Power Cables and Wall Sockets

If you amp is causing lights to dim you have an extreme power problem. If the lights are dimming significantly, the circuit is overloaded, the breaker should be tripping. The circuit is overloaded. There is an increased fire risk. Jerry

We do not know that for sure…
I used to turn on a table saw and the light in the garage would go out when it started up.
(Yeah the birds jumped off of the wire with hot feet.)

But if there is 30A on a 40A feed from the pole, and only 12A on a 15A breaker, it does not mean a fire is imminent. That is what people use breakers and fuses for.

It just means that the voltage sags.

There are VERY, VERY few, if any, HIFI systems that one could hear the difference a 3' piece of high voltage AC cable could make. And even less "ears" to hear the difference. I truly believe this is a "visual" improvement .

 "I can't see the 100' of feet of wire in the walls, so it is fine......But that black rubber 36" power cord has to go........

There are actually very many systems and listeners that can identify the difference power cords make. It seems counterintiutive that a couple of meters of cable can make a difference, but many listeners find the difference audible. There are plenty of other threads as to the empirical reasons for this.

However, in order of priority and value for money, it makes sense to ensure that the wiring and sockets that precede the mains cord are up to scratch. The case of the dimming lights that prompted this particular thread exemplifies this perfectly.

Well first off were I love by electrical code a 15 amp circuit has to have a 14 gauge wire no more no less. You cannot by code have heavier wire on a 15 amp circuit. A 20 amp circuit requires a 12 gauge wire no more no less. 

Also the Hubbell plugs are ok but even though it is pricey the top of the line furutech plugs are stunning in the improvement that happens with them. I personally have never found a power conditioner that I like. All of them do something's better and a few or more things wrong. The furutech receptacles just make improvements nothing go worse only better. I personally believe that power conditioner s are a bandaid Tring to cover up aore.basic problem. I have seven dedicated 20 amp circuits going into my listening room. All are on one leg of the fuse box. (220 comes into your home and there are two legs to it when you have a 220 plug the double breaker feeds half from each leg that's how you get 220) it you have more than one circuit in your room if they are on difference legs the potential to ground is different and likely sounds bad compared to having them both on one leg. The wire in the wall is all the exact same length as well and is crossed over each other not run parallel the whole way.  The furutech receptacles made a huge difference over the industrial plugs I started with. The bass appeared in my system and a huge increase in resolution. That continued with adding furutech top of the line plugs and IEC ends to the transparent power cords I have. The levinson monoblocks have a non replaceable power cord or fixed to the amps. Changing the plug on the end of those cords was a major improvement even though the amps have power regeneration internally. A big difference,personally  I find it hard to believe the increase I have had in resolution from addressing the power side of things. Lol I thought I was near the top before I did a bunch of changes.as an example I have played my system for a few non audiophile friends and they start to cry when listening to it. Remember that everything changes the sound some for the better some for the worse. You have to be able to listen and be able to write off the expense when something you buy doesn't sound right. At the moment I have a couple sets of the feet of silence that are sitting in a drawer. I spent a bunch on them and I didn't like the results. So they are not in the system to show and expenses tweak I have. I will try them as things change there maybe a place for them in the future but so fare i don't like them in either system. When I bought the plug and IEC ends for my HiFi cords I wondered if I should put the money towards a better power cord as the two plugs for each cord were eight hundred dollars per cord and the transparent cords were 550 each back in the day. I had a visit with Cris Johnson the fellow I purchased them from who also carries way higher priced cords that he could have bought told me he thought I would get years of enjoyment out of what I had with the better plugs on them. Chris was the owner designer of Sonic frontier equipment still the owner of parts connection. I tried one cord at a time it was a great time as each one made a big improvement and I was sure before I bought another one that it was truly an improvement. He also knows that if he recommended a high line power cord that I am am fortunate enough that I can purchase them. I also knew when I bought them if I didn't like them they would be a hard sell to even get half my money back. Very much like my opinion on the feet of silence. I think getting most of my money back is really unlikely. So go slow and in steps to get to where you want to be. Starting at the source is the place and in this case I mean your breaker box. Have fun  Regards

I guess I was lucky in that my whole house was wired with 20 amp circuits. We bought the house in 2016 and it had ben built in 2008. The original owner was a computer guru and had the circuits all 20 amp.