Power conditioner wire gauge? Serious issue

Look at it a different way, the wire from the pole outside your house going to to your meter most likely is 4 gauge, aluminum wire. It then goes to your panel where it changes to 10 ga. copper (in your situation) to your power conditioner. Are you thinking it should be 4 ga, to the plug in outputs of your power conditioner? Or just 10ga. from the panel to the all the way to the outlets of your power conditioner. Unless you have 4 ga. power cords on each of your components the circle will be broken.

Like I said before, unless you have current draining, high power amps you won't notice any audible difference and there will be no electrical danger.

To answer your question, you will have no problem using smaller gauge with your 10 gauge wiring, don't worry about it.

"Dedicated outlets use 10 gauge wire so shouldn't the power conditioner outlets use them?"

- This not the case in most homes systems, 10 ga. is overkill for all but the most demanding, high power amplifiers.

"to me that's a huge problem."

- Sorry if it is for you, but most would not see a problem. I suggest you don't use a power conditioner or replace the wiring inside with 10 ga.

It's hard for me not to hear a difference. Just believe your ears and nothing else. Some sound better, some the same and some worse. It is fun to experiment, heck sometime I get my wife involved.