Dedicated mains feed

Would a dedicated mains radial need to have its own CU after a split from a Henley block?
Or could it run from a spare fuse/MCB in the existing CU?

Thanks

Neil

Dont take my word for it, but from what I have read, dedicated is better, but we always have to make compromises, and off the main CU I would still imagine will give you some benefits. If you haven’t done it yet, then try for another CU if possible. There may be others with experience of this that can advise on the SQ improvement with an existing CU.

Thankyou

Hi Neil, Most of the work involved with this is usually in the running of the cable(s) from the CU location to the socket(s) where the Hi-Fi is located. For the minimal extra expense of a dedicated CU and the Henley blocks to split the existing tails from the meter (and a block to split the incoming earth), it’s worth doing. You only want to do this once so you may as well do it properly in the first place.

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Having tried both, I found a dedicated circuit from the main consumer unit to be of little or no use. Running it from its own CU taken directly from split meter tails made a big difference.

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Best to have a dedicated CU. Connection to existing tails can be done by a Henley Block.

Thank you to all the contributors on this topic. I now have 10mm cooker wire, Hager consumer unit, type c breaker and a fancy mk switchless socket making my 272, xps dr, 250.2dr sound even more lovely. Well worth doing- enhanced bass, greater clarity of instruments on classical recording particularly
, just sounds better, sorry I’m not very good at describing improved sound quality.
Thanks for the advice and thoroughly recommend this to all forum members

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Perhaps I should also add that this replaced a dedicated radial spur with ordinary cable, a silver plated unswitched socket , connected to its own lcd on the existing house consumer unit which sounded good but following recommendations here has made a significant improvement

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Well done John, I think this has been a good article for others to follow to.

Hello @anon4489532

Somewhere either on this thread or another (I actually think twas another) you provided a succinct outline of what your dedicated mains consisted of. Could you please point me in it’s direction? I can’t find it.

Thanks

Henley block to split the tails. Consumer unit with 50amp type C breaker. 10mm2 cable to unswitched MK socket. Take the earth from the new CU right back to the meter, using thick cable, don’t piggy back off the existing CU.

If I got £5 for every time I wrote this I’d be rich!

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All part of your valuable service!

When you say MK socket, do you mean a 13amp outlet?

Yes, the thing you put the plugs into on the wall. Unswitched.

MK is the make. In the UK they are well regarded.

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…or Crabtree (slightly more expensive but proven, and endorsed by RKR). Actually if you want something more shouty to match the RB 3000 on the P10, I can recommend the following…

no detrimental affects on SQ :wink:

I have a proper U.K. made Crabtree, but understood that they were now cheap poor quality rubbish, with MK being far superior.

Crabtree definitely cheaper than MK in my suppliers. :thinking:

Thanks

@Bart I’m also in the USA. South of you. Anyway very simple. You want a 20amp breaker, single 10x2 awg cable to a single duplex 20amp high quality outlet like an Oyaide or Furutech. I have two one to the front of the room one to the side. The trick is one breaker, one cable, one outlet. PS: ignore all the other Jibber Jabber from the Non US folks since they have very different wiring schemes.

I’m less concerned about pollution from outside supply as I am in our actual house. My system is at the end of the ‘line’ so to speak and is utter crap (the electric!). When I had my 300/SC etc, it would trip the electric when I turned the lot back on in quick succession. As it is, when the oven goes on I hear a short sputter as the electric coughs.