AC Power - two circuits better than one?


Reorganizing my system starting from the wall receptacles (rewiring is not a possibility) but quickly ran into a conundrum. Is it better to source power for my audio system from several different circuits or one dedicated circuit?

More info: I have three possible options. Two 15 amp circuits (1 shared with a couple of lights the other with several wall receptacles including a pc) & one dedicated 20 amp circuit (but with only one single duplex outlet). I have mono blocks, power amp, preamps, digital & analog audio sources, & digital HT gear.

Should I distribute my system across these three circuits or try & source them all from the single dedicated 20 amp outlet? If distribute, what kind of break down makes sense?
salmonsc
I took the advice of Jea48 and switched the wires on one pair of breakers in the main panel box and that action put all of my equipment on one leg of the incoming power.
12-17-10:Puerto

Puerto,

Not sure exactly what you did..... With a 3 wire multi conductor circuit, (2 hot conductors, 1 neutral conductor), you cannot put both hot conductors on the same leg. They have to be on opposite legs.

With a multi conductor branch circuit only the unbalanced load returns to the source on the neutral conductor.

Example: If two identical loads were connected to each hot to neutral of, say, 5 amps each zero amps would return on the neutral conductor. The two loads would be in series with one another.

Example: If the two loads were 15 amps each, again zero amps would return on the neutral conductor to the source.
But if both hots are connected to the same leg, (two 20 amp breakers), 30 amps would return on the neutral.... That's a no no......

http://openbookproject.net//electricCircuits/AC/AC_10.html#xtocid139960
Now you have me worried. I simply switched the hot lead from one breaker on Leg 2 to a breaker on Leg 1 ( and vice versa). The breakers only have one wire each connected to them so the "living room" circuit (formerly on leg 1) is now on leg 2 and the "stereo circuit" (formerly on leg 2) is now on leg 1 where the "living room" circuit used to be. It was a two wire operation. I left the neutral and ground wires where they were. There was no other place to move them to. Everything seems to be working just fine. So have I screwed up? These circuits have three wires each - Hot, Neutral and Ground. I am not following what you mean by two hot conductors on each circuit.
What you did is correct. That is 2 wire with ground not 3 wire with ground!
Yogiboy: Whew! Thanks - I thought as much but began to doubt myself after reading Jea48s post. He is obviously much more versed in this stuff than I am. You probably are too!
These circuits have three wires each - Hot, Neutral and Ground.
12-18-10: Puerto

Puerto,

If that is the case then you have 4 dedicated circuits.....
Each circuit has its own hot, neutral, and equipment ground.

Each of the (4) duplex receptacle has its own hot, neutral, and equipment ground conductors.

Total numbers of wires from the electrical panel to the audio equipment receptacles:
(4) hot conductors
(4) neutral conductors
(4) equipment grounding conductors

Correct?
.