QSA : My take on their expensive products
- Thread starter CKKeung
- Start date
I didn't say that. Its NEC compliment, readily available and UL listed for many duplex. 8 awg is not listed for any duplex, its more expensive, harder to run and only available in stranded. It has a voice too. A voice that 0 manufacturer have built their equipment too. Most all have built to a 12 solid or stranded. Maybe even 10 solid or stranded.
#8 is more Staccato. Extremely fast less liquidity. I would use it on Subs all day. I would use 10 solid on amps and front end for better body. Even Dan D on a phone call told me a #10 is more than enough for the Relentless. A #10 installed properly will give around 570 amps instant current delivery. Not watts. Amps.
I have a number of the QSA violet fuses and more recently purchased an Orange jitter plug on the mains outlet/Entreq Atlantis power cable to to my power block.
Very pleased with both.
I am now in the process of getting a dedicated power line installed largely prompted by the very helpful article in the November 2024 Hi-plus "Bridging the Gap. I find it very helpful. It basically combines the advantages of QSA and a dedicated power line.
The intention is to follow the recommendations in the article with either an Orange or Red QSA wall socket, Supra Low Rad2.5mm mains cable and the other associated fittings featured in the article.
Any experiences that members can share with me of such an installation would be very welcome, particularly, but not exclusively from the UK.Obviously the benefits will not differ greatly from country to country, but there maybe some minor practical factors.
It looks to me as a very cost effective upgrade to my system, details of which are on my profile.
I would welcome members' views and comments.
Oversize the branch wire to the largest gauge that will legally fit into a quality outlet. Not the cheap builder outlets that are made to the lowest standard. Use solid wire if you can. Run more than 1 circuit. Especially if your having.work.done. additional branches are not that much once the walls are open.
I just had two dedicated ten-gauge lines put in for my audio components. I had 12 gauge prior to that. I also have 2 QSA Silver outlets that everything gets plugged into. My two amps go directly to the wall outlets and the rest of my components are plugged into my Inakustic 4500 power conditioner. From the Power Condition to the wall is an Ultimatum infinity power cord.
It is too early to tell the impact of the ten-gauge line as I only have around 5 hours of listening. I have all stock fuses in my components except for my Kassandra DAC. I am using the Swiss Digital Fuse box with Graphene sluggos on the Kassandra. I don't really want to pay $2-5k for QSA fuses because in most of my components I need multiple fuses.
@Barry - Jitter plugs work and are cost effective. See if you can find any used ones. I have a Silver Jitter plug that I got on the used market. Go as high as you can on the jitter plugs.
It is too early to tell the impact of the ten-gauge line as I only have around 5 hours of listening. I have all stock fuses in my components except for my Kassandra DAC. I am using the Swiss Digital Fuse box with Graphene sluggos on the Kassandra. I don't really want to pay $2-5k for QSA fuses because in most of my components I need multiple fuses.
@Barry - Jitter plugs work and are cost effective. See if you can find any used ones. I have a Silver Jitter plug that I got on the used market. Go as high as you can on the jitter plugs.
I replaced several high end/cost fuses with SDFB's- wonderful improvements .
Yeah, so did I with the same results. Two QSA red-blacks and a red (out of a Vac pre, GG dac and PS Audio regenerator). At some point, I may get them for the ATC’s and JL Audio subs, which currently have reds. It is important to be using good power cords for them, such as the Extreme Piggy, as well as sluggos to match one’s tastes.I don’t know however how the higher level QSA fuses, silver and gold, stack up with the SDFB, although the price differential is substantial.
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I am not a technical expert in electricity so no technical help. My electrician installed a dedicated 6 mm2. Think it was 1998.
A 10 mm2 was impossible. A 6 mm2 was possible but not easy. A little bit stiff and it was difficult for him to get it around corners but he succeeded. Regret that I didn’t go for a second one at the same time.
