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Dedicated Lines - Sub panel or no?

Hi folks,

In a few months time I will be moving to a new home, where a spare bedroom and an understanding wife will enable me to enjoy the luxury of a dedicated listening room.

The first thing that comes to mind is installing 4 dedicated 20A lines. The breaker panel is on the ground floor, the room is on the 3rd.

I'm wondering which is better:

-to run all four lines from the breaker box all the way to the wall outlets,

-or install a sub-panel (is that the right term?) in the room, and use a single, very heavy guage line from the breaker box to the subpanel, then run 4 short lengths of 10 or 12 gauge from the subpanel to the outlets.

Thanks in advance for your advice

Kind Regards
Mick
mickey_sg
drummermitchell's avatar
drummermitchell
262 posts
 
I don't know which way would be better,but I run a dedicated sub panel off the main breaker box also.
i believe the cable from the main panel is 7 or 6 gauge.
She's run into the sub panel where all the wiring is 10 gauge,
and to the receptacles also.I had 8X15a breakers on there and the I put 2X240V recptacles in for my TorusX2 and that left me with 4 receptacles with their own separate breakers.The main breakers on the main panel are 2X40a dedicated breakers that feed the sub panel.I don't get any noise what so ever,but I might give the 2X240 and 4Xreceptacles their own line each instead of all of them feeding off the 6-7 gauge.
It's nice to know that they each have unlimited access,even if we don't use it all.Nothing like a busy freeway.
psacanli
535 posts
 
FWIW, I went the sub panel route. That allowed for a very large gauge wire for the long run. Then I used robotic control cable(exceptionally high quality shielded wire from Germany used for the most sensitive robotic applications) for the shorter runs. Then used isolation & conditioning for each run. It worked very well.
magfan
1,583 posts
 
As a cost-no-object solution, Psacanli, you got it.
For the rest of us, a good dedicated line or 2 will have to do. I suspect that a good dedicated line is well over half the battle. For a room add-on, I'd LIKE to use a sub-panel.
I used to be able the flicker the house lights with my Carver Cube....years ago. But now, with 2x the power and a dedicated line, I can do no such thing.
If I lived where there were lightning storms, I'd also have a whole-house lightning arrest system.
buff's avatar
buff
210 posts
 
Go with the sub panel, as it will allow room for potential add on later.
Never know how many lines the future may need :-)
ngjockey
1,042 posts
 
I use a subpanel but my requirements are unique.

I have 3 amplifiers (2400W combined) for stereo. Much of that in class A.

I supply a large step-down transformer with 240V for balanced AC output for 2 of the amps.

A TVC line stage provides galvanic isolation between the CDP and amps. There can be different voltage between legs which can cause noise but that has not been an issue in my case.

I have the subpanel/transformer located in a closet directly behind the equipment.

The origional main panel is obsolete and breakers are no longer available.

I was able to run 6/3 wire through the crawlspace.

I rent.
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