Benefits of dedicated lines for amp performance


I tentatively and blindly bought an LSA Signature integrated a few months ago. I owned an ARC VS-110 about a decade ago for about six minutes and with that extensive and incredibly deep tube experience, I almost immediately rolled out the EH 6922's for Amperex 7308's (from Upscale Audio - who had a lengthy and enlightening conversation with me beforehand, even talking me out of buying the more expensive Telefunkens).

The sound became a bit more warm, a bit wider. Like the difference between a Sapphire martini and a Frangelica on the rocks. The latter was a drink I made the woman who eventually decided to marry me several years ago. She's warm, though not too wide. I mean, she just gave birth to our second son so I'm cutting her a break here.

The LSA has an incredible stage and delivery in of itself, so I was happy and whiled away many a late night grading papers and surrounding myself with virtually 3-dimensional music. When I wasn't changing diapers or grabbing a few hours' sleep now and then, that is. Hi-end and newborns tend not to coexist too easily. And no matter how loud you turn up the volume, that nagging parental responsibility and guilt never seem to go away.

This is why au-pairs were invented.

However, since we live in a house built 'round 1940, just about everything is off of four circuits. The amp in the basement is on the same circuit as the kitchen microwave, the fridge, the dining room lights, the neighbor's hair-dryer, the lights in the park up the street, Pyongyang strip clubs, etc. So there was always bunch of dirty power and transformer hum in the LSA from some source or another.

I know - first world problems galore.

But then I got a great deal off of Angie's list and had some electrical work done, including installing a dedicated line from the wall socket to the breaker box. And then I re-installed everything, positioned the Reference 3A's, and played Anat Cohen's 'Clarescuro" cd, followed by Rush's "Moving Pictures".

Wow. HUGE soundstage; crisp upper end; unfettered mid-range; incredibly improved and tightened bass. Simply a very different projection than before. Think a Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster but without the hang-over. Short of upgrading speakers, this was as good as I was going to get. And the LSA was dead silent, both through the speakers with no input going on, and in the transformer department.

The actual work on that circuit cost us less than $200 and was one of the best "tweaks" I've ever done. If you're sources aren't running off a dedicated line, look into how much it would cost to have one run. It makes a world of difference.
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Dedicated lines make sense. I've used power conditioners with good current reserve and it also helps a lot.
Question: will a power conditioner make a noticeable improvement or change in a dedicated line?
Oh yes a power conditioner will improve things by reducing the line noise even further.
I have dedicated lines and adding power conditioning still made noticeable improvements. I suppose results will vary depending on the quality of the electricity coming into your home, but that's just a guess.
For either a non-dedicated line, or for a dedicated line, to gain the benefits of power conditioning without current limiting it is a good idea to check out the Mapleshade power strip/conditioner plugged into the dedicated AC line.
Next, for the exalted price of $12, plug into the remaining unused socket the provocatively named "Flying Saucer" from Machina Dynamica which enhances beyond what the conditioner has already accomplished.
Then, for a few more $12 increments of audio upgrade, plug some of these into unused outlets in the listening room, or elsewhere in the residence.
The total cost is reasonable and you get to hear impressive performance enhancement.