AC Power cable for ARC Ref 5 se.

Of course, there is the distinct possibility that the new line up of power cords from Audioquest sound very good largely or partly anyway due to the fact that Audioquest controls directionality for them. Yes, I realize current in AC power cords goes both ways. No angry emails, please. 😬

d2girls

... do 20ampre power cords use a special type of plug to connect to your mains?

Yes, 20A cords require a 20A plug rather than the more common 15A plug. You can Google it for a photo.

Does that mean that the new ref ARC amps are not useable with my normal outlets at home?

Not exactly, because the preamps don't draw 20A, or anything close to it. So you can use a cord with a 20A IEC connector on one end and a 15A plug on the other.

To expand on @cleeds response the key thing is what is the maximum current draw the cable will need to handle. If it’s >15A then you should really use both a 20A IEC and a 20A plug NEMA 5-20P (the sort in which the two flat prongs are at 90 degrees to one another vs the normal parallel).

This is why the Furman Elite 20 PFI ships with a cord with 20A IEC and 20A plug -- as the conditioner can supply, and can therefore draw, up to 20A.

ARC Amps on the other hand draw well under 15A (with the exception of the Ref750 which can draw 20A, wonder what sort of plug that ships with?) and while ARC uses 20A IEC sockets as (they believe) they give better contact and more secure connections then the traditional 15A its fine to use them with a cord with 20A IEC and traditional/normal 15A plug.

But in practice most manufacturers ignore the above and, especially in the case of power conditioners, simply ship them with a standard 15A type plug -- my Synergistic Research PowerCell 12 UEF SE being a case in point, rated to 20A but ships terminated 5-15P!

Finally to further complexify things in the current AQ Power Cord range the top of range Dragon comes in both a high current and low current version -- the former will support components drawing up to 20A while the latter (Dragon Source) is only for use with pre-amps and source components drawing lower currents (oddly AQ do not specify the current limit for the cable) -- they also argue the Dragon source sounds better on sources then the big, thich high current (and it costs half as much as well)

So all in all do take some care that you get the right set up for your needs 🧐