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15A vs. 20A power cord questions

I'm installing dedicated 20A lines with 10AWG cable and Furutech GTX-D 20A wall receptacles. I am currently using the standard IEC power cords that came with my Rogue Cronus Magnum and VPI Scout 1.1. 

I rather not upgrade the power cables at this time. I would like to see the effect the dedicated lines and outlets have first. Are there any issues with running 15A power cords into a 20A outlet and line? Would a 20A power cord possibly sound better or is it just a matter of the blade orientation?
asp307
jea48
4,679 posts
 

Are there any issues with running 15A power cords into a 20A outlet and line?

No, not any problem at all.

 
 I am currently using the standard IEC power cords that came with my Rogue Cronus Magnum and VPI Scout 1.1.

After about a month or two listening to the new dedicated branch circuits you could always try an after market PC on Rouge amp.

I would stay with the 15 amp male plug. No need for a 20 amp male plug.

As for the wire size used in a cord with a 15 male plug it can be as small as 16 awg or as big as what ever will fit the male plug and or the IEC female connector.

For the amp I would use a PC with at least 12 gauge wire, conductors. If it was me I with go with 10 gauge wire, conductors.

Before you buy anything I would check and find what other guys are using on Rouge amp. Don't just go out and buy something to see how it sounds.

Just an example, I have an ARC tube amp and it hates shielded cables. A shielded cable sucks the life out of the sound of the amp.  


zephyr24069's avatar
zephyr24069
1,245 posts
 
Yes...many of us use configurations where the dedicated circuit is 20 amp and there is a mix of 20 and 15 amp power cords and components in use.  If you wind up in a situation where you have either a 15 amp or 20 amp cord you need to use and the component takes the opposite, check out Shunyata's high-end C20C15 or C15C20 converter plugs; they weigh about pound a piece and are a bit pricey ($130-$150 depending upon source) but they are incredibly good, over-built, don't seem to introduce any negative sonics at all, and definitely can belong to any mid to high-end system when need be. 
cleeds
6,079 posts
 
zephyr24069
 " ... If you wind up in a situation where you have either a 15 amp or 20 amp cord you need to use and the component takes the opposite, check out Shunyata's high-end C20C15 or C15C20 converter plugs ... definitely can belong to any mid to high-end system ..."

I've seen these before, but putting a 15A connector on a component that really needs 20A current is ill-advised, at best. That's how fires start.

To be fair, some components use 20A plugs even though the component draws much less than 20A, or even 15A. In that case, there should be no problem using the adapter.
jea48
4,679 posts
 

As for the current handling ability of a NEMA 5-15P 15 amp plug vs. a NEMA 5-20P 20 amp plug there isn’t any. If you look at the size of the hot and neutral blades they look exactly the same. Same length, same width, same thickness.

What is different between the 5-15P and the 5-20P plug is the orientation of the neutral blade. The neutral blade is turned 90 degrees of that of the Hot blade for the 5-20P, (20 amp), plug.

A 5-20P plug will not plug into a 15 amp receptacle. A 20 amp receptacle can only be installed, connected, to a 20 amp branch circuit. ( A 20 amp receptacle can not be installed, connected, to a 15 amp branch circuit.

A 15 duplex receptacle can be connected to a 20 amp branch circuit though.


And here is the stupid thing imo. A manufacture can build, and does, a power cord that has an IEC 20 amp female connector on one end and a 5-15P plug on the other end. And what’s worse yet, be UL listed.

Note: All per NEC code.

cleeds
6,079 posts
 
jea48
 "As for the current handling ability of a NEMA 5-15P 15 amp plug vs. a NEMA 5-20P 20 amp plug there isn’t any. If you look at the size of the hot and neutral blades they look exactly the same ..."

Quite so. But the issue is not the safety of the connector itself. It simply isn't safe to use an adapter to plug a device that requires 20A of current into a 15A outlet.

" A manufacture can build, and does, a power cord that has an IEC 20 amp female connector on one end and a 5-15P plug on the other end. "

Quite so. And, if the device itself draws 15A of current or less, that's perfectly safe.

Some manufacturers use 20A connectors - even though the component draws less than 15A of current - because the 20A connector is likely to make a tighter fit with the receptacle. ARC has done this.
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