Audio Research Ref 75 SE: Replace 20A IEC inlet with 15A
Has anyone successfully replaced the 20A IEC inlet with a 15A to use a good 15A power cord? I am currently using 2 Voodoo adapters: a 20A female to 15A male + a right-angle 15A adapter due to the depth of the amp causing it to come up against the wall. Less than ideal, but works fine and sounds great.
Since the amp doesn't require 20A circuit it would be nice to replace the 20A inlet on the amp with a good quality 15A inlet for a direct connection to the power cord.
If anyone has done this, which 15A inlet did you use? Does it fit well in the amp's cutout and were you able to use the existing screw on connectors to fasten the internal wires or did you have to solder them?
@lak Yup, agreed. Just wanted to check here to see if anyone found a 15A inlet that’s easy to swap in terms of dimensions and internal connectors. It would be a matter of turning a few screws with no modification to the chassis. Well, turns out changing the 15A female connector on my power cord is even easier. No heat shrink, all screw crimped to 3 conductors, so I will be buying a 20A female connector and changing it myself. Case closed. |
Eugene, I'm not a home wiring or amp design expert. Some mega amps have gone to 20 amp service requirement. Although I'm very unlikely to play at levels that require 20 amps, the amp manufacturer thinks that they need to wire the amp for a full 20 amp draw. Your solution of replacing the 15 amp connector with a 20 amp connector is a good solution with me guessing the power cable is over sized for 15amp usage. |
Fully resolved outcome! This amplifier power dissipation is 500 watts maximum and 230 watts at idle. Only 4 KT 150 output tubes and 2 6H30 tubes. Power storage is 520 joules. Pure curiosity, why does it have a 20 amp cable requirement? The circuit would never come close to this amperage. I wonder what the ARC 20 amp implementation rationale is. Interesting. Charles |
@charles1dad From the manual: "The AC power source for the Reference 75 SE amplifier should be capable of supplying 10 amperes for 100 or 120 volt units, or 5 amperes for 220 or 240 volt units. For the very best performance on 100 or 120 volt circuits, the Reference 75 SE should be connected to its own AC power circuit branch, protected by a 15 amp breaker." As for the reasoning: "Why does Audio Research use a 20-amp connector? Dave Gordon, brand ambassador, told me: 'The 20A IEC connector makes a tighter connection than the 15A IEC. We also spent a fair amount of time comparing 20A power cords, and we think the 20A cord sounds better.'" https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/audio-research-vt80se-power-amplifier @noromance I’m swapping in a 20A female connector on my power cord to fit the 20A male on the amp. |
