I think the dedicated 20 amp circuit is a good thing and #12 awg is sufficient unless the wiring is more than 75 ft from the panelboard then upsize to a10awg because of voltage drop +/-3%. Where the electrician would help is to make sure the house is PROPERLY grounded and the main wiring is connected well and tight. This will keep the power clean and if there is a short or overcurrent you will not bring it across your equipment( amp, preamp etc.) Whole house suppression is good but at equipment is also helpful.I would also say when you wire the receptacle make sure the copper is clean and your connections are tight ( simple stuff we tend to overlook) can make a big difference. I have found many homes from the 40-90's wiring make work okay but grounding and bonding not suited best for electronic, audio, amp, etc.
Dedicated 20 amp circuit - Electrician laughed!
I brought my electrician out to my house today to show him where I would like to install a dedicated 20a circuit for my system. He laughed and said that's the stupidest thing he's heard and laughs when people talk about it. It said, if you're going to do it, you have to have it separately grounded (shoving a new 8 foot rod into the ground) but even then, he sees no way there can be an audible improvement.
Now, he's not just an electrician though. He rebuilds tube amps on the side and tears apart amps and such all the time so he's quite well versed in audio electronics and how they operate.
He basically said anyone who thinks they hear a difference is fooling themselves.
Personally, I'm still not sure, I'm no engineer, my room's not perfect, and I can't spend hours on end critical listening... But, he does kinda pull me farther to the "snake oil" side and the "suggestive hearing" side (aka, you hear an improvement because you want to hear it).
I'm not taking a side here but I thought it was interesting how definitive he was that this not only WILL not make a difference but ALMOST CANNOT make a difference.
Now, he's not just an electrician though. He rebuilds tube amps on the side and tears apart amps and such all the time so he's quite well versed in audio electronics and how they operate.
He basically said anyone who thinks they hear a difference is fooling themselves.
Personally, I'm still not sure, I'm no engineer, my room's not perfect, and I can't spend hours on end critical listening... But, he does kinda pull me farther to the "snake oil" side and the "suggestive hearing" side (aka, you hear an improvement because you want to hear it).
I'm not taking a side here but I thought it was interesting how definitive he was that this not only WILL not make a difference but ALMOST CANNOT make a difference.
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@jea48 It was the 5/8/2020 at 5:38 p.m. post: " So if the AHJ, (Authority Having Jurisdiction), in your area requires conduit must be used do not install more than one dedicated circuit in a conduit. If you do there is a good chance you will end up having ground loop hum problems. If you have to use conduit see if 2 conductor with ground MC aluminum armor cable is allowed. (Actually aluminum armor MC cable is better than Romex for feeding audio equipment. Romex, just a guess, is probably the most widely used though to feed audio equipment. There are some best practices that should be followed for the installation of Romex though." So maybe I read it wrong, as a non-electrician? So is "2 conductor with ground MC aluminum armor cable" actually copper wire with the armor clad being the aluminum component? I read it as aluminum cable with armor, and I did find one place selling it (with stranded aluminum conductors). To clarify too, I wasn’t critical at all, as jea48 is well-known as an expert. |
If you have to use conduit see if 2 conductor with ground MC aluminum armor cable is allowed. (Actually aluminum armor MC cable is better than Romex for feeding audio equipment. @ the_treble_with_tribbles I assume this is what you are referencing. MC (Metal Clad) is a cable that has copper insulated conductors housed in an armor metal housing. MC cable is manufactured with a steel armor and an AL (aluminum) armor. The conductors are available in solid core copper wire or stranded wire. Example of MC cable. https://www.homedepot.com/p/AFC-Cable-Systems-10-2-x-125-ft-Solid-MC-Lite-Cable-2107-32-AFC/20501550... Middle Atlantic Products. EDIT: For larger conductor MC cable you can buy it with stranded copper or stranded AL conductors. Jim |
I own and managed 72 homes in the San Fernando Valley. The only homes that did not have conduit or romex with standard breakers were built prior to 1930s. I had four built in 1886, one in 1914 and six in 1926. All were upgraded to romex and breakers. It would be very odd here to see a 50's home with fuses here. |
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