Clearly you didn't read the thread. Ignorant!
Audio Research Ref 75 SE: Replace 20A IEC inlet with 15A
Has anyone successfully replaced the 20A IEC inlet with a 15A to use a good 15A power cord? I am currently using 2 Voodoo adapters: a 20A female to 15A male + a right-angle 15A adapter due to the depth of the amp causing it to come up against the wall. Less than ideal, but works fine and sounds great.
Since the amp doesn't require 20A circuit it would be nice to replace the 20A inlet on the amp with a good quality 15A inlet for a direct connection to the power cord.
If anyone has done this, which 15A inlet did you use? Does it fit well in the amp's cutout and were you able to use the existing screw on connectors to fasten the internal wires or did you have to solder them?
Showing 6 responses by eugene81
@russ69 I don't see how that would cause a future owner a problem unless they only have 20A wall socket. |
I already have a nice, and expensive, 15A power cord that I like and matches all other cabling in my systems so I'd rather not have to buy another expensive power cord of a different kind and options for 20A to 15A are limited. But, the cable manufacturer is receptive to custom modifications so you bring up a good point and maybe I'll have them replace the 15A female connector with a 20A. That is probably the path of least resistance. The annoying part is that if I move on from ARC, I have a next to useless power cord that I'll need changed back to 15A again. "First world problems" as they say.
Thanks! |
I forgot about VH! I ordered a Wattgate 350i HC Au from PartsConnexion after my last post. Lucky me, they are doing 20% on AC products for the month of April. Just going to replace the one end for now. I just overhauled 2 whole systems, and this one is for the bedroom where I'm less critical about it, so I'll give my wallet a break while I get cozy with all the new stuff. Of course it's only a matter of time before I start going down the rabbit hole of tweaks. Not sure I want to hear the difference the top end Furutech stuff brings because I might like it too much! I've got 8 power cords, not counting power conditioners, and if I really like the upgrade on one of them... well I think we all know how it goes with this disease! 😄 |
@lak Yup, agreed. Just wanted to check here to see if anyone found a 15A inlet that’s easy to swap in terms of dimensions and internal connectors. It would be a matter of turning a few screws with no modification to the chassis. Well, turns out changing the 15A female connector on my power cord is even easier. No heat shrink, all screw crimped to 3 conductors, so I will be buying a 20A female connector and changing it myself. Case closed. |
@charles1dad From the manual: "The AC power source for the Reference 75 SE amplifier should be capable of supplying 10 amperes for 100 or 120 volt units, or 5 amperes for 220 or 240 volt units. For the very best performance on 100 or 120 volt circuits, the Reference 75 SE should be connected to its own AC power circuit branch, protected by a 15 amp breaker." As for the reasoning: "Why does Audio Research use a 20-amp connector? Dave Gordon, brand ambassador, told me: 'The 20A IEC connector makes a tighter connection than the 15A IEC. We also spent a fair amount of time comparing 20A power cords, and we think the 20A cord sounds better.'" https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/audio-research-vt80se-power-amplifier @noromance I’m swapping in a 20A female connector on my power cord to fit the 20A male on the amp. |