Do I need a 20 amp or 15 amp power conditioner/surge protector


I have a Dan D'Agostino Progression Stereo amp that has a 3,000 VA power supply transformer coupled to 400,000 microfarads of power supply storage capacitance.  It's a true triple down amp rated at 300 Watts into 8 Ohms, 600 Watts into 4 Ohms, and 1200 watts into 2 Ohms. I'm using a pair of Magnepan 3.7i's which are rated at 4 Ohms. 

One of the odd things is that the amp comes with 20 amp power cord that has a 20-amp IEC connector at the amplifier end and a three-conductor 15 amp AC plug at the other end. The instruction manual tells you to plug it into a 15 amp wall receptacle. 

After a recent scare, I decided I should get some protection as well as clean up the AC being fed to my components. My LAD explained to me that the minimum I should get is the Niagara 5000 because it's rate for 20 amps, but when I asked why does my amp need that when it's plugged into a 15 amp receptacle, he said that at high loads, the amp may be pulling a little more than 15 amps and power conditioner rated at 15 amps would restrict that and the audio quality would suffer. 

So, here I am trying to figure this out, I mean, my LAD may have point since the amp manufacturer supplies a 20 amp cord, but tells you to plug it into a 15 amp receptacle, but I just don't know. For the price point I'm looking at, I've narrowed it down to either the Furman ELITE20 (20 amp) or AudioQuest Niagara 1200 (15 amp). Do I really need a power conditioner rated at 20 amps, or will one rated at 15 amps be fine? Also, is it really possible under heavy load my amp could actually pull more than 15 amps out of a 15 amp receptacle? Very confusing... Thanks for any clarity you can provide. -cheers!

 

 

jimmy_jet

@carlsbad -thanks, good info to know. If I followed correctly, I think you're right regarding how my map operates. From the manual it says that when you plug it into the wall, then flip the big circuit breaker on/off switch in the back to the On position, the amp is then in standby mode. Then, to turn it on, there a soft switch (feels like a loose aluminum billet about a 1/4" round - you can jiggle it a little) hidden under a overhang on the front that you push up on and the following happens: you hear a "click" then about 7 - 10 seconds later, you hear a loud, but muffled, "pop". So, I believe that's the soft relay start you were referring to. When the power goes out, even if I unplug it from the wall, the big switch in the back trips and moves itself down into the Off position. The scary thing is, this once happened while I was listening to music and as soon as I heard it trip, I looked over at the amp and the power meter needles had shot up to the max of their range and slowly floated back down to zero... That event alone made me check my pants when I flew off the sofa.

Then, the scary event I alluded to in my original post, was after using the system this past Sat. night for watching a movie, afterwards, when the movie was over and the entire system was at idle (and no weather events - no wind, etc.) , my wife and I were talking and we heard a loud pop/bang and the smell of electrical ozone in the air, but nothing tripped or turned off - I went over to smell the vents of the Dan, McInstosh, and plasma TV but there was no electrical ozone nor arcing smell. The biggest problem is that I don't know the source of the bang, it was definitely one of those three components because that's the only thing on that side of the room. I also tested all my gear and everything operates and sounds as normal.

Everyone in another thread told me it was most likely the varistor (MOV) that blew in the Dan, but left the circuit open and so it still works, but now I have no surge protection. So, I slid the top off of the Dan and saw absolute nothing (to the naked eye and bright lights) - no swelling or burnt caps, resistors, transistors, and more to the point, the disc MOV is very easy to see because it goes across both terminals of the input mains - it still looks shiny new - no carbon soot, no discoloration, no smells, etc. My LAD salesman told me that when Dan's go, which isn't often, they just stop working altogether, etc.; that's when he suggested I buy the Niagara 5000, so that's what started me on this quest to figure out the best protection at the best price that wouldn't degrade the sound... -cheers

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+1 for a whole house surge protector. @erik_squires.

Though the AQ Niagra 7000 shouldn't limit power transients demands, I would still plug an amp directly to the wall.- That is if you have a whole house surge protector at the main box.

Bob

@Bob

Whole house protectors have a relatively high clamping voltage. They will prevent your house from burning down, and protect your air conditioner and oven but living in South Carolina I would not plug anything delicate into the wall without one.

I will say that last serious thunderstorm I lost my MacBook Air. I forgot about it and left it plugged straight into the wall. Everything I have on a surge protector was fine.

@jimmy_jet

3,000 VA power supply transformer coupled to 400,000 microfarads of power supply storage capacitance.

3000 VA / 120V = 25 amps...

 

Are AC line-treatment devices necessary? Define necessary. "We try to build equipment that puts up with dirty AC lines," Pass told me. "Our customers expect it, and if they have a problem, we hear about it. We don’t design around the assumption that there is AC line conditioning in the system. That said, if the line conditioning has adequate current capacity, we expect some benefit."

That’s a big "if," since some types of line conditioner can choke off current and squash dynamics.

Power According to Pass | Stereophile.com

 

Bigger is better...

 

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