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  3. 1141241538

20 amp dedicated lines

Id like to get opinions of those who have installed 20 amp dedicated lines. Did you notice a huge improvement, little or no improvement with the addition of 20 amp lines? My system is very lean with ill defined bass. I have tried everything I can think of to cure this problem with the exception of installing 20 amp lines. System consists of:
Wadia 861
Supratek Chennin pre
Parasound JC 1s
Vandersteen 3A sigs
Vandersteen 2Wq subs (2)
Alphacore MI2 spk cable (35' run)
Audioquest Cheetah inter
Cardas Golden Cross inter
GIK wall treatment behind spks, 1st and 2nd reflection, corners.

Its funny Vandersteen speakers are not known for being bright but my system is extremely bright and lean in the bass. I love the detail and spaciousness the Cheetah brings to the table but the sound becomes very unmusical. I have tried all speaker locations Q settings, level adjustments, x over settings etc...... Im thinking maybee the JC 1s are not getting enough juice. Any help much appreciated

Thanks
braro
stehno
1,453 posts
 
Proper line conditioning is an absolute must. So are ics and scs that minimize time smear.

The dedicated 20 amp lines will essentialy provide two benefits:

1) Minimize any harmful AC noise that is generated within your home ie refrigerator motors, microwave ovens, dimmer switches, etc..

2) Help endure that your amplifier has enough juice to more dynamically and realistically reproduce dynamic passages. A very big plus.

Dedicated lines will do nothing to filter out the AC noise in the lines coming in from the street. Everybody has this problem to one good degree or another and the only cure is proper line conditioning or components that have attempted to address the filtering issue inside the component but not both.

Your best bet is to audition a number of line-conditioners because quite frankly there some to many that simply aren't worth owning.

-IMO
jsawhitlock
302 posts
 
I think the only way to find and solve your problem is to do some process of elimination things, first I'd move the amps close to the speakers and try some Rat Shack 12 gauge speaker wire just to see if thoses 35' wires are causing problems, next I would do some more speaker positioning and adjust cross overs, and the Home Depot cords are a good idea too. All these things will cost next to nothing and a bit of your time. I would spend some time on speaker placement and cross over adjustments as this can be one of the most PITA things to get right!
txp1
148 posts
 
My two dedicated 20 amp lines, with FIM-880 outlets, did improve the bass. My friend the electrician, not an audiophile, even noticed it.

However, I don't think electrical is your problem. I recently had a similar condition, i.e., lean sound with a lack of bass, that was caused by the two 12ax7 Mullard gain tubes in my phono preamp subtly degrading over time (one year) until it became so pronounced I inquired about it.

I never would have guessed it was the tubes. I had two Electro-Harmonix 12ax7's on hand and swapped them into the phono preamp. Musical nirvana! I had no idea how far the sound had degraded until then. Everything came back, the meat and body of the music, the soundstage even improved.

I also found another audiophile who routinely changes the tubes in his preamp for the same problem. Perhaps the Mullards both went bad in a subtle manner and the EH tubes won't. I know I'll be aware of this, and swap out tubes just to check them in about a year.
qdrone
1,039 posts
 
In the package that came with the vandersteens he cautions the buyer from using long runs of speaker cable.He says that a moderate priced speaker cable in short runs will sound better than expensive long runs. He says use longer interconnects up to 2m. Do you have the Cheetahs running from the pre to amp or the Golden Cross. I have the golden cross and it is warm not bright at all.
czbbcl's avatar
czbbcl
1,752 posts
 
I installed a couple of 20A dedicated lines and did not hear a significant improvement; maybe a blacker background. Having said that I would definetly suggest you install them but I don't think you will get the results your looking for. As others have suggested you might try some active line conditioning.
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