Dedicated Mains Supply - A Club Member Writes

[Gavin Wilson]

It's widely reported that a hifi system only performs at its best when given a dedicated mains supply. So why have I put this installation off for so many years, preferring to look at electronics upgrades? I think its because the process seemed fraught with uncertainties. What specification to use? Can I trust an electrician to do it properly? Will my house get ripped to bits in the process? Does it really make *THAT* much difference, given all of the effort?

Well, finally, I've been and gone and done it.

James had previously given me the spec, but I also exchanged an email with Steve Hopkins at naim to confirm a couple of points. I didn't find the hifi forums very useful for recommending a good electrician, so I had a look at Trustatrader.com. I also did a bit of research to understand the qualifications and standards that I should expect from a contractor. One local company jumped out, with very good reviews and ELECSA approval, so I emailed my requirements and then had a longer discussion during a home visit. I was very impressed by their attitude so I booked the job in, to coincide with a weeks holiday.

Day1. Full strip down of the system, moved it well out of the way and covered. Boy, a 500 is a heavy lump of metal!

Day 2. Lee the electrician arrived, installed a 50A Crabtree consumer unit. Wired it through to the house inlet, but of course no connection at this point. Lifted a few floor boards upstairs and put all of the holes in place. Located the sockets - 4x Crabtree switchless single sockets.

Day 3. Lee and Rochelle arrived with a loom of 10mm2 cable. This is really thick cable, but despite that, they were able to neatly pull four runs through the holes so that each socket could be individually wired to the consumer unit as a radial. Everything was wired up, floor boards screwed back down and the house returned to its original condition. Sockets checked, final connection made, sockets re-checked and certificate provided.

Day 4. Re-instatement of the system. Thanks to James for sorting me out with some fraim chips, which gave a better foundation below my carpet rather than crunching the spikes into the dusty, flaky skimmed concrete floor. Switched on and checked everything is OK. Allowed the system to warm up.

Day 5 onwards. Playing music. Wow, this is a serious upgrade. More resolution, even better bass control, and the timing of all instruments has noticeably improved. Not only that, neater cabling and no need for a distribution block. I should have done this years ago.

Overall the whole process was not as difficult and had less impact on my house than I feared. You just have to set some time aside. Pound for pound the best value upgrade I have made.

If anyone is interested in an electrical contractor in the West Midlands area then I can highly recommend Aurora Property Maintenance Ltd  [e-mail]

[Dave Burke]

Yep, a dedicated radial is the way to go. I have a 6mm and a 10mm. Source component (NDS) on the 10mm and Amps on the 6mm is my current configuration. I plan to build a dedicated room next year and getting the power supply and right will be a major consideration.