Tweakers' Asylum

Sourcing power?

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Scottson

A

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 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 (a single duplex outlet). I have three power amps, 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?

Follow Ups:

RE: Sourcing power? - Scottson 20:49:55 12/14/10 (7)
Nothing? Nothing at all ...?
- You will have to try the alternatives. - Al Sekela 15:17:38 12/16/10 (6)
  A dedicated circuit is good, but sharing power and source components on a single circuit is bad. We can't tell how your non-dedicated circuits will work for source components compared to placing all components on the dedicated circuit: too much depends on the details of how the circuits and fixtures were installed, the state of contact corrosion, the noise from non-audio loads, etc.
  
  It is pretty clear that all the power should come from one leg of the incoming service. Check the AC voltage between the hot terminals of the dedicated and non-dedicated circuits. It should be zero if all are on the same leg. It will be about 240 volts if they are on opposite legs.
  
  If you have to use the dedicated circuit alone, look for series filter power conditioning for the noisy source components, and run the power amps directly from the mains.
  - RE: You will have to try the alternatives. - Scottson 18:43:58 12/16/10 (5)
    Thanks for your post Al. The 20Amp circuit & one 15Amp circuit are on the same incoming leg. I was contemplating putting the power amp, monoblocks & powered subwoofers on the 20Amp circuit & the source components & preamps on the 15Amp circuit. If I were to do that, would it be a big problem to put the HT gear - TV & DVR - on the other 15Amp circuit (not on the same leg)? They are connected to the preamp by an HDMI cable & will source a/c through a separate surge/conditioning unit.
    - It will work, but may not be optimal. - Al Sekela 10:18:51 12/17/10 (4)
      Video gear usually has switching power supplies that are always on, so that the equipment can respond to the remote control. Try listening to your system with the video gear turned off, unplugged, and disconnected from the audio system altogether. Listen to some revealing recordings, then listen again with the video gear connected.
      
      I'm going to guess that simply plugging the video gear into the AC will cause degradation, no matter which side of the AC service you use.
      - RE: It will work, but may not be optimal. - Scottson 10:30:59 12/17/10 (3)
        
        In Reply to: RE: It will work, but may not be optimal. posted by Al Sekela on December 17, 2010 at 10:18:51
        
        Thanks Al. Yes, the DVR/Cable box combo is an "always on" device & the TV is usually on stand-by. Hence my thinking about plugging it into a different leg. I wasn't asking about sound degradation as much as much as surge dangers - would it be a big problem to plug the HT gear into a separate leg of the circuit?
        
        Not a safety problem at all. - Al Sekela 10:56:42 12/17/10 (2)
        
        In Reply to: RE: It will work, but may not be optimal. posted by Scottson on December 17, 2010 at 10:30:59
        
        Try it both ways and see which sounds better. There is no safety issue to worry about.
        
        I'm still thinking you will like the audio performance better with the video gear completely disconnected.
        
        RE: Not a safety problem at all. - Scottson 12:07:08 12/17/10 (1)
        
        In Reply to: RE: Not a safety problem at all. posted by Al Sekela on December 17, 2010 at 10:56:42
        
        Ok, I'll give it a whirl & see which I prefer. Many thanks for your help Al.
        
        RE: Not a safety problem at all. - finnman500@hotmail.com 14:22:52 01/17/11 (0)
        
        In Reply to: RE: Not a safety problem at all. posted by Scottson on December 17, 2010 at 12:07:08
        
        Chances are all the wall receptacles in any given room are all served from the same breaker in the distribution panel. Therefore, I suggest installing a dedicated 20 amp line from the breaker panel to the one dedicated outlet to be installed.
        If you rent this could be problematic but if you own your home, I strongly recommend you bite the bullet and go the distance here as you will be rewarded exponentially
        If you must share the power source with video gear or use your surround system for high-end audio as well then by all means turn everything you are not using off as even a small current draw elsewhere will affect what your amplifiers 'see'.
        
        Regardless of what you do or don't do, I strongly recommend you replace your main feed outlet with a FURUTECH GTX-D gold receptacle. These are pricey: about $200. but worth every penny and then some as the difference this will make in your stereo performance is like night and day. I am not a dealer for Furutech. It was suggested to me, I tried it and was absolutely floored with the results. Truly, the best $200. I ever spent on audio.

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