Right now it is only about 3’ going to a power strip. I want to upgrade the wall receptacle and run the power amp direct to its own 15 amp circuit, but for that I will need a 9’ cord.
Power cable dilemma
I have to ask the community for an explanation to account for an issue I encountered this past week.
I received a Mark Levinson ML-23.5 amp this past week. I plugged it in with a high end power cord I purchased years ago (because it looked better than the cheap cord that came with the unit. Lol). I switched from an ML-9 so I had certain expectation of the sound. After listening for about 30 minutes, I noticed that the amp did not sound very dynamic. I got up to go feel how hot it was and the heat sinks were barely warm. I turned up the volume and listened for another 15-20 minutes. I got up to check the temperature and the heat sinks were still barely warm. Also, I was playing the amp at volume level 28 on my Cambridge 851N. That is pretty high. The sound was still lifeless. I shut everything down and just sat there, dejected. Was the amp defective? Was it just a bad match? Were my expectations too high? I don’t know what made me try it, but I swapped out the power cord with a plain black cord and powered up the system. Unreal. I was now listening at volume level 22 to the same song, with staggering dynamic impact, at what seemed to be a similar volume. Furthermore, after about 20 minutes, I went up to feel the amp and the heat sinks were very toasty! So the question is: what could have possibly been wrong with the original cord that would result in lower volumes and no heat buildup? It is like it was throttling the current. To me, a cord either connects or it doesn’t. It works or it doesn’t. There should not be an in between. Does anyone have an explanation for this?
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- 91 posts total
Ok, the power strip might be your weak link. Excellent going directly to a dedicated circuit. For a 9ft. run defiantly go with a 10 ga. cable. Many of the major high-end major manufacturers will offer their versions, however many are quite expensive. Check out some of the offerings on eBay, I noticed several small firms that make custom cables at very reasonable prices.
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You should measure the resistance of the trick power cord to make sure it can pass sufficient current. 9 foot of standard 12 gauge won't cost much so make the change now and ditch the power strip. Power strips suck. Don't worry about the wall receptable. It will be fine to pass the power your M-L requires. Anyhow @jrimer you've learned the truth about trick power cords. Go out and buy a nice meal with the money you're saving, or lots of meals. Or a car if it was a really expensive one. |
- 91 posts total