A/C outlets?

[zaphod]

i have heard (and i can't for the life of me find it now) that a receptacle with isolated ground is preferable to one without.

 

[Speedskater]

i have heard (and i can't for the life of me find it now) that a receptacle with isolated ground is preferable to one without.

Only in building that use metal conduit (EMT) or metal flex or the wall framing is metal. In those cases, sometimes ground currents from other circuits flow through your A/V power grounds. If your house is wired with Romex® (NM) or plastic conduit, then an isolated ground servers no purpose.

 

[zaphod]

ah, gotcha. probably says so in that article i can't locate ....

thanks.

 

[Gordon Gray]

I have seen some Freaks on the Asylum that actually got all the flavors of outlets & make sound? Judgements?

Bill,

Again lots of subjectivity and I think, vodoo here. But who knows if you subscribe to the theory that everything in audio makes a difference. Of course, the bottom line is whether you can hear it or not. And if you hear it, is it better or worse?

Having said that, I've just installed my DIY DH Labs Power Plus wire with the bottom of the line Wattgate connectors.

Assuming I prefer over my Mapleshade PC's, I plan on replacing my AC outlet and Wattgate terminations with something that is alleged to be of higher quality, read better sounding. Probably copper at this time although I've read that silver offers the lowest resistance to electrical flow.

I need to spend some time getting used to the current sound so I have some basis for making an informed judgement, if possible in my system, regarding the difference.

More to follow.

Gordon

 

[Speedskater]

ah, gotcha. probably says so in that article i can't locate ....
thanks.

For everything that you need to know about AC power wiring and Audio/Video rooms, the following papers total about 145 pages and are well worth reading.

The Bill Whitlock of Jensen Transformers Seminar paper
http://www.jensen-transformers.com/an/generic seminar.pdf

The Jim Brown of Audio Systems Group white paper
"Power and Grounding for Audio and Audio/Video Systems"
http://www.audiosystemsgroup.com/SurgeXPowerGround.pdf

"Power White Paper" from Middle Atlantic.com
http://www.middleatlantic.com/power.htm

or a different version of the same paper

"The TRUTH" from ExactPower of Middle Atlantic Products
http://www.exactpower.com/elite/wpapers.aspx

 

[zaphod]

cool thanks.

 

[invenio]

When I built my home theater room I had the option of doing the wiring any way I wanted so I have three separate lines going to the room. I used both 20 amp "hospital grade" outlets and standard ones (for different locations in the room). Frankly, there is no difference in sound that I can appreciate. The only advantage of the 20 amp one is if your using multiple large amps and you need the power. Just about any 2 channel setup can run fine on a 15 amp connector.

As a side note on what "hospital grade" means. I think it actually refers to how tightly the male plug is held in the connector. They have to make sure the the plug doesn't come out if a certain weight is dropped from a certain distance and pulls the cord. I recall reading this when I was researching the connectors (that was over a year ago) but I may be wrong.

 

[Speedskater]

The only significant difference between a 15 Amp and a 20 Amp receptacle is the shape of the plug that can be inserted. Most of the internal parts are identical. The few that are not identical are made from the same material stock.

The two good reasons for getting 20 Amp receptacles are:
You have some equipment with 20 Amp plugs.
It's easier to purchase high quality 20 Amp receptacles. (15 amp units are not always stocked).

 

[MrBT]

Just keep in mind when you decide to change your outlets:

You can't put a 20 amp receptacle on a 15 amp circuit. But you can put a 15 amp receptacle on a 20 amp circuit. For 20A receptacle you also need 12ga wire on 20A breaker. Otherwise is against NEC code and propably won't make much sense.

 

[invenio]

Just keep in mind when you decide to change your outlets:

You can't put a 20 amp receptacle on a 15 amp circuit. But you can put a 15 amp receptacle on a 20 amp circuit. For 20A receptacle you also need 12ga wire on 20A breaker. Otherwise is against NEC code and propably won't make much sense.

That's important. As I mentioned before when I talked about wiring my Home Theater room with 3 separate lines, they have wiring for 20A but I use 15A receptacles on some of them.

 

[greg2putt]

Fabulous links... but a few questions remain.

I've uploaded some files that hopefully provide a more impactful view of my vision.
The Excel files contain some equipment details plus also some greenfield NC new house plans with the approximate location of speakers and equipment rack.
I'm really concerned that I get wiring right since stick-built home with cement foundation so once concrete is poured and walls are up I'm pretty locked in.

Some questions for example -- should I put power outlets for Summits on floor of room but then can or should they be terminated in closet into the Panamax power conditioner?
Also, I plan on putting Control4 in rack with AMPS, Olive 6HD, PrePro (yet to buy since this is still moving to fast).
I also will be buying AMPS for Stage, Fresco I, Passage and outdoor JBL Control30 speakers, with all of this equipment going in rack.
It also begs the question, should I buy an Anthem P5 for the 5.1 system but then when just playing Summits in 2 channel what happens to the other 3 P5 AMP units ?? Do they draw current or are they 'asleep'.
I would then have to find a purpose for the Jeff Rowland 201s, which I love with the Summits.... but to use with Passage or JBL Control maybe overkill?

Lots of questions to be answered before breaking ground in summer of 2014.

Thanks again,

Greg



Thanks in advance
Greg - Carolina Dreaming.

 

[Speedskater]

"Greg" your chart doesn't have enough font resolution for me to follow all the info.

How do the generator and power company interface.

It's good to have all the Audio/Video equipment on one power system or circuits and lighting & appliances on another.

"Daisy Chain", Star and "Home Run" wiring systems can be done many wrong ways.
It's best to use a combination of systems that reduces the length of the wire from unit to unit.
A true "Daisy Chain" with it's wires running all over the room is a bad idea.

 

[greg2putt]

Hi Speedskater,

I've reposted my questions and added some new attachments which take you farther into my dilemmas and opportunities.

Thanks for commenting!