Electrical Power to MC 1.2K's

[mosttoysrsk]

I'm finally going to pull in a dedicated line to my 1.2K's...
Currently my entire system is running off of one 15Amp circuit.
I have never had the circuit breaker flip... I have seen the 1.2K's pulling over 600 watts on the meters.

I was going to pull 2 20 AMP lines in and use 1 line for both amps and one line for the rest of my system.

Should I pull three 20 amp lines in? or 2 15 AMP lines for the MC 1.2 K's and 1 20 amp line for the balance of my components?

What's the average cost most paid to pull new lines into a room?

Is there anything I should request when pulling a new line in?

[j3brow]

I suggest (3) 20 amp lines. (1) for each MC1.2KW and (1) for rest of system. Some caveats to keep in mind. Use 10 gauge romex if possible as opposed to the standard 12 gauge. Keep all dedicated lines oh the same phase (aka same leg) at breaker box. And keep the lines the same length from breaker box to outlet. Buy upgraded outlets too.

You are in for a significant improvement to your system. Especially with your power hungry MC1.2KW's. The power on tap is not only benefit. Your stereo will not be saddled by line "grunge" placed by common household components/appliances.

Cost depends on your situation. How difficult install. Etc. I spent around $1k. Others have only spent a few hundred. I only hire crews I trust and with that comes higher cost of business.

[crwilli]

+1 on the three separate circuits and upgraded outlets. You will never look back.

[Yamaki]

I recently had two (2) 20-amp circuits priced at $680.

Keep in mind that access and length of runs determine labor hours needed to do the install. Breakers, wires and outlets are not that expensive.

I spent $102 for materials, labor came out at $578 for approx. 5 hours of work. My runs were identical (used a quad outlet) at 30 feet each inside a garage where the front wall is the common wall between the garage and the room my gear was in. All I had to do was move a workbench and a toolbox. Contractor had a 20' run down the side of the garage and a 10' run along the common wall. The wire pull was easy and accessing the front and back of the common wall was also a breeze.

If access is harder, if they have to pull cable through walls or crawlspaces your costs will substantially increase.

[Masterlu]

Originally Posted by j3brow

I suggest (3) 20 amp lines. (1) for each MC1.2KW and (1) for rest of system. Some caveats to keep in mind. Use 10 gauge romex if possible as opposed to the standard 12 gauge. Keep all dedicated lines oh the same phase (aka same leg) at breaker box. And keep the lines the same length from breaker box to outlet. Buy upgraded outlets too.

You are in for a significant improvement to your system. Especially with your power hungry MC1.2KW's. The power on tap is not only benefit. Your stereo will not be saddled by line "grunge" placed by common household components/appliances.

Cost depends on your situation. How difficult install. Etc. I spent around $1k. Others have only spent a few hundred. I only hire crews I trust and with that comes higher cost of business.

Jason is spot on!

[tom_hankins]

I've gone three 20 amp lines in my last two rooms. Two for mono amps and one for rest of system. Has worked out great both times

[Still-One]

I have 3 twenty amp lines into my 2 channel room. As I had to rotate by speakers, amps and components one wall over when I moved up to the Alexandria's one run is now useless. For a couple of years I used the other two runs for my gear. A few months ago I wanted to clean up the power cable runs so I disconnected my amps from the 20 amp circuits and plugged them back into a non-dedicated run. I can honestly say there is no difference. For several reasons if I wanted to move two of the two amp runs behind my speakers and amps I would have to call in a electrician, have drywall repairs performed and have the room painted. That is not a priority with how good it sounds.

[BuffaloBill]

The most important aspect of dedicated lines is wire size (current - less resistance). 10 AWG minimum - 8 AWG if possible.

[mosttoysrsk]

Ok I am going to go with three 20 Amp lines...
One wall of my sound room is a shared wall with my garage so to pull the wires and put outlets on that wall would make the run shorter and easier than placing the outlets behind my MC 1.2K's. (since my electrical box is in the garage )
The electricians would have to remove dry wall to pull the lines through and place outlets behind the 1.2K's but the power cord to the amps would only be about 3-4 feet vs 10-11 feet if I placed the plugs on the adjoining garage wall.
Aesthetics aside is there much difference running a longer power cord?

[mchydro]

Darn, I ran 12 guage for my 1.2KWs. The walls are still open. Big improvement with 10 guage or 8 guage? My runs are only like 20 feet long so it would be that big of a deal to do I guess.

I don't like compromising performance at all.