Anyone install a dedicated electrical circuit for audio system?

Two dedicated 20A circuits to the main system. Power conditioner used on sources.

The noisy villains live inside your house.
 
A few months ago, I put in four 20 amp dedicated outlets in addition to the one I had put in years ago. I used 12AWG NMSC (Romex) and Hospital Grade outlets. II have access to Electrical Engineers and Master Electricians. When I discussed materials and installations related issues, the best advise I received was “Do it per Code and keep it simple”. I didn’t get a permit but if your electrical knowledge is limited, I highly recommend it. BTW: I am a retired Building Inspector.

Yeah...but did you use Arc-Fault breakers in your panel....hmm...? :D
 
Are hospital-grade outlets Code compliant for residential use? Do they have the safety features required (the little blocking tabs so kids can't get to the power?)
 
I have a dedicated 30 amp circuit for audio, pc, and LED TV.

It starts with a double conversion UPS from Eaton. It has a Tripp Lite power strip designed for a server rack. The Tripp Light has amp meters.

It's over kill. With two Parasound amps, a power subwoofer, 8 core Xeon PC, DAC, preamp and 52" Vizio monitor, I only draw 5 amps.
 
Are hospital-grade outlets Code compliant for residential use? Do they have the safety features required (the little blocking tabs so kids can't get to the power?)

They are code compliant here (Oregon), but we don't have the tab blockie things as a requirement. Basically they grip tighter than a standard outlet and are otherwise identical to the others at Home Depot, etc..
 
They are code compliant here (Oregon), but we don't have the tab blockie things as a requirement. Basically they grip tighter than a standard outlet and are otherwise identical to the others at Home Depot, etc..

Yeah I am in Massachusetts, NEC plus additions. Not like I am worried about pulling out someone's IV pump...figured that had to be the difference. Thanx!

Doing kitchen gut job/renovation, and common wall dictates this is time for me to do it before all is closed up.
 
I think I've made it all the way through this thread, I now have a couple of comments and a question for the collective:

First, the comments. Installing a dedicated line inside the house (i.e., running a new circuit). At worst, you're putting a couple of circuit breakers and some distance between your audio system and any noisy devices or switches running on other circuits on the same phase. I don't know that circuit breakers claim to have any line noise reduction capabilities, so from a line noise perspective I'd question the effectiveness of this. At best, you can put all of your audio stuff on circuits on one phase, and everything else on the other phase, but you're still dealing with noise generated from 220 volt devices, and even noisy devices on the other phase are still going to have some effect on the shared neutral line. So perhaps better, but still not perfect.

Now the question. There are devices you can buy that you install in your breaker box, upstream of all of the breakers, that monitor usage inside the home. These devices can detect power changes on the circuit side of the breakers to a degree of accuracy that they can often determine what specifically is being turned on or off. Any thoughts from the collective regarding how effective noise isolation can be on various circuits if power monitoring devices such as these can be so accurate while looking at devices on the other side of all of the circuit breakers?

I've read that the electric company can also perform some level of appliance usage modeling as well. I'm not sure if they're doing this from a substation across transformers, or via a smart meter, but I know they're doing it. Most likely via smart meters, but I also remember that they were catching pot growers by determining power usage profiles of lots of fluorescent light bulbs, and this was before the days of smart meters.

bs
 
I think I've made it all the way through this thread, I now have a couple of comments and a question for the collective:

First, the comments. Installing a dedicated line inside the house (i.e., running a new circuit). At worst, you're putting a couple of circuit breakers and some distance between your audio system and any noisy devices or switches running on other circuits on the same phase. I don't know that circuit breakers claim to have any line noise reduction capabilities, so from a line noise perspective I'd question the effectiveness of this. At best, you can put all of your audio stuff on circuits on one phase, and everything else on the other phase, but you're still dealing with noise generated from 220 volt devices, and even noisy devices on the other phase are still going to have some effect on the shared neutral line. So perhaps better, but still not perfect.

Now the question. There are devices you can buy that you install in your breaker box, upstream of all of the breakers, that monitor usage inside the home. These devices can detect power changes on the circuit side of the breakers to a degree of accuracy that they can often determine what specifically is being turned on or off. Any thoughts from the collective regarding how effective noise isolation can be on various circuits if power monitoring devices such as these can be so accurate while looking at devices on the other side of all of the circuit breakers?

