audiphile power cords

I agree Al, I thought the same thing, but that is what they E-mailed me, you made everything more clear, so what is you caculation of the over all gauge?

... what is you caculation of the over all gauge?

Assuming their descriptions of the wires are accurate, overall it is an 8 gauge cord as they indicated to you, since 14 x 24 awg + 2 x 12 awg for the hot and the neutral each correspond to 8 awg.

The 6 awg for the ground run, which as I indicated is what corresponds to their description of 2 x 12 awg + 2 x 12 awg, doesn't affect the overall characterization of the cord as 8 awg, since assuming a major defect is not present in the equipment almost all of the current flows through just the hot and neutral conductors.

Regards,
-- Al

thankyou Almarg.

Romex wiring found in many buildings actually works quite well. So it really becomes all about that last few feet and also how well the power cord is terminated- molded cords generally are not terminated very well.

Ralph (Atmasphere),

Are you saying that a power cord made from Romex with quality terminations would make a great power cord if you can deal with the stiffness? Would you recommend twisting, braiding, or leaving the conductors parallel?

Ketchup, pending Ralph's response I'll mention that I'm pretty certain using Romex as a power cord would be a violation of electrical codes, and potentially an excuse for an insurance company to not pay in the event of a fire.

Romex is designed for in-wall or other uses which would not cause it to be repeatedly flexed. If it is used in an application where it might be repeatedly flexed, the concern is that fractures could develop, which could lead to internal hot spots as a result of the increase in resistance that would occur at the locations of those fractures, which could result in fire. (The heat generated by a resistance is proportional to the amount of power it dissipates, which for a given amount of current is proportional to the amount of resistance).

While it wouldn't surprise me if there are some audiophiles who have used Romex for power cords, it's not something that can be recommended.

Regards,
-- Al