regarging components that have a 20a AC IEC

Seems I made a mistake..... I confused the IEC of the XPR series with the XPA series. Looks like I'm OK with my current crop of 15A plugs. Still, there were some very useful observations and comments and I learned a few things.

Also, Al, I threw in the "very high end" DIY cable comment just to see who'd grab it. Fine as the wire is, it was never intended for audio applications. I love it anyway. Thanks again everyone.

OK, if this were my primary system, I would be most interested in the absolute performance I could get given my modest means. However, this is my secondary system which also sees limited A/V use. I have an Upgrade Company modded Oppo BDP-83SE that was driving 4 channels of a Theta Intrepid to biamp a pair of BG Corp 520 loudspeakers. Subs are Def Tech ProSub 100's. All cables are made from 16 gauge solid core silver plated copper. This is vintage wire and is shockingly detailed. It kills my Granite Audio 470 interconnects and easily competes with Wolff Audio BOHICA power cord. I use this as my speaker cables and power cords; as such, there are 7 runs per pole. That's a very substantial wire so no issues with power transmission.

This system plays music with grace and detail and is so much easier to use than the tubed main rig (due to power consumption and an insane amount of heat--45 watts of class A SET plugged into a PS Audio P-600). However, when playing DVD/Blueray, the maximum output is too low. Frequently, the dialogue is lost to me. When driven via RCA, the gain on the Intrepid is only 25db. So, I thought I'd try a pair of Emotiva XPA-1 with a gain of 32 db and several hundred more watts per channel.

I do have my some doubts as to whether the Emotivas will be good enough musically. The Intrepid is a really nice sounding amp. So, I'm willing to do a bit of work to get as much out of them as reasonably possible but, come on, this is my secondary system. The 15amp IEC's I'd install are the Furutech Fi-10 (R). I'm sure these are quite a step up from the stock IEC's in the XPA-1's anyway. And I really don't want to drop $250-$300 for a pair of 20a Oyaide 246 plugs if I can do the same thing for $70 with the Furutech IEC's.

Any comments now that I've confessed that the amps are merely Emotivas? Thanks all! Your advice is greatly appreciated.

IMO, You are better off changing the female end of the cord. The 20 amp IEC chassis jack is a far better connector than the 15 amp.

Just get a 15a to. 20 amp adaptor as they can be had from Pangea and others. I have used them for the same situation with wonderful results.

Assuming these are nice mono amps, the idea of alterning them out of thriftiness in altering power cords seems crazy to me. You would not be able to sell these amps as being unaltered from manufacturer, and you'd take a big hit on them.

And just how would a cheaper 15A IEC guarantee that it would not alter the amps' performance in a bad way? So, with that potential reduction in sound quality you would be chasing to catch up again... Not a good plan, imo.

This is a perfect time for a PC shootout between several contenders! You have a sea change with the amp anyway; push the experiment further with a 20A cord-O-rama comparison! :)

Or, get a 15A/20A adapter for your power cords.

But what you REALLY need to do is use your stock 20A cords with some badass mongo power supply/filter device costing about $3K. That will fix everything. ;) Tee hee hee

Instead of incurring the trouble and possible risk involved in installing an inexpensive 15 amp connector in the amplifiers, why not just put an inexpensive 20 amp connector at the equipment end of your DIY power cords?

In saying that, I'm of course assuming that the wiring in your "very high end" DIY cords is sufficiently rated to be able to handle 20 amps.

Regards,
-- Al

+1 with RW.

The amps are on their way. I'll check the plugs when they arrive and act according to the advice received here. I hope the male plugs are 15a. I'm not up for installing a 20a line. Thanks everyone!

Does the stock cord have a 15A, 125V plug(5-15P, two vertical prongs and ground) on it? If it does; the amp's cord is designed for a 15A wall socket and you will be fine with replaced the IEC connectors, on the amps. Is it safe to assume that you have a dedicated circuit, since you already know the value of an upgraded power cord?

Your owner's manual will be your best source of information. When I owned a ML 333, it came with a captive 15amp cord to be used with a standard 15amp circuit. I later converted the cord to a 30amp and used a 30amp dedicated circuit and could not believe the sound improvement. Please keep in mind I was driving very inefficient and low impedance speakers at the time.

A local electrician could install a dedicated 20amp line for less than the price of an aftermarket hi-end pc.

IF it is a 20 amp IEC on both ends you will have to change the wiring, breaker and outlet. The 20 amp draw on a 15 amp circuit is not safe and could start a fire. If it is 20 amp on the equipment side but only a 15 Amp on the wall side like my AR Ref3 then changing out the equipment side will not matter as the equipment is really designed to draw only 15 amp and it would be against NEC to draw 20 amps from a 15 amp cord as the wall side is what matters to NEC. Some manufactures like the 20 connector better as it fits snugger.

The chances of tripping a 15 amp breaker are very slim. I say use it as-is and worry about making a change over if you really encounter issues...

-RW-

Do it the right way. Install a dedicated 20amp circuit and use a proper 20amp IEC power cord. Anything else will compromise the performance of your amps. Don’t forget that you new amps are designed to draw up to 20amps of current, therefore, if you modify them with a 15amp IEC inlet, they will still attempt to draw 20amps from your 15amp wall socket and flip the breaker.