Dedicated mains - Survey

I don’t think it’s possible to fully understand the relationship between SQ and the physics of a system.

Not even Einstein could do that.

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Agreed. Burn in being another example. Also I unplugged my system during recent thunderstorms and it took a week for it to get back to 100% performance (Jas Gould told me that the consensus at HQ is that the S1 takes 3 weeks to return to it’s best after a lengthy power down :flushed:). I don’t want to believe it/them but my ears tell my brain that it’s a real phenomena.

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That’s good to know. I’ve come across some very good electricians, but also come across who just like to do a basic house re-wire with little or no complication. Going back to my electricians course, there were a few people that really struggled with basic maths, and particularly basic equations such as V=IR. Of course when you take the exam at the end, you only need to score about 60%'ish to pass, so they did get through. In many respects bringing in “Part P” registration does add some confidence in your electricians work.

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@GadgetMan
Absolutely agree I’ve had various trades here recently and they want to do as little as possible for maximum bucks.
Unless it’s worth getting yourself ripped off they’ll find an excuse not to do it. :-1:t2:

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Thanks all, really feedback and armed me with the right questions to go and ask my electrician. I can confirm I have TT Mains supply (Separate Neutral & Earth) as opposed to TNC (Neutral and Earth Combined).

The opinion of my electrician is that given he has just installed a brand new Earth spike from the main consumer unit, he doesn’t think that there would be the same benefit installing a dedicated spike for my hi-fi as there would if I was on a TNC system. However, it is something he would do if I wanted - views?

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I feel that just about all of the construction apprenticeships are watered down now. For example the number of young plasterers that can’t rough and skim coat a wall is shocking. They just skim. I don’t suppose there’s much call for earth spikes these days as for the last 40 years all new builds have PME supplies. Also obsessive hifi nuts aren’t the norm.

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Go with your electricians advise IMO. You are very fortunate to still be on a TT supply. Enjoy!

It’s exactly like I said in my last post they make you pay for extra for it and obviously he wouldn’t do it if against regs.
My house has a spike as it was discovered many years ago that on checking when we got a new meter that the earth was non existent :scream:
Everyone tells me how lucky I am to have a spike so I don’t mind.
There are lots of people that rave about it.

Thanks - Going back to my earlier post, I live in a 1930s Art Deco era house and much of the wiring (and plumbing) dates back to then. We had the place rewired when we moved in, just to bring it up to modern standards, but the extension afforded the opportunity to add a dedicated radial

Electrical hurdle overcome, next challenge, how do I convince SWMBO that a Naim Fraim really is an Art Deco feature and would be in keeping with the house…?

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Good luck with that Mike :joy:

Just to add my two cents and I confess I have not read all posts. I understood that the quality of the copper was the essential thing. Something to do with purity and oxygen content. I recall the supply problems during the Zimbabwe turmoil. Also the eddy currents have some effect and finding a true earth/ground is not as simple as sticking a rod in the ground.
Then again I may be wrong and I have not delved into the topic practice.

Thanks Nobby - My electrician said the same, I opted for 4mm2 Shielded, Oxygen Free Copper from MCRU - It will be a few months before we are finished and everything is installed and tested, but I will post results on here as soon as I have a verdict

  1. Age of wiring 24 years old for main CU. Dedicated radial circuit 7 years old.
  2. No separate CU. Radial circuit.
  3. 4mm radial circuit. Standard grey UK cable.
  4. 2 double unswitched MK sockets with silver connectors. Adapted and bought on eBay for about £30 each.
  5. Keeping it off ring main is much better as there is no interference from fridge and kitchen aplliances. Very happy with the radial circuit.

Would consider separate CU and thicker cable such as 10mm. When I installed the radial circuit I didn’t know what was best way to do it. Tbh, I think its an improvement on the main ring main and I am pleased with it and feel no need to change it over.

Good morning everyone,

I live in France and we do not have the UK ring-mains arrangement here.

My hi-fi is in my lounge and the mains electricity feed to the room comes from a distribution board which has multiple, separate MCBs for various rooms and appliances (cooker, washing machine, extractor fans, outhouses, garage, etc.). When I am using my hi-fi, there might be a table lamp or a reading lamp also operating on that circuit or line, but nothing else.
Would forum members know if there is any likelihood of electrical interference with this type of arrangement, how would I know and how might I improve it?

Best wishes,

Brian D.

Cheap led lamps can cause issues

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If you read the various threads about dedicated radials You will see that people normally install a dedicated consumer unit, use 10 mm square cable, use good quality switchless sockets, attend to the quality And design of the Earthing of the circuit, et cetera.

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In the UK the standard recommendation is to use a small separate consumer unit for the dedicated HiFi circuit to effectively isolate it from the rest of the house. Other countries have different arrangements which may make this impractical, or perhaps impossible to achieve within local wiring regulations.

Regarding lighting on the same circuit, all fluorescent, and most LED lights emit interference which was not the case with old fashioned tungsten filament bulbs. The fact that an appliance emits interference doesn’t necessarily mean that it will reach your HiFi and affect the sound. A simple test for this is to get a portable AM or SW radio, tune it away from any station, and point the aerial at the suspect appliance. You’ll hear distortion if there is any RFI being produced. Follow the electrical cable and you’ll hear the distortion fade, hopefully to nothing before you get near the HiFi.

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ChrisSU,

That’s very helpful. Many thanks.

Brian D.

I’m planning to install a dedicated mains cable for my system (my electrician will). I wonder what specific cable people are using and if great care should be spent on this kind of cable too as we often do with the last step of power cable?

I’ve had my eyes on GigaWatt LC-Y EVO 3X4 in-wall cable and wonder if anyone use this? It’s shielded though and I’m not sure if I want that.

The normal recommendation on here is to use standard twin and earth, 10mm squared.

I used two types of cable as listed on this link, with the results listed there, and do not regret it:

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