Power Cord For Amp - do volts matter?

[dman777]

I want to replace my power cord on my Luxman 595 class A amp with a upgraded one. The voltage currently stamped on the cord is 300v. I only want to spend about $100.00, but the ones I have found so far have not gone up to 300v. There was one I liked but it was 125v. Is that going to be a issue? What does that mean exactly? Also, I live in the USA. Should I care about the amps rating on the cord?

 

[fpitas]

Upgraded? In what way?

 

[dman777]

I mean replace the power cord.... I want to get one that is thicker gauge and more high quality than the one that came with.

 

[fpitas]

I mean replace the power cord.... I want to get one that is thicker gauge and more high quality than the one that came with.

Ok...why? Luxman appears to know what they're doing.

 

[pablolie]

I want to replace my power cord on my Luxman 595 class A amp with a upgraded one. The voltage currently stamped on the cord is 300v. I only want to spend about $100.00, but the ones I have found so far have not gone up to 300v. There was one I liked but it was 125v. Is that going to be a issue? What does that mean exactly? Also, I live in the USA. Should I care about the amps rating on the cord?

The word "upgrade" when it comes to a power cord kinda raises my eyebrows, honestly. Is it because you need an extension? No power cord ever will ever make the slightest difference in any way - be it sound or current quality or safety. It may actually degrade any of those if it claims to do anything fancy and special. It's a bit like thinking an upgraded remote will make equipment sound better...

 

[Purité Audio]

Luxman missing a trick here,can you knock something up @fpitas and we will split the proceeds.

PRODUCTS | LUXMAN | Seeking higher sound quality

www.luxman.com

Keith

 

[fpitas]

Luxman missing a trick here,can you knock something up @fpitas and we will split the proceeds.

PRODUCTS | LUXMAN | Seeking higher sound quality

www.luxman.com

Keith

Those dummies at Luxman didn't know how to make a good power cable

 

[amirm]

If the cable is UL listed and has American plugs you are good to go.

 

[fpitas]

If it's any help, when Nelson Pass is asked that same question he says he knows of nothing better than his supplied Belden cord.

 

[Speedskater]

Almost all 'UL' listed AC power cords will have a 300 or 600 Volt rating.

 

[dman777]

Ok, here is the story.... I have 2 amps and I got my power cords mixed up shuffling my amps around. One cord is 14 gauge and the other is 16 gauge. I can't remember which one goes to which amp.

So, I called the official Luxman service department in the USA. The guy told me he recommends at least a 12 gauge thickness no matter what was sent with the amp.

If you could please help me understand the power cord voltages and why it would matter rather than heckling me for buying a new power cord amp.

 

[DVDdoug]

Also, I live in the USA.

I'm sure you know there is 120VAC at your outlet. The voltage is always there (assuming the outlet is not switched). Current (Amps) only flows when you plug something in and turn it on. If you plug-in two toasters or two hair dryers you'll get excess current, blow the circuit breaker, and the voltage will go to zero until you reset it.

And you might have some 240V outlets (with different sockets) for a clothes dryer, or electric range, etc.

What does that mean exactly?

If the voltage is too high you'll get arcing ("sparking") through the insulation between the conductors, or out to your body if you were touching it, etc. In reality, you probably wouldn't get that with 1000V, but the regulatory/rating agencies & standards are "careful" & "conservative".

In theory, you could have excess current through the cable. In that case it would overheat (usually at the plugs/contacts where the resistance is the highest) and it can start melting or burning and once the insulation melts it can short which would "pull" more current and blow the breaker. By that time it's too late. But, any detachable power cord will be rated for the full 15A of a standard wall outlet so the power cord is not the weak link.

The gauge does affect current carrying capacity, but again, any cable will as much current as the socket can put-out without blowing the breaker.

The resistance in the cable is directly related to the gauge (wire diameter) and length. When current flows through resistance you get a voltage drop. A 100W light bulb at the end of a 100 ft, 16AWG, extension cord will probably get (nearly) full voltage. But if you add a toaster or hair dryer at the far-end, the voltage will probably drop enough to see the bulb dim slightly.

Since most amplifiers have regulated power supplies, the internal DC voltage usually remains constant over a wide range of input voltages. There are a lot of amplifiers (and other equipment) with "universal world-wide" power supplies designed to operate between 85 and 300V (or something like that).

One cord is 14 gauge and the other is 16 gauge. I can't remember which one goes to which amp.

Practically speaking, it doesn't matter. But the amplifiers should be marked on the back with the voltage and the current and/or wattage. (This is not the same as the output power to the speakers because no amp 100% efficient and as you probably know, class-A is the least efficient.)

You can use the lower gauge (thicker conductors) on the amp with the highest power or current requirements. Power (Watts) is calculated as Voltage x Current if they are marked different from each other.

 

[MaxwellsEq]

Ok, here is the story.... I have 2 amps and I got my power cords mixed up shuffling my amps around. One cord is 14 gauge and the other is 16 gauge. I can't remember which one goes to which amp.

So, I called the official Luxman service department in the USA. The guy told me he recommends at least a 12 gauge thickness no matter what was sent with the amp.

If you could please help me understand the power cord voltages and why it would matter rather than heckling me for buying a new power cord amp.

In general wire gauge does not have a relationship with the voltage, so much with the current. Higher gauges can handle more current. The insulation needs to be able to handle the voltage. Anything that has passed a safety test will be fine.

 

[voodooless]

12 gauge should be good for 2200W, I’m sure the Luxman will not draw that much. Your house wiring is probably not more than 14 AWG, so there is no point in using more than that for the cable.

Just use what you have, it will be just fine.

 

[Killingbeans]

I mean replace the power cord.... I want to get one that is thicker gauge and more high quality than the one that came with.

From the amp specs:

Rated output: 30W＋30W(8Ω), 60W＋60W(4Ω).
Power consumption: 310W, 230W(no signal), 0.4W(standby).

So... at worst case 310W. At 120v that's only ~2.6A. A walk in the park for any standard power cable. No need for anything beefy.

 

[Deleted member 21219]

I called the official Luxman service department in the USA. The guy told me he recommends at least a 12 gauge thickness no matter what was sent with the amp.

Was his name "Danny"?

Jim

 

[fpitas]

If the cable is UL listed and has American plugs you are good to go.

That's your best bet. Get 12AWG if you like. Belden is a safe bet if you need a brand.

 

[ban25]

I want to replace my power cord on my Luxman 595 class A amp with a upgraded one. The voltage currently stamped on the cord is 300v. I only want to spend about $100.00, but the ones I have found so far have not gone up to 300v. There was one I liked but it was 125v. Is that going to be a issue? What does that mean exactly? Also, I live in the USA. Should I care about the amps rating on the cord?

I'll just say this: if it's not UL-listed, it could burn your house down and kill your family.

 

[fpitas]

And uh...UL sonically tests every cord before it gets approval.

/Work with me here, guys

 

[Speedskater]

So, I called the official Luxman service department in the USA. The guy told me he recommends at least a 12 gauge thickness no matter what was sent with the amp.

I hope you don't need an amplifier serviced by him!
Lets see. a power cord may be 6 feet long. And that cord and the cables back to the big power company transformer might be 600 feet long.
It's a series circuit, so making 1 % of that circuit heaver won't accomplish much..