Hey Emerging, not if there's no current on the circuit. :) What you are talking about is commonly called "voltage drop." Meaning, how much voltage drops on one end of a conductor compared to the other end, at the source.
Voltage drop is proportional to current in this formula:
V = I (current) * R (resistance)
That's the formula, but I is in Amps. So, no current, no drop. If the voltage at an outlet with no other current on the circuit is going up and down then it's caused at the source. If the voltage goes up and down based on devices you turn on, then it's caused by wiring between you and the transformer. In this case, higher gauge wiring would have lower drop because R would be lower.
Higher gauge means 4,6,8,10,12,14 ... wire diameter decreases as gauge number goes up. Resistance (R) measured in ohms increases as wire diameter decreases and gauge number gets higher.
OP : Yes, wire gauge can (in theory) impact voltage at the load. A perfect wire has no voltage difference, and would have the same voltage at the load as at the source, whether we are talking AC power or speakers.
In AC power transmission in a home, 1-2 V per leg loss is normal. Meaning, 2-4 V drop at the appliance relative to the panel. A higher gauge wire than required can reduce this.
As I mentioned before, the voltage loss (i.e. drop) is proportional to the current. It is also proportional to the wire length. For the same wiring, a high current device on the end of a long line will suffer more drop vs. a low current or short run.
For speaker cables it is extremely rare to expect voltage drops more than a couple of tenths of volts with anything equal to or better than 14 gauge cables.
Wire gauge will not affect no-load voltage. Your reported voltage swings are very large and do not reflect well on your local utility's ability to provide you reliable source of electricity.
Voltage swings like this are likely accompanied by other imperfections such as noise.
You are a prime candidate for a power regeneration (rectification/inversion) unit.
@jasonbourne52 Erik's statement is correct. Lower gauge wire has a higher number. So if I have a number 12 wire and want to go to a higher gauge, I will go to a 10, not a 14.
Indeed, the voltage is not important to most ss amps. however, the noise and other things that challenge your amp to produce quality sound also are likely increased with poor voltage supply.
many voltage meters can have a zero offset, but if he is using the same meter for all measurements, he observed spread of 13 volts is probably real.
Tube amps can benefit from constant voltage, some more than others. My power regenerator provides 119.9 volts 24/7/365 so I never have to think about it.
With respect to variations in volts, aren't all the capacitors in a amplifier designed to mitigate variations in power supply. Ie. Because capacitors store up energy waiting for demands to deal with frequency variations?
I guess An improve power supply via lower gauge electrical wire benefits the overall amplifier function in addition to all those capacitors charged up ready to go, although this relationship is unclear.
With most amps able to handle the given range then why is it necessary to deal with Power supply issues related to smaller and larger gauge electrical wires?
You bought a regenerator so you can have a stable power supply. There appears to be some contradiction herein.
My system is tube amps feeding Klipsch Cornwall 4's. The high efficiency Cornwalls are easily driven by the Primaluna EVO 400's pre and power. Lately, I have been mucking about with vintage Western Electric cloth covered wire with tinned, stranded wires in both 16 gauge and 10 gauge which I have made up into speaker cables. They have supplanted an Audioquest "Castle Rock" bi-wire cable which is articulate but too bright.
Immediately noticeable with the 10 gauge cable is that bass has become deeper and more impactful. However, 10 gauge jumpers to the "High" speaker taps on the Cornwalls presents a high end that is somehow too forced and strident sounding. Therefore I tried using 16 gauge jumpers and found everything pretty well balanced.
My question - is there any potential harm to electronics by mating these two different gauges in one string of speaker cable?
With respect to variations in volts, aren’t all the capacitors in a amplifier designed to mitigate variations in power supply. Ie. Because capacitors store up energy waiting for demands to deal with frequency variations?
The caps are supposed to smooth out bumps in the power supply to a point, but...!
Most amplifiers are "unregulated." Meaning long term (several seconds) changes in the AC line will make it to the amplifier voltage rails. So if your DC rails are +- 50V with 120VAC input, they will vary in proportion to input. They could be 45V at 108V for instance (picking values that are 10% for ease of math).
Also, noise can jump across the power supply caps due to the inherent lack of perfection in the caps. Series resistance and inductance can reduce how perfectly they cut noise out.
Line level devices, like your preamp, CD player, DAC, etc. however are almost always fully regulated. Meaning so long as the incoming VAC stays above a certain point, the voltage rails the circuits depend on stay locked at their designed voltage, often 5, 12 or 15 Volts. In these cases, even wider incoming VAC variations won't really change what the working voltage the circuits see.
Most amplifiers are "unregulated." Meaning long term (several seconds) changes in the AC line will make it to the amplifier voltage rails. So if your DC rails are +- 50V with 120VAC input, they will vary in proportion to input. They could be 45V at 108V for instance (picking values that are 10% for ease of math).
And,
When the power transformer’s secondary winding voltage is lower feeding the rectifier, due to a quick AC mains VD event, and the electrolytic capacitors voltage is higher, the rectifier will not conduct and the caps do not get recharged for that "(millisecond pulse)" in time. Or for a longer VD drop, until the caps voltage is lower than that of the AC voltage feeding the rectifier.
Also when the mains voltage drops below the manufacturers rated AC voltage the power output of the Amp's wattage will be lowered.
Silly question. Just make sure you have a thick enough wire and voltage changes will be tiny. And, unlike many here who worry too much about it, remember your power cord is the last 6 feet of miles and miles of electricity company cable bringing your power from the power station, plus a few 10s of feet in your home wiring.
When the power transformer’s secondary winding voltage is lower feeding the rectifier, due to a quick AC mains VD event, and the electrolytic capacitors voltage is higher, the rectifier will not conduct and the caps do not get recharged for that "(millisecond pulse)" in time.
@jea48Yes, but this happens all the time. The capacitor's job is to integrate the incoming peak voltages over time. When idling and fully charged, the window of time when the rectifier is conducting is already pretty narrow. It only conducts on the peaks of the 60Hz waveform. The capacitors charge, and then, until the next cycle, continue to discharge. Hence the natural ripple seen there. If the mains VAC is now a little lower, it may not charge at all, or for a shorter period of time.
So the output of the power supply is in constant flux, especially if you consider how it discharges during musical playback of signals much faster than 60 Hz. Kind of amazing it works at all. :)
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