July 17, 2000
Subject: Electrical wiring in a new house
My wife and I will be purchasing a new home in
the near future. Until recently I had never considered asking a builder to install
dedicated power lines for my listening room. Do you have any suggestions for what I should
consider? For example, what current capacity should I ask for? 20 amp? Should I use
separate lines for source components and power amps? What about outlets? The WattaGate
outlets are highly praised, but at $249 a piece, I wonder about them. What type of wiring
should I use? And lastly, what tips can you give for verifying that the builder has
actually installed everything correctly? I look forward to your response.
Galen Valentine
Dear Galen:
When it comes to fooling around with
electricity, I like to defer to the experts, so I contacted Les Edelberg of Audio Power Industries,
who has forgotten more about that whole shocking subject than I’ve ever learned.
(Don’t worry, none of this is the stuff he’s forgotten -- I need all the
eyeballs this website can attract, so I’m not about to risk frying you with anything
risky.)
Les and Wes both emphatically insist
that you get a licensed electrician to do the work. "This ensures that the proper
materials are used and that all work is done to conform with both local and national
electrical codes," Les said. "It also addresses the question about how one can
be sure everything was done properly -- a licensed electrician won't do it any other
way!"
Les said that, for almost all home
systems, one or two 20-amp lines will provide all the power that is required. However, if
two circuits are run, they should be from the same phase of the breaker panel. "The
primary benefit of dedicated lines," Les said, "is that they aren't shared with
other noise generators in the home, such as kitchen appliances, light dimmers or
heating/air conditioning equipment. A secondary benefit is that you get nice, new, clean,
tight connections throughout, including new receptacles and breakers."
But what receptacles to use?
"High-grade commercial quality is quite satisfactory," Les elaborated, "but
upgraded receptacles can provide an improvement in contact quality." Hubbell
hospital-grade connectors are well known to audiophiles, but most electrical parts
companies make something of similar quality. "Minimum wire gauge and type is dictated
by local electrical codes," Les reminded me. "Going one step up in wire gauge is
worth consideration, provided the electrician will run it. In some cases, the heavier
gauges cannot be run in existing installations."
As to the WattaGate, I personally
haven’t heard it, so I can’t say whether it sounds better than hospital-grade
connections. As you say, it sure is pricey -- four of ‘em total more than my recent
CD-player purchase. Personally, I’d rather have the player.
ATB...Wes
Date: July 14, 2000
Subject: Second-hand gear
I was sorry to see you leave Stereophile,
but I'm glad to see you on the Web. Regarding power conditioners, I've had great results
with the Monster HTS2000. This should be in the reach of a lot of people.
Also, I was wondering. There is a lot of great
second-hand gear out there that needs a good home. Any thoughts on this? It could get a
lot of people into the game without breaking the bank. I was lucky enough to pick up, in
mint condition, a Krell PAM-3. It has a lovely phono section. I was wondering how this
unit would hold up with today’s units. It seems quite musical. Another unit I enjoyed
was the N.E.W. P3, a single-ended-triode preamp that can probably be picked up at a
bargain now, I believe the company may have ceased production. Have you heard this unit?
Discontinued speaker lines offer great value and second-hand speaker wires can be good
buys too. Just some thoughts.
Enough for now. I can only guess how busy you
must be. Regards from Malagash, Nova Scotia, home of Jost wines and the warmest water
north of the Carolinas. All the best on your website and for sharing your love of this
wonderful, crazy world of music addiction.
Regards,
Lloyd Smith
Dear Lloyd:
I’ve heard good things about the
Monster power conditioners, and you’re right that their pricing should make them very
accessible. Still, I’d recommend anyone contemplating a power conditioner to reach an
understanding with a dealer before committing -- a home demo is crucial. If you can’t
return it after a trial, look elsewhere.
As to second-hand gear, I’m a
huge believer! My original Quads were purchased used, as were the Levinson stands I
supported them on, and the Marantz 8Bs I drove ‘em with (I used one channel from each
amp, since I was never able to score a pair of 9s.) In fact, until I started working at a
hi-fi store, almost all of the really good equipment I had was pre-owned.
The great thing about high-end
products is that their superior build quality and component parts tend to make them
long-lived. They hold up. And good stuff doesn’t get less good, when first adopters
are clamoring for the latest and greatest.
You do need to be careful though --
stuff with moving parts (speakers, CD players, tape decks, turntables) can wear out. And
sometimes, the average performance of a whole class of components gets demonstrably
better. It’s a lot harder these days to buy a bad-sounding speaker than it used to
be, and even run-of-the mill CD players now outperform the priciest mid-'80s models.
Thanks for writing,
ATB...Wes
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