Dedicated 220v Outlets for XPA-1

[badronald]

Hello Everyone. Long time audiophile but new to the Lounge. I was wondering if anyone has had any experience/feedback with running the XPA-1's with US 220V. I have just started building my home theater and want to know if I can expect any sonic difference, ie; more headroom, etc. I was thinking of having a dedicated 220v circuit feeding 2 XPA-1's and the walls are still open. Would appreciate any info/feedback.

[roadrunner]

badronald

Lonnie, Emotiva's Chief Technology Officer and designer of the amp, has stated in previous threads that there will be no difference in sonic quality or any other performance issue. The only advantage of using 220V circuit is the amount of gear you can comfortably connect to a dedicated line. Thus, it could be advantageous in limiting the number of dedicated circuits you need to add to your listening area. ;D

[badronald]

Thanks for the info roadrunner

[drmark]

I believe 120 volts= 20 amp limit on a wall outlet. 220 is 30 amps. Is this correct?

[odeen]

Nov 5, 2010 15:16:01 GMT -5 drmark said:

I believe 120 volts= 20 amp limit on a wall outlet. 220 is 30 amps. Is this correct?

Not quite.

Virtually all residential electrical outlets are wired with 14AWG wire and are rated at 15 amps, period. 20A is more common in commercial and industrial installations.

Outlets wired with 12 AWG wire are rated at 20 amps. If the outlet has a sideways tab like so: www.hardwareworld.com/files/pi/mV/H/TVE3.jpg then it's a 20 amp outlet. The ENTIRE chain, from the circuit breaker, to every outlet and every piece of wire connected to the circuit has to be rated for 20 amps, or the circuit is derated down to 15 (and the breaker has to be switched to 15 amps accordingly)

Watts = volts * amps
Best case scenario for a 15A outlet at 120V = 120 * 15 = 1800 watts, or an XPA-5 running full-blast on all channels.

What's really neat, though, is that a 220V outlet (actually, residential 220V can get as high as 240V, since it's just two separate 120V lines from the transformer) neatly DOUBLES your power, so the same 14AWG wires, rated at 15 A, can deliver 3600 watts.

Of course, 240V / 30A circuits for electric ranges and dryers are common. With the appropriate wiring, breakers, and outlets, you can deliver 6,600-7,200 watts to your audio equipment (and finally, your lights won't dim when the subwoofer hits)

[Mischief]

Nov 5, 2010 15:26:51 GMT -5 odeen said:

Nov 5, 2010 15:16:01 GMT -5 drmark said:

I believe 120 volts= 20 amp limit on a wall outlet. 220 is 30 amps. Is this correct?

Not quite.

Virtually all residential electrical outlets are wired with 14AWG wire and are rated at 15 amps, period. 20A is more common in commercial and industrial installations.

Outlets wired with 12 AWG wire are rated at 20 amps. If the outlet has a sideways tab like so: www.hardwareworld.com/files/pi/mV/H/TVE3.jpg then it's a 20 amp outlet. The ENTIRE chain, from the circuit breaker, to every outlet and every piece of wire connected to the circuit has to be rated for 20 amps, or the circuit is derated down to 15 (and the breaker has to be switched to 15 amps accordingly)

Watts = volts * amps
Best case scenario for a 15A outlet at 120V = 120 * 15 = 1800 watts, or an XPA-5 running full-blast on all channels.

What's really neat, though, is that a 220V outlet (actually, residential 220V can get as high as 240V, since it's just two separate 120V lines from the transformer) neatly DOUBLES your power, so the same 14AWG wires, rated at 15 A, can deliver 3600 watts.

Of course, 240V / 30A circuits for electric ranges and dryers are common. With the appropriate wiring, breakers, and outlets, you can deliver 6,600-7,200 watts to your audio equipment (and finally, your lights won't dim when the subwoofer hits)

[thepcguy]

Watts = volts * amps

I wonder if exotic 'high-end' power cables follow this basic formula ;D

Will this work on a 220v line?