Don’t know your house but watch up for not getting a too stiff cable. I use Furutech outlets. For me the dedicated was a huge upgrade and on top of that. Not expensive compared to other upgrades.
Gunnar
I got great results with a red/black QSA wall outlet- made me wish I had gone Silver. IMO , I suppose my guess the way to go is the best QSA wall outlet you can justify and all SDFB's. I mean F fuses. Skip wimpy fuses and put your QSA sauce elsewhere in the chain.
Thanks Gunnar.
Yes very helpful.
The electrician is coming later in the week to look at the best way of installation and we can then take it from there. The mains supply is in the attached garage so about 10m to the lounge on the outside rear of the house. The Supra Low Rad cable that has been recommended to me by my technical gurus shouldn't be a problem.
With the benefit of hindsight I should have done this upgrade earlier, but good to hear how much the same improved your system.
Looking forward to similar benefits!
Barry
I completely rewired my UK house in 2021, starting with a new connection from a 3-phase supply under the pavement outside the house. This went into a regulation external meter box and then into the house. As I don’t need 3-phase power, it was wired as three single phases, giving me a dedicated phase for the hi-fi system. The meter box has two sealed 100A fuses on each phase, there is a master breaker handle for fire safety regulations, there are then three fully compliant consumer units made by a German brand, and I then run a 27 amp rated Neotech drained cable to an unswitched Furutech BS1363 wall socket that has a vice like grip and I think is rhodium plated. All of this was installed by a fully qualified commercial electrical contractor, who then tested and certified it, and a few months later as part of their quality control, the national certification people came round and checked it again.
There is a separate standard twin plug socket that is a ring circuit for the room using standard cabling, which I could use if I wanted, but have no need. The only thing plugged into that ring is a 240 V powered table lamp. I have a big brute integrated amplifier that can apparently draw up to 8A (it has an 8A fuse in the back), the rest of the equipment would never draw more than 1A. So in my system a single line is more than sufficient.
I have a Puritan PM156 plugged into the wall and everything else plugged into that. Two of the mains leads are Puritan ultimate, the rest of the main leads are Supra Low Rad2.5mm.
I haven’t changed any fuses. Changing any before the wall socket is dangerous and illegal. Gryphon say in their manual that the 8A fuse is non-standard and using something else after-market would invalidate the warranty. QSA 13A fuses are rebadged Bussmann fuses that you can get for 20 pence in Sainsburys.
For the AV and modem I ran Belden 19364. This is an alternative to Supra. Both Belden and Supra are bulk industrial manufacturers.
A Bussmann fuse might be pretty generic to start with but after the QSA process they sound very different. I guess they figured there is no need to reinvent the wheel and make their own fuses but only apply their process to them.
Have you had the chance to try them yet?
Forget fuses, try the Swiss Digital Fuse Box with Graphens sluggos
If you have an independent supply, the process is to get UKPN to do a survey. Unfortunately in my case the incoming cable was damaged and they disconnected my power. They are not allowed to connect an unsafe cable, so I had to get someone round to do it.
They survey for cables and connected me to a 3-phase, because we have a car charger and it was nearer than the single phase. The price is non-negotiable and you have to buy a specific box that is installed outside or in a garage. They liaise with your power company who turn up at the same time, UKPN put in the cable and box and the electricity supplier instals the new meter. Cost me just over £5,000.
You can see below the incoming 3 live cables have sealed 100A fuses. New regulations limit this to 80A. Out of the meter are 100A breakers. It is illegal to touch any of this.
A big fat cable was installed out of the breakers underground into the house. The internal installation is protected from water by lining the space with marine ply and housing all cabling in galvanic boxing.
- First off, there is a big black cut-off in case of fire
- Next to that is an isolator for a garden shed
- Above that is a consumer unit for the technical room (heating system etc)
- Another two isolators, a big one for the car charger
- Two main consumer units.
Al this is standard and I had no input other than paying for it. All I specified was that one of the live phases was dedicated to the audio and the car charger.
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