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Post by sky on Jan 4, 2014 23:05:55 GMT -5
I have a question,my home theater currently in the basement,where I only have two outlet.My question is,what affect would this have on a amp if I were to plug both amp into a power bar?Everything right now is on a power bar,including my 2000watt subwoofer, which worries me somewhat..
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jlafrenz
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I don't want to jump in, unless this music's thumping
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Post by jlafrenz on Jan 4, 2014 23:12:56 GMT -5
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Post by sky on Jan 4, 2014 23:19:31 GMT -5
thanks for the reply but I'm in canada,way too much of a hassel to ship.Guess I will try to find one on ebay or something.
Edit-Is it unsafe in anyway for me to use a normal power strip while I try to find a 'good' one?
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jlafrenz
Global Moderator
I don't want to jump in, unless this music's thumping
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Post by jlafrenz on Jan 4, 2014 23:26:35 GMT -5
You should be fine.
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Post by lsdeep on Jan 5, 2014 0:32:39 GMT -5
i have my equipment on a APC G5Blk (keep in mind that's just for 2.0 audio) based on the constant power issues here in jamaica. that's after a hefty surge protector on the main powerline. as far as i can tell it is all good (for 2 aktive 900w speakers, my dc-1 and the pc + nas server), all coming from one 15A circuit. generally it isn't that hard to do the basic math. VxA=W (VA), W/V=A (your minimum breaker amps), W/A=V (meaningless, since you can't really change it). so basically you want to add up max. power consumption of your gear in watts (VA), devide by current (110/220V) and get a minimum circuit load (A) you have to take care of. that's in breaker load and also concerns the circuit wiring to that room (undersized wire gauge might burn down your place  ) |
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Post by sky on Jan 5, 2014 0:55:17 GMT -5
whoa,that surge protector is expensive,but so is calling a electrician to change the wiring in the house.Guess I will have to just be careful when I indulge in my ht business.I did a rough estimate of 3500 watt max usage,and I only have 1 circuit in the basement.
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Post by lsdeep on Jan 5, 2014 1:23:34 GMT -5
whoa,that surge protector is expensive,but so is calling a electrician to change the wiring in the house.Guess I will have to just be careful when I indulge in my ht business.I did a rough estimate of 3500 watt max usage,and I only have 1 circuit in the basement. well i don't really think the apc is expensive with about $110. always consider what your combined sh*t (sorry, equipment) attached to it cost to replace if it gets fried! anyway, with about 3500W max usage you are looking at a 30A circuit (roughly), you might get away with 25A if you never really hit max. my recommendation, run a dedicated line to your room for all the equipment on a dedicated breaker. you should have at least a AWG 10 cable going with it. considering future upgrades and additions i would go with 50A and AWG 6 wiring! nothing sucks more than having to do the job twice and spend twice the money. as for surge protection/ power conditioning, that's completely up to you, your local powersupply/ company and your experiences with it. just don't moan afterwards, when expensive equipment is blown! as for the before mentioned apc, thats on the low end (always consider value of connected equipment), many ppl here will recommend units costing a lot more (and poss. are not wrong in doing so). |
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Post by krazystang on Jan 5, 2014 2:57:28 GMT -5
I currently have the following on (2) 15 amp circuits.
Most of it is currently running off two $50 powerstrips.
3 XPA-1's
1 XPA-2
(2) paradigm seismic 12 subs (1500 watts rms each)
Anthem Avm-20
Xbox- One
Direct Tv
58" Plasma Tv
Oppo BDP-93
PS4
(1) 75 watt lightbulb. :-)
I'm having two dedicated 20 amp circuits put in shortly.
I haven't tripped a breaker yet, however since i added the XPA-1's i have not cranked it to too much yet. Waiting for the 20amps to go in.
My point- A 15amp circuit can handle a good amount.
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Post by mgbpuff on Jan 5, 2014 8:17:36 GMT -5
If the circuit breaker can hang in there (especially on energization), you're good to go. If worried, put a Kill-a=Watt meter in the outlet and check. Don't worry about burning the house down - a properly size branch circuit wire and c/b will protect. If you get nuisance trips, then consider rewiring to 20 amp branch circuits - should be easy (you're in a basement).
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Post by lionear on Jan 5, 2014 16:30:55 GMT -5
As long as you don't switch everything on at the same time, you should be fine.
Paul McGowan of PS Audio wrote once that you should plug everything into one electrical circuit, because each device reduces the impedance of the circuit.
I once had dedicated lines for my power amps and I hated the sound. I don't know if it was because of what McGowan wrote or something else.
If what McGowan wrote is correct, and if you trip the circuit breaker, then perhaps the right solution to that is to upgrade that circuit to a higher amp rating, but still connect everything to that circuit.
(I also wonder if the reason why some hi-fi power strips apparently "improve the sound" has more to do with reducing the impedance of the circuit.)
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Post by mgbpuff on Jan 5, 2014 16:58:59 GMT -5
As long as you don't switch everything on at the same time, you should be fine. Paul McGowan of PS Audio wrote once that you should plug everything into one electrical circuit, because each device reduces the impedance of the circuit. I once had dedicated lines for my power amps and I hated the sound. I don't know if it was because of what McGowan wrote or something else. If what McGowan wrote is correct, and if you trip the circuit breaker, then perhaps the right solution to that is to upgrade that circuit to a higher amp rating, but still connect everything to that circuit. (I also wonder if the reason why some hi-fi power strips apparently "improve the sound" has more to do with reducing the impedance of the circuit.) That statement (and I like and respect Paul McGowan) just doesn't make sense. More load on the circuit is less impedance thus more current flow and more voltage drop due to IR voltage in the branch conductor. The only plus in all that is if the line volts is high, the wire voltage drop would help. What am I missing? |
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Post by repeetavx on Jan 