Quote: What is the insulation used in the Z-styx?
Z-Styx wire is a Milspec (aerospace) silver plated copper wire with Teflon insulation.
Quote:Did you use conduit for the Z-styx? I'd be surprised if it's rated for in-wall use without.
I did use conduit, and the Teflon insulation made it super easy to pull thee 8AWG wires through 45' of conduit. This wire is literally used in satellites and jets; I'm sure it far surpasses NEC code, but I'm also sure isn't recognized by NEC code either. So conduit was the obvious choice, and maybe shielded the wires as well (shrug).
Quote:Would I need 20amp wires going to my equipment if I have a 20amp line if I installed?
Yes, there is a specific gauge required for 20 amp circuit and outlet. The 8AWG I used far surpasses that - but again, my goal was lower resistance. And Hospital grade outlets are usually just fine if you're on a budget - they hold the wires well on the back side, and have strong springs to grip the plug on the front side, and typically have a more robust ground.
If you're having an electrician run the circuit, make sure it's a home run back to the panel. Pick a quality 20 amp outlet (hospital, or audiophile or whatever) and just use the thickest gauge wire the outlet can safely handle. If the electrician balks and says you don't need anything more than 12 gauge for a 20 amp circuit, but the outlet can take 10 gauge...tell him to just use the damn 10 gauge and get back to work! LOL
Quote:Donnie I was meaning from the outlet to each piece of equipment or from a power conditioner to each piece
A standard 20 amp outlet can take your typical 15 amp plug, or the 20 amp plugs that has one of the blades perpendicular.
My setup was Home Run 20amp circuit to PS Audio filtered outlet, to my PS Audio P10 which could easily handle all my Decware gear, and my home theater gear at the same time...with the exception of the sub-woofer amps. The P10 doesn't like the 2400 watt sub woofer amps, and I've actually tripped the 20 amp circuit with just one of the big amps. So for home theater action I ran a second run of conduit with
two 20 amp circuits, 10 gauge off the shelf wire, and two Hospital grade outlets; One circuit for each 2400 watt amp. So ultimately I had three home run 20 amp circuits - the original "audiophile" one for my Decware gear and home theater receiver/blue ray, then two more common ones each dedicated to a subwoofer amp. I'm pretty sure the new owners of the house are baffled by all the outlets along that one wall; but the house sold within 48 hours of me posting it and had three buyers putting in offers...so I must have done something right.