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Dedicated 20 amp/ground loop question

Hi all.....I am getting ready to start construction on a new home and I am trying to get all the plans ready for the electrician for a dedicated 2 channel music/library. I am planning on having the speakers on the end of the room (18 X 23) and a McIntosh MC352 amplifier placed in between the speakers on a stand. I would like the rest of the equipment on one of the side walls so I can run 1 set of balanced ICs to the front and that's it.

I am planning on having the electrician do the dedicated circuit(s) to this room....I've read on here about the existence of ground loops if you run 2 or more dedicated lines. I was plannning on having one dedicated line to the digital/preamp/etc. on the side wall, and one dedicated line to the McIntosh amplifier. Does anyone know if this arrangement would have a good chance of producing a ground loop since the receptacles will be separated from each other in the room?
audioguy3107
drtmth58
66 posts
 
I have two dedicated 20 amp lines in my listening room configured in precisely the same way that you are planning to install yours and my system is absolutely dead silent. Moreover, I have four additional dedicated 20 amp lines in other rooms throughout the rest of the house for two large-screen TVs and accessories.
buff's avatar
buff
207 posts
 
I likewise have 2 dedicated 20a lines in my reference room with 4 others throughout the hosue and no noise issues or loops.

If you are building have them do a separate sub panel for the audio/vido lines throughout the house.
sidssp
1,077 posts
 
It all depends on the distance between the outlets and the circuit breakers, the type of wire being used, and the workmanship of the electrician. If you use good quality wire and parts, and your electrician does everything by the book and doesn't cut corner, you shouldn't have ground loop problem.
nsgarch's avatar
nsgarch
2,517 posts
 
You should be just fine but here are some additional tips:
> Run 2 dedicated lines to the side location. One for anything digital (meaning anything with a DAC in it ;-) and the other line for everythng else.
> Run 2 dedicated lines to the amplifier end of the room: one behind/beside each speaker location; and then extend one of those lines to another receptacle midpoint on the back wall. Why? It will only cost another $200+ to do it now, and it will allow you the flexibility of going to monoblock amps and/or powered speakers (like MartinLogans) in the future.
> Make sure you tell your electrician you want all dedicated circuits on the same phase (i.e. all the dedicated circuits' breakers on the same side of the neutral buss at the panel.)
> Size everything (breakers, wire, and receptacles) for 20A service.

Also, since this is new construction, you might want to ask your electrician to provide a couple of (minimum 2" diameter) empty conduits (plastic with no sharp bends) going from the floor (or wall) behind your preamp and coming up out of the floor behind each speaker location. These are for your long interconnects from preamp to amp(s). (Make sure he leaves pull cords inside them ;-)
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