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Dedicated lines

A few years back, I had an electrician install 3 dedicated 10 ga runs for my audio equipment and the results were really great. I now need to move my equipment further down the wall they are located on and need to move the 3 dedicated outlets. Is it imperitive that I rerun all 3 lines to the new location or can I splice on to the exsisting wires to relocate the sockets. What kind of voltage drop will I see and will this be a bad situation for my equipment?
markus1299
ckoffend
684 posts
 
When running dedicated lines, should I be using romex single solid core cabling or a twisted pair of stranded cabling? My electrician has recommended a hospital grade cabling that he is recommending I use for running new dedicated lines.
lak's avatar
lak
4,751 posts
 
Markus1299, assuming you use the same wire to extend the length of your three dedicated lines, after break-in, I don’t think you will hear a difference in sound or have any type of voltage drop..

Ckoffend, I don’t know what “hospital grade cabling” consists of that your electrician is recommending. I remember reading years ago that 10 gauge stranded cabling with ground twisted (such as put in drill and twist while elongating) is the way to go. This must then be run in conduit. It’s usually easier and costs less to run Romex, and I’m not convinced that you will hear a difference in sound.
gbart
290 posts
 
The only hospital grade cable I am aware of is type AC or MC (armored) hospital grade cable.

http://www.afcweb.com/pdfs/afc_cable_catalog/afc_hcf_lite_120_0704.pdf

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markus1299 OP
252 posts
 
Thanks guys for your input. Is there a prefered splicing guide somewhere that I might consult or is it just a twist and shield situation?
ckoffend
684 posts
 
First in reply to the questions/comments about hospital grade, I spoke in more detail to my electrician. The power cabling was NM/MC, which means it used non-metalic wires (no aluminum, etc. . . purer copper - so to speak). Secondly, the MC stands for metal shielded (everything was run inside a metal conduit for shielding purposes). At least this is what my notes indicate from my conversation, which does not rule out the possibility that my abbreviations may be incorrect.

Secondly, looking for feedback from others who have upgraded to dedicated lines. Did you notice any changes during the burn-in period? When I first hooked everything back up, I found that my sound had worsened actually. My bass lost a far amount of tightness and focus overall was negatively affected. This is what lead me to speak more at length with the electrician. I ran my system for a straight 24 hours (and also moved my speakers slightly) and noticed a significant improvement after just this 24 hour period. Since I moved my speakers a couple of inches, it could be JUST this, but I doubt it.

Is this in line with what others have found?
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