What?! LOL. Good catch, Jim. I found the following explanation here: A standard outlet connects the AC ground wire to the back strap, and thus to the metal wiring box. The steel framework of a large building may be at a slightly different potential than the AC ground. If the wiring box is attached to the steel framework, the ground loop thus created may carry large currents and upset the operation of sensitive equipment plugged in to that outlet.
An isolated-ground outlet keeps the outlet grounds attached only to the AC ground wire from the local service panel, and breaks the ground loop. The building wiring has to have another ground for the wiring box. This configuration is not something that should benefit a typical home audio system.
I'm sure some people use them to provide a separate earth connection for the audio system's AC. This is illegal and can be very dangerous. If the system AC earth connection is physically separated from the main power earth connection, a nearby lightning strike can cause brief offset voltages of several thousand volts between the two earth connection points. This is caused by very large currents flowing laterally through the earth.
This spike can flash over and destroy your equipment. Worse, it can set the remains on fire. Regards, -- Al |
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http://www.voodoocable.net/VAPA.htm
I'm not aware of any home amplifier that exceeds 15A draw but some come close, at least momentarily. That's one reason for monoblocks, but even those are usually built for the same 15A circuit. Yours might be the exception. |
Hubbell is a bit unusual actually, using contacts in their 15 amp receptacle that would not, in any way, accept a 20 amp male plug even if the faceplate of the receptacle had the T slot with at least a few of their models (Spec grade 5262/5362 and hospital grade 8200/8300 for example).
Contact surface area on the neutral side of the male plug (using a 15 amp male plug into the 15 amp receptacle) is increased by about 40% in this case, as opposed to using the "universal" contact allowing 15 or 20 amp males to be used.
So, in that case, there may actually be a disadvantage to using the 20 amp receptacle with a 15 amp male. I say may, because, if I remember correctly (just to totally confuse the issue), the Hubbell 8200H/8300H DO use a universal contact that will accept both 15 and 20 amp males if the T-slot is there.
The 8200H/8300H is a slim line, non plated contact hospital grade and my favorite in the Hubbell line up, although I do have in use (and experience with) the 5262/5362 and I'd say performance and grip are pretty close. |
You are talking about one manufacturer that has made some OEM receptacles, likely not Leviton, Pass & Seymour, Hubbell who make their own. I don't doubt you have experienced some differences in grip between some specific brand of receptacles. Unless you name a specific brand and grade, I can't comment further on that.
However, I stand by my original statement that 15A and 20A receptacles of the same brand and grade (by the well know manufacturers as those I named above) are identical in every way except for the face.
I've also tried most of the audio grade brands, and a couple of them have 15A receptacles that surpass other manufacturers' commercial and hospital grade 20A receptacles in terms of contact material thickness and grip. A good example is Furutech. Most manufacturers commercial/hospital, and audio grade contact material is 0.8mm, whereas the contact material in Furutech receptacles is 1.2mm. |
Gbart , just to clarify so you know why in my experience I made my statement. The company that Hammond owned that manufactered these receptacles in the 20 amp version regardless of grade were all manufactured identically . The residential versions and the hospital grades were actually the same except for the face colors of course as the hospital grade (orange) industrial (red) and the required ul/csa green triangle on the face. The audio grade having the differant metals and platings used which is subjective to manys opinions of the benefit of. I have not used the "audio grade " so I have no comment. I can only comment on the ones I used and know of and not all manufacturers. Some companies make only quality components others do make both higher and lesser qualities (tolerances) of the same product. Cheers. |
Gbart , in the home I had built the outlets in kitchens are all 20 amp by code . They do have a stiffer grip on the prongs in my experience. 20 amp outlets at least in my area and experience are a better grade than the standard 15 amp version. The ones I installed myself when finishing my basement were made by the same manufacturer as the 15 amp version in the rest of the home and they did provide a better grip. I am sust speaking from my experiences. I worked for 17 years winding transformers for Hammonds who at one time owned smith and stone who manufactured receptacles of all types and labelled with different company names so I have had first hand experience. Cheers |
Whether a receptacle (of identical brand and grade) is 15A or 20A makes no difference in grip on the prongs. Both receptacle types are of same current carrying capacity and design internally, only the face is different, having the "T" shaped neutral slot.
Even dead-front GFCI's are just a regular GFCI receptacle with prongs on the inside, even though they (obviously) aren't being used.
Manufacturers don't waste money on tooling to produce one quality receptacle for 15A and another for 20A within the same grade. You get difference in grip only among grades and brands, not rating. |
The wall receptacle is fine as is. Putting a 20 amp receptacle in the wall will change nothing current wise,but will give better grip on the prongs . Get a new chord that is 20 amp iec at the unit end. Only reto fit if your sure the cable is rated for it like Al said. Cheers |
The power consumption of any electronic device is in VA.
This is corrected for power factor.
You get BILLED for watts, or KWH (kilowatt hours) but consume VA, which except for a resistive load is always higher. Power companies will bill large, typically industrial users slightly more (surcharge) for such low PF loads.
What does the plate say on the equipment? In general, I'd be reluctant to convert a device with a 20amp connector to a 15 amp service. If this is a large power amp with 'ample' capacitance, you may get a pretty good turnon surge, even if you never crank it up or have higher sensitivity speakers. |
no, your 3-prong plug is fine, you just need to change out the bit at the component.
you can also get adapters that will convert a 15 amp to a 20 amp if you want to try out the cord before you mod it, i've found that using good adapters on power cords doesn't do much negative...
good luck! |
The current rating is based on overheating if the specified current is carried continuously. A 15 amp rated plug will handle any current surge that your amp will demand just as well as a 20 amp plug. |
Also, judging by the wording of your question it's possible that the existing receptacle is already a 20A receptacle. 15A plugs can be plugged into 20A receptacles, but 20A plugs physically cannot be plugged into 15A receptacles. A modern 20A receptacle looks like this. A 15A receptacle does not have the horizontal t-slot. Re retrofitting the existing cord, obviously you have to make sure that the gauge of the cord is adequate to support the current drawn by the new amp. And if the gauge is not adequate to handle whatever the code requirement is for cords that have 20A connectors, it's probably not a good idea to use it because it might be used in a wrong application in the future. Regards, -- Al |
What is the input AC power consumption of the Amp?
Volt amps, watts, or amperes?
A 120V 15 receptacle by code can handle 1440 watts continuously. Continuous by code is three or more hours.
The power amp manufacture may have installed the 20 amp IEC because it holds the female IEC connector better in place than the 15 amp IEC connector, not because of how much current the amp draws.
You can buy UL listed power cords with a 20 IEC connector and a 15 amp plug on the other end. |
