2. misc-audio
  3. 182877-120426

Dedicated power circuits

I’m having some electrical work done including a whole house

generator, surge suppressor, and a new panel box. I am also going to have two dedicated power lines run for my stereo. I’ve read a lot on here about how this is a really nice upgrade and would greatly appreciate any advice to help me along on my project. Right now the plan is two 20 amp circuits with 10 gauge wire. One for my amp and one for my preamp and sources. My equipment is a McIntosh MC 452, a C47 right now but a C22 in the future, Rega P8, Rose hifi 150b,  McIntosh MR 74 tuner and Aerial 7t speakers. I’m also replacing my panel box with a new one. It’s a brand from a company that’s out of business and the quality and safety is suspect plus there are no new breakers available.

 

So starting with the breakers, then the wire and finally the receptacles what should I be looking for? The electrician that just left here is planning on the new panel being a Cutler Hammer brand. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

128x128gphill
gphill's avatar
gphill OP
130 posts
 

Thanks for all the responses. The Torus all in one looks interesting but at 18k it ain’t happening. Because of local code I’m going to have to use tamper resistant outlets which I will replace after the job is finished. Any special wire from the breaker box to the outlets? Any special breakers?

ditusa's avatar
ditusa
1,901 posts
 

@gphill Wrote:

 Any special wire from the breaker box to the outlets? 

For dedicated audio lines I would go with Type MC Galvanized Steel Metal Clad Cable 10 AWG. It has better EMI and EF shielding versus aluminum armor. FWIW, I have four dedicated lines for audio, one for each monoblock amp, one for analog and one for digital. 😎

Here is a good article on the subject. See below:

Mike

https://docs.google.com/viewerng/viewer?url=https://wirexpress.com/wp-content/uploads/MidAtlantic-White-Paper.pdf

gs5556
1,237 posts
 

Cutler Hammer is now Eaton, whose products are available everywhere. Use hospital grade outlets for your audio. These outlets have a tighter grip on the prongs of the power cord which is much more effective preventing noise from entering than whatever gimmick those $500 receptacles claim.

erik_squires
16,363 posts
 

If you have a Federal or anything with a stab-lock breaker you 100% need to get rid of them!

CH, Siemens and Square D all make solid equipment.  I have a couple of notes for you:

  • I prefer the whole house surge protectors that sit on the panel like a breaker.  They have less wiring and therefore better chances of working with faster surges.
  • All whole house surge protectors and the NEC recommend that you use individual surge protectors on sensitive electronics IN ADDITION to the whole house units.
  • Remember your home outlets must be tamper resistant too. Several boutique, cryo, blah blah outlets are not.
  • Use Furman surge protectors with SMP/LiFT to protect your gear.
  • Use a hospital grade Ethernet isolator to protect your network.
kota1
2,706 posts
 

The Torus all in one looks interesting but at 18k it ain’t happening.

I get that, look at the Sorcer Apprentice from Add-Power- I think it around $2K

 

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