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What's Wrong With ROMEX??

Would appreciate some feedback and comments about a question I have regarding dedicated power supply lines.

I just got off the phone with a very well respected tech who's known by many audiophile electronic engineer types around the country. We spoke about whether it made much sense to invest a boodle into "big name" dedicated power cables that would run from my circuit breaker box to my stereo. Or, would a couple runs of plain old 10 or 12 guage romex be good enough?

He said there's a lot of hype and audiophile insecurity out there. That is . . . many believe that if you don't spend a lot on a tweak or piece of gear, it therefore can't be good. Bottom line: standard romex would be fine. However, he did recommend getting high grade "spec" sockets that will grip the business end of a power cord. He also thought a decent power conditioner was worth the money.

I'd appreciate some comments and opinions. Thanks
bifwynne
onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
4,163 posts
 
Sounds reasonable to me. At the same time, if you're constructing from ground up the cost of "better" than Romex is negligible.

Some things are just cool to do regardless of whether they make any real sense or not.
czbbcl's avatar
czbbcl
1,699 posts
 
Romex is fine as are hospital grade outlets.
onemug
784 posts
 
I don't worry about the Romex in the walls. I do think about proximity effect.

Like campfires:
Put your feet in one, you'll be in a world of hurt.
Sit right next to one, you can feel the warmth.
20 feet away, what heat?

So, I like the idea of the "last few feet" of cable connecting my amp (close proximity) to be better than the Romex in the wall or the miles of copper going back to the Electric Co.

I want a wall plug that will screw down on the Romex (hate push on connections) and grips the male end of the plug tight. On the ends of the pc, I want good connectors (I don't like Nickel anywhere).

That's all I want and have. I agree with your tech for the most part.
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