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AC Power Cord Wire Gauge

I guess this is a two-fold question dealing with the amount of AC power flowing through normal - that is, not special 20 amp dedicated lines - 15 amp house circuits. I'm guessing that these lines use 14 gauge wire, with a 15 amp breaker, to say a duplex receptacle. One conversion I read is that 15 amps X 120 = 1,800 watts. So, the first question is: If you plug a surge protector/power strip/power conditioner into one outlet in the duplex receptacle and then plug, say, four audio components into that "power strip" can they draw the full complement of AC power available (i.e., the power isn't split between the two outlets in the receptacle)? If you plug another component into the other outlet does it reduce the power available to the "power strip"?

Second, if the house wiring to the duplex receptacle is 14 gauge from the electrical panel, does it make any difference if you buy heavier (say a 10 gauge) after-market audiophile power cords for the audio components? Or, would a 14 gauge cord - the same gauge as the house wiring - be sufficient? Can a 10 gauge cord flow more power than is available through the house wiring at 14 gauge?

Thanks.
kencalgary
nsgarch's avatar
nsgarch
2,524 posts
 
Al -- your explanation represents sound engineering, and I know it well; in fact some embrace those principals to the point of hardwiring their amps' power supply right back to the panel, convinced that strategy will provide the very best energy transfer. Good for them;-)

A real scientist would not be so sure. The facts are a little different than you imply:
As I said earlier, there may be subtle reasons why subtle sonic differences may result when 10 gauge power cords are hooked into 12 gauge house wiring, but the differences are not due to the gauge per se.
First, the difference is NOT subtle (you should try it ;-)
Second, the effect of using larger (and larger!) gauge conductors is the same, regardless of the brand or topology of the cord -- the sonics of the amp will "open up" dramatically! In my own experiments, this improvement continued incrementally up to 8 AWG which is as far as I went, but PS Audio (I think) makes 6AWG PC's, which might make sense to some ;-)

So, counterintuitive or not, it IS the gauge. Why? Well maybe Quantum physics will explain it one day ;-) I'm certainly willing to accept my own explanation as flawed (from an ENGINEERING standpoint) but it's the best I can conjure until science discovers the REAL reason. It's just a matter of time, I'm sure.
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almarg's avatar
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almarg
9,670 posts
 
Nsgarch,

I take no position on your findings that "the effect of using larger (and larger!) gauge conductors is the same, regardless of the brand or topology of the cord." I have no reason to doubt that your sonic perceptions were accurate, although I'm sure that there are many others whose listening experiences and perceptions would both support and contradict your conclusions.

I would certainly keep open the possibility that there are as yet unidentified design characteristics among audiophile-oriented power cords that tend to correlate with gauge, that might SEEM to produce a correlation between gauge and performance.

Obviously science and engineering certainly cannot, at this point, explain everything about why we hear (or think we hear) what we hear. But they can explain a lot of things. And my basic point, I guess, is that having no explanation is far preferable to having an incorrect one. Because the incorrect perspective that can result from an incorrect explanation can negate the value that good science and engineering CAN bring to the table.

Best for the holidays and new year!

-- Al
nsgarch's avatar
nsgarch
2,524 posts
 
And my basic point, I guess, is that having no explanation is far preferable to having an incorrect one. Because the incorrect perspective that can result from an incorrect explanation can negate the value that good science and engineering CAN bring to the table.
Al, I'm down with that! And I'm a big fan of the physicist Richard Feynman, who has said many times that he's comfortable knowing there are things he can't know ;-) Punch him up on You Tube. But some people just HAVE to have an answer, even if it's a bit of a fairy tale. (I think they call it religion or something ;-)

In any case, so far, I've not found anyone who couldn't hear a consistent improvement (in their amplifiers that is) using larger conductors. Other components, maybe not so much (except DACs as I mentioned.)

But I do share your basic position, even though unlike Dr. Feynman, most folks won't be able to live with it.

Neil
mitch2
3,687 posts
 
Increased resistance in the house wiring, due to smaller gauge or greater length, will produce a voltage loss just as readily as in the power cord. And in fact most likely to an even greater degree (since the combined current draws of multiple devices are likely to be flowing through it, rather than the current draw of just one device, and voltage drop equals current times resistance).

Probably why many advocate dedicated circuits. I would start with dedicated circuits, as short a run as possible from the panel, then an adequate gauge power cord (the same gauge or larger than the romex) that is as short as practical.
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