Your primary goal is to satisfy your need for sufficient ampacity to power all of your STUFF – minimal voltage drop at you equipment is the goal. Plan for the future – the last thing you want to deal with is to bring home a new piece of equipment and discover you do not have sufficient ampacity to plug it in – or you have to run an extension cord to a different circuit to hook it up. Power amplifiers can really challenge your house wiring if you do not plan for them.
I think the other benefit of a dedicated receptacle is that it removes all of the household gadgets from direct interaction with your STUFF. Having a dedicated line from the loadcenter to your equipment power distribution can minimize the effect of switching inductive loads on your STUFF. I will admit, that in most cases, if the wiring system and household equipment are per code and in good working condition this should be negligible. But, as the hobby goes, the difference is often in the details.
I have attached a copy of my power distribution for my STUFF - I used 14-AWG (15-amp circuit) that is what I had available around the house. BTW, always use at least 12-AWG wire when possible, unless this is an exceptionally long run, and you have a voltage drop issue, then you may want to consider using 10-AWG. If you need more ampacity then add an additional circuit to distribute the loads. Remember that a lot of the line conditioning, transient protection equipment and electronic components are typically rated at 15 amps max. So, in order to maintain complete circuit protection, it is best to use a 15-amp circuit breaker. If you need more ampacity then add an additional circuit to distribute the loads.
Follow the electrical codes for your area. Use solid Cooper wire - THHN, if your code requires conductors to be pulled through conduit – mine did. If not, Romex 12-2 w/ground will be solid Copper. Use a separate line (Black) and neutral (White) to each receptacle back to the loadcenter. I used a single equipment ground (Green) back to the loadcenter to keep all the equipment grounds at the same potential. Note that the green conductor was not cut at the first outlet - stripped back insulation and looped the conductor on the outlet screw – always minimize connections. Use a good quality (pro grade) 20-amp receptacle. I used single outlets to prevent anything else from being connected.
Side note, the CHSP device (#38) is a whole house surge/transient protector. These are, IMOP, a great investment with all of the electronics in homes today. You still need individual surge/transient protectors at the equipment - belts and suspenders.
Sorry for rambling, hope this helps - good luck!