NORDOST Odin Power Cord
Of course, all cables are useless unless the equipment is supplied with power, so let's start with the Odin power cord—after all, if the AC-power signal isn't up to snuff, the gear won't perform its best, or so they say. The Odin power cord uses six close-tolerance, 16AWG, 99.99999-percent oxygen-free copper (OFC) conductors, each covered by an 85-micron layer of extruded silver and suspended in a dual micro mono-filament matrix—two twisted strands of fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) are helically wound around each conductor to precisely space it from the insulating sleeve. Finally, the entire structure is enclosed in the company's proprietary TSC (Total Signal Control) shield.

The claimed result is a new level of power-transmission efficiency combined with superb mechanical damping and rejection of external RFI/EM interference. And the cost? A 1.25-meter length is $11,000, while 2.5m is $16,000, and 5m is $26,000.

[monkumonku]

Nov 5, 2010 15:58:53 GMT -5 thepcguy said:

Watts = volts * amps

I wonder if exotic 'high-end' power cables follow this basic formula ;D

Will this work on a 220v line?

NORDOST Odin Power Cord
Of course, all cables are useless unless the equipment is supplied with power, so let's start with the Odin power cord—after all, if the AC-power signal isn't up to snuff, the gear won't perform its best, or so they say. The Odin power cord uses six close-tolerance, 16AWG, 99.99999-percent oxygen-free copper (OFC) conductors, each covered by an 85-micron layer of extruded silver and suspended in a dual micro mono-filament matrix—two twisted strands of fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) are helically wound around each conductor to precisely space it from the insulating sleeve. Finally, the entire structure is enclosed in the company's proprietary TSC (Total Signal Control) shield.

The claimed result is a new level of power-transmission efficiency combined with superb mechanical damping and rejection of external RFI/EM interference. And the cost? A 1.25-meter length is $11,000, while 2.5m is $16,000, and 5m is $26,000.

Where did you find those prices??? I paid 10% more than that the other day. Grrr.... That really bugs me because I like to watch my pennies, you know.

[johndavidson]

Nov 5, 2010 16:17:49 GMT -5 monkumonku said:

Nov 5, 2010 15:58:53 GMT -5 thepcguy said:

I wonder if exotic 'high-end' power cables follow this basic formula ;D

Will this work on a 220v line?

NORDOST Odin Power Cord
Of course, all cables are useless unless the equipment is supplied with power, so let's start with the Odin power cord—after all, if the AC-power signal isn't up to snuff, the gear won't perform its best, or so they say. The Odin power cord uses six close-tolerance, 16AWG, 99.99999-percent oxygen-free copper (OFC) conductors, each covered by an 85-micron layer of extruded silver and suspended in a dual micro mono-filament matrix—two twisted strands of fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) are helically wound around each conductor to precisely space it from the insulating sleeve. Finally, the entire structure is enclosed in the company's proprietary TSC (Total Signal Control) shield.

The claimed result is a new level of power-transmission efficiency combined with superb mechanical damping and rejection of external RFI/EM interference. And the cost? A 1.25-meter length is $11,000, while 2.5m is $16,000, and 5m is $26,000.

Where did you find those prices??? I paid 10% more than that the other day. Grrr.... That really bugs me because I like to watch my pennies, you know.

For that kind of money you shouldn't have to plug it in to the wall for it to work!!! ;D

[thepcguy]

Where did you find those prices??? I paid 10% more than that the other day. Grrr.... That really bugs me because I like to watch my pennies, you know.

I think you bought the 'Special Edition' power cords. Maybe you're not aware but the wood used in the special edition is from a 100 year old Bonzai tree!

[RSavage]

Oh great......so now I have to worry about termites getting into my power cords too?

[badronald]

I guess the 50ft or so of romex cable running throught the house to supply this cable must be just as good LOL

[thepcguy]

Nov 5, 2010 18:52:41 GMT -5 badronald said:

I guess the 50ft or so of romex cable running throught the house to supply this cable must be just as good LOL

Sorry for hijacking your thread ;D
But honestly, one of the reasons I bought Emotiva is the 220v option. I might hibernate to some exotic land comes retirement time ;D

[stiehl11]

A fool and their money are lucky enough to get together in the first place. - Gorden Gecko.