confused about 20 amp power cables
I've recently acquired a pre-owned T+A PA 3100 HV integrated and this is my first exposure to a 20 amp power cable. The supplied cable has what I think is a C19 IEC connector (20 A) on the amp end, but the connector on the wall side has parallel hot and neutral blades as opposed to the 20 amp T blades. Is that end really rated at 20A?
I have a dedicated 110V 20 amp circuit with 20 A receptacles, but is about 10 ft from my equipment. I am currently plugging the amp's supplied cable into an Oyaide OCB-1 SX V2 power conditioner which is plugged into the 20A wall receptical. The wall plug on the Oyaide appears to be a 15A plug and the 4 distributed receptacles are not 20A and I assume they are rated for 15A. Is this dangerous to have this 15A section between wall and amp?
Would I be better off, or safer to find a 20A extension cable so I could plug the amp directly into the wall? I've recently started building my own PCs and could make a 10 ft one with C19 on one end and 20A wall plug on the wall side ( ouch for wire cost for 10ft). I know that its unlikely the amp will ever draw more than 15A.
Any suggestions would be helpful!
@mintakax Are you the individual who purchased a PA 3100 HV locally in CO? If so, I work with the previous owner from time to time as well. FWIW, the optional PS 3000 HV power supply should be on your consideration set for down the road. It significantly improves the performance of the unit in terms of coherence, soundstaging, and control. |
Check the fuse rating on the back of your amp. It’s probably a lot less than 20A. :) I don’t have access to the manual but I saw an image which specified 1500W on the back. This should be around 12 Amps. A 15A circuit is generally rated to 1800W, a 20A circuit for 2400, so definitely a good thing you are using a 20A circuit! Any decent conditioner should also have a built in breaker, so in the unlikely event you overload it the breaker should trip quickly. Generally speaking, there’s not a lot of difference between a 20A outlet and 15A outlet. They both have to be built for 20A due to the NEC allowing a mix of 20A and 15A plugs on a 20A circuit. That’s not to say the wiring in the wall doesn’t need to match the breaker in your panel, it absolutely does. :) The thing to consider for the long term is how much of those 1500 watts do you actually use while listening? The more of that you use the more likely you can make your line sag. To find out use a voltage meter like this one. Leave it plugged in and pay attention as much to the N-E as the overall voltage. This will also help you understand how much voltage variance you have due to seasonal/major appliance use and how much is due to your gear. |
@mintakax to start with, a cable with a 20 amp IEC and 15 amp plug is not conforming to north american electrical codes and should not be used. Granted, it will work, but if there is ever a related shock or fire event, your insurance would probably void the claim. Granted, the amp will probably never draw close to 20 amps continuous, but transient spikes may exceed 15 amps, which may explain why the amp has a 20 amp IEC socket. To keep the "codes people" happy...
Re: the wall outlet: replace the outlet with a 20 amp hospital MRI grade outlet. It will grip the plugs very tightly and improve overall performance.
Regards Steve |
@williewonka Wrote:
Not true! See here Mike |
@ditusa while you can clearly buy such a cable, for a receptacle the code states...
So my interpretation is that the plug and socket on a cable should be of the same rating, because the cable is just an extension of that branch circuit. I think it is one of those grey areas that will only be judged in the event of a catastrophic failure unfortunately. Regards, steve |
