can make this thread a starting point for others contemplating similar projects.
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auxinput
2,920 posts
 

My understanding is that Romex (such as 10-2 or 10-3) can be run behind drywall and in attic areas without a conduit.  That is what I found out during electrical code research and that is actually how my house wiring is ran.  My house was built in 2000 in California.  Your local electrical code might be different.

The way I understand it, is if you use individual wires (such as TFFN/THHN copper), then they have to be run through conduit all the way. 

10 awg romex is the best in my opinion.  I think you can get larger (such as 8awg), but they are stranded.  10awg is the largest solid-core you can get.  Other people have written that the got better sound quality using 8awg or 6awg wiring to the outlets.

If you choose 10-3, you could use 2 of the insulated conductors just for "HOT" (giving you 7awg for the hot conductor).  Though, I don't know why you would really need this unless you had something like a huge Boulder amp that required a 30A circuit.

If you want to get better wire and are willing to spend more:

Audio Sensibility sells both 10-2 and 12-2 cryo treated Romex.

VH Audio sells cryo treated 10-2 Romex.  They also have a pre-burned-ind (COOKED) 250 foot roll of 10-2 Romex for a little bit extra money.

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