I've read that the electric company can also perform some level of appliance usage modeling as well. I'm not sure if they're doing this from a substation across transformers, or via a smart meter, but I know they're doing it. Most likely via smart meters, but I also remember that they were catching pot growers by determining power usage profiles of lots of fluorescent light bulbs, and this was before the days of smart meters.

bs

A dedicated circuit will not isolate the devices on that circuit from noise. Circuit breakers are effectively switches that open under the conditions they are designed for as a protective feature. To get rid of line noise you will need some sort of power conditioning. If the power supplies in your equipment are well designed and in spec the typical noise in most homes won't be a problem and will be taken care of by the combination of voltage regulation and filter caps.
 
If you look at the state of the mains waveform these days, it's a wonder all HiFi aficionados don't re-generate their own AC. It's a distorted mess, hardly resembling a sine at all. Thanks to all the wretched SMPSs in everything. They are evil.
 
A dedicated circuit will not isolate the devices on that circuit from noise. Circuit breakers are effectively switches that open under the conditions they are designed for as a protective feature. To get rid of line noise you will need some sort of power conditioning. If the power supplies in your equipment are well designed and in spec the typical noise in most homes won't be a problem and will be taken care of by the combination of voltage regulation and filter caps.

That's what I would think, but there are people on this thread reporting that a dedicated circuit helped in terms of sound quality.

bs
 
A dedicated circuit will not isolate the devices on that circuit from noise. Circuit breakers are effectively switches that open under the conditions they are designed for as a protective feature. To get rid of line noise you will need some sort of power conditioning. If the power supplies in your equipment are well designed and in spec the typical noise in most homes won't be a problem and will be taken care of by the combination of voltage regulation and filter caps.

No, not isolation in a strict sense but i think there could be some differences due to different impedance between a shared circuit and dedicated circuit. Attenuation sort of thing. It would be interesting to experiment with.
 
collective regarding how effective noise isolation can be on various circuits if power monitoring devices such as these can be so accurate while looking at devices on the other side of all of the circuit

I've read that the electric company can also perform some level of appliance usage modeling as well. I'm not sure if they're doing this from a substation across transformers, or via a smart meter, but I know they're doing it. Most likely via smart meters, but I also remember that they were catching pot growers by determining power usage profiles of lots of fluorescent light bulbs, and this was before the days of smart meters.

bs

I think it's a completely different thing - load monitoring vs noise filtering. All you need to monitor load is an inductive clamp/loop (or shunt, although I'd think less common) and a way to read the resulting mV/A, or something that reads the meter digits or revolutions or whatever.

I don't think it's necessarily the type of bulb being used/monitored, but more simply the pattern of use and amount of use is not consistent with typical residental usage.
 
The secondary of the transformer that feeds you and probably a few of your neighbor is a very low impedance point. You have to create one heck of a heavy load to have much effect back to that point. Very little noise from your residence makes it to this point. That's why what your neighbors do should have little to do with your power quality.

Then your house is fed by some rather heavy gauge wire...size depends on your service amperage, which really ties to the ago of your house or it's last entrance re-install. Then this point is the mains disconnect and the feed of the panel buss bars. Still really, really stiff...low impedance. Again, to impress noise or loading effects to this point isn't easy. Usually, at this point though the heavy load items in the house will start to have ability to create a little voltage drop but not too much noise. Again, how much, is dependent on the size of that incoming mains wiring.

So this point, the buss bars of the breaker box is the lowest impedance point of the household. Loading or probably more importantly noise, has to be impressed on this point to be able to effect from one drop back onto others. So the gauge of the wires from the panel out into the house will have a lot of effect on how far impedance wise the far end of the individual drop is higher than that common point of the panel. The tighter you tie your outlet to that lowest impedance point of the panel acts to reduce the ability to create noise and voltage drop out at that far end. So the highest impedance point is at the end of the run. You have some measurable isolation value there from other loads and noise in the house do to the nature of source and loading impedance and its effects.

So that outlet end, lets say at your audio equipment rack, is now where you should be worried about noise and voltage loading effects much more so that the rest of the house. If you plug in a noisy device, it tries to create noise back down the devices power cord to the common outlet. If it can impress noise at that point, it then has the potential to add that noise to ever device there. Of course a really important point is the gauge of the wiring in use, the frequency in question and how well it couples to the wiring to transfer between devices. Hence the effect of various "noise reduction" devices and cords there between your electronics. But if on a single circuit then the are coupled together further away from the noise negating effects of the lowest impedance point of the house at the panel.

