Hi-Fi power supply improvements.

[twelvebears]

Folks.

My system is now very perminantly located in a house that we're going to own for a LONG time, so I'm now considering doing something to improve the mains supply arrangements.

At the moment I've got the common multi-way (admittedly a good one) feeding all components from a single wall socket and I'm sure it's really not doing the sound any favours.

I'm interested in hearing from anyone who's installed a dedecated spur as this is something I could do easily as the main consumer unit is in the same room.

Would also like to hear suggestions on suitable sockets/cable etc.

[Ammonite Audio]

My mate Steve (Snoopdog) has just done this in his house, so hopefully he'll chip in with some thoughts.

[DSJR]

A good electrician will advise best legal practise, but I've had good results (on gear that is sensitive to it) having a dedicated 30A ring with a number of unswitched sockets mounted neatly on a suitable board, an isolating switch covering the whole assembly.

I didn't like a "spur" arrangement, but others have no difficulty at all, so it's up to you..

[Stratmangler]

Recent thread about it http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=5105

Chris

[Mike Reed]

STEVE

I would suggest you read that recent thread obligingly linked by Chris above.

For what it's worth, my contribution is on page 4.

Seriously, I think you need to very carefully consider what you may need in the future, as it'll be cheaper to get it done at one go.

Find the route any cables have to take from your meter (or near it) to the hifi area. If this entails going outside the house, you'll need hefty armoured cable (just one!!!)

10mm twin & earth is considered best otherwise; one for each piece of kit is as good as it gets. Hard-wiring mains leads to patresses near your hifi is, in my opinion, better than sockets, plugs and fuses because you are protected by an RCBO in the consumer unit and the fuse in your kit. Others may disagree that this is enough security, though.

Your electrician, don't forget, is just that; an electrician. NOT a hifi mains installer, so it's best to know what you want before calling him in.

Another way is to run one bloody great cable into the hifi area and site your consumer unit there. Still prefer one cable - one mains lead - one piece of kit, though.

[Snoopdog]

My mate Steve (Snoopdog) has just done this in his house, so hopefully he'll chip in with some thoughts.

My meter and incoming supply is situated in a cupboard under the stairs and is only a short journey through the wall into my now, dedicated, music room.

My specification was only for a single socket supply in the listening room, situated by the hi fi equipment stand. I favoured a dual radial supply from a dedicated consumer unit, rather than a spur and this is what I ended up with.

The components used were a MEM AP4 consumer unit fitted with a single MEM MBH132 B32A MCB with MR30 field fit RCBO kit. There is of course room for three additional MCB/RCBO's if I wished to expand the number of dedicated cale feeds in the future. Anyone considering more spurs/dual radials, should specify a six way or larger consumer unit.

Instead of heavy guage T&E cable I went with an RS Components twin shielded cable with 20amp rating (identical to that used by MusicWorks for their ReCoil mains power cord. Two identical 1.8M runs originate at the MEM consumer unit and terminate at a rather expensive outlet called 'The Lens' designed by Paul Chand and incorporating high precision ceramic isolation bearings, a floating alluminium alloy front plate and solid PTFE middle and rear section. The idea being to attempt to isolate the socket outlet from vibrations in the wall. The RS cable shield is connected to earth at the CU end only, so acts as a drain rather than a shielded cable.

If anyone is interested I will post some pictures of the installation.

The result has been very satisfying with much greater detail retrieval and noise reduction compared to the house ring main.

I use a Vertex Elbrus mains balanced PSU to supply my hi fi with power from the single wall outlet.

Steve

[Mike Reed]

My specification was only for a single socket supply in the listening room, situated by the hi fi equipment stand. I favoured a dual radial supply from a dedicated consumer unit, rather than a spur and this is what I ended up with.

Instead of heavy guage T&E cable I went with an RS Components twin shielded cable with 20amp rating (identical to that used by MusicWorks for their ReCoil mains power cord. Two identical 1.8M runs originate at the MEM consumer unit and terminate at a rather expensive outlet called 'The Lens' designed by Paul Chand and incorporating high precision ceramic isolation bearings, a floating alluminium alloy front plate and solid PTFE middle and rear section.

The idea being to attempt to isolate the socket outlet from vibrations in the wall.

The RS cable shield is connected to earth at the CU end only, so acts as a drain rather than a shielded cable.


Steve

This one baffles me, I'm afraid, Steve.

Firstly, do you live on a tectonic plate fault line, or even have heavy lorries rumble past, shaking your house? I can't imagine ordinary unswitched sockets, plugs and fuses interrupting the flow much in a 'trembling' wall. If this is indeed possible, then more's the case for hard-wiring, surely, or maybe a 'floating' socket (not attached to the wall).

Secondly, you mention 'dual radial' supply as opposed to 'spur', whereas it's evident that you only have ONE radial circuit (though I may have got the wrong end of the stick here). A SPUR is an offshoot from an established ring main, I believe (although the word is commonly misused).

Thirdly, as I (and most people who have installed a la Roy Riches' philosophy) have 32 amp RCBOs in my C U, I imagine you must have a much lower specified breaker/RCD (20 amp?) to match your lower specified cable.

I must admit, Steve, that I've not come across this method for dedicated mains before (not that I'm an expert in any sense). That your installation shows marked improvement on your previous ring mains connection, however, surely evidences the benefits of ANY approach to isolating one's hifi from the domestic supply.

[Ali Tait]

Yes,generally,a spur is a single cable to a socket tapped off an existing
ring circuit.A radial circuit is a socket run from a cable direct from your consumer unit.

[twelvebears]

Yes,generally,a spur is a single cable to a socket tapped off an existing
ring circuit.A radial circuit is a socket run from a cable direct from your consumer unit.

Thanks Ali, that explains the difference nicely and a radial circuit is what I'll be going for.

[Marco]

Yes,generally,a spur is a single cable to a socket tapped off an existing
ring circuit.A radial circuit is a socket run from a cable direct from your consumer unit.

Mmm...... Thanks, Ali. I'll need to remember that. Whenever I refer to my dedicated mains set-up as a "separate spur", what I really mean is a radial circuit!

The only difference is, my 'radial circuit' is a 16mm armoured cable direct from my incoming mains supply straight into a dedicated CU for my system, which all the mains leads for my components are then hard-wired into with individual 63A MCBs - there ain't no 'socket run'

Marco.

P.S Steve, mate, got your PM - been busy, but will reply later!