But there is direct connection between all the devices. Forget about the conceptual idea of power flowing in the direction of the equipment. You should place noise as the most important concern over voltage loading really. What noise? Every device has diodes turning on and off extremely abruptly and sharply for one. Those turn on and off's is very high frequency. It goes high enough to be receivable on AM radios up to around 1mhz...and higher. And that's before we get to the frequencies involved in the switch mode supplies which is may be higher and/or stronger yet.

So it's reasonable to think of the power wiring, the connections to equipment and the summing point of the feeds to the equipment more in terms of RF theory and antenna leads when it comes to the noise there.

So to back up to the original topic...the separate drop and hopefully with a heavier guage wire has reason to physically isolate loading and more importantly noise effects from the rest of the houses electronic devices.

Enough to have something to chew on and hopefully I've laid out some useful information correctly and clearly.

EV3
 
I just finished my dedicated line. 10 gauge from the breaker to the duplex. Nothing in between. Very tight connections.

The way it was before, there were about 10 daisy chained outlets and lights...all 14 gauge.

No scientific testing, but I feel like my system is better off. I am not going to say night and day difference, but I will say that it sounds better to me and it seems more efficient....as in it is louder with the volume knob in the same spot as before. I can AB this by moving the power plug into the outlet I used to use. I am not the only one to notice an improvement.

I highly recommend doing this.
 
I just finished my dedicated line. 10 gauge from the breaker to the duplex. Nothing in between. Very tight connections.

The way it was before, there were about 10 daisy chained outlets and lights...all 14 gauge.

No scientific testing, but I feel like my system is better off. I am not going to say night and day difference, but I will say that it sounds better to me and it seems more efficient....as in it is louder with the volume knob in the same spot as before. I can AB this by moving the power plug into the outlet I used to use. I am not the only one to notice an improvement.

I highly recommend doing this.

I'd think that would have to be a really big change to screw with the volume that much, since doubling or halving power is 3dB and that's a pretty small change in perceived SPL.

I'd think a voltage test or load droop test would easily reveal something of that magnitude.
 
I'd think that would have to be a really big change to screw with the volume that much, since doubling or halving power is 3dB and that's a pretty small change in perceived SPL.

I'd think a voltage test or load droop test would easily reveal something of that magnitude.
Sounds fuller, more bass....not sure that overall volume is the best way to describe it. It's a 15 amp circuit, 14 gauge, lots of loads and daisychained recepticals, the biggest of which is a dehumidifier.
 
My house was built in the 50's and have a mix of open ground and closed ground receptacles. Previous owner didn't bother rewiring the house after doing a partial remodel. Comcast cable is a pain in the a**. You can hear the hum disappear after unplugging the coax but they keep saying its not their problem..so I have an electrician coming this Thursday to put a dedicated 20A circuit and Isolated ground for my A/V gear and will purchase a decent power conditioner as well. XFINITY and PGE will be hearing from me if the problem persists..
 
This is actually easier to do now.. than ever since you have so many home improvement stores to supply you with necessities. I would advise you review basice AC wiring and some of the codes.

If you take it this far, go ahead and design a rack or unit to hold your components. I never have seen the use in massive wiring with no where to go or attach. A basic wood frame will make it easier to attach the hardware as well.

If not sure about the electrical fundamentals.. do a "YouTube"search or Google the subject. It will save you some time in correcting potentially dangerous hook ups. It will also ensure you wire a "clean" supply so your good hifi system is not poisoned by line IF and the like.
 
U guys screwing with ur wiring better b careful, u mentioned making sure ur audio circuits are on the same phase, I hope they aren't multiwire branch circuits sharing the same neutral, you can overload the neutral and cause a fire. I also don't think duplex Recs are listed to be connected to #10 wire. Plus you can't put a 20 amp rec on a 30 amp circuit. Be careful u guys, ur family is living there too
 
I have installed several isolated ground circuits in churches and other commercial buildings specifically for sound systems. The ground is isolated from the equipment ground, and goes all the way back to an isolation transformer(same voltage going in as coming out) in the electrical room. Eliminates feedback and noise on the line.

receptacles look like this:

00450b9f-1b8d-4420-987f-95bdbbdafe4a_1000.jpg
 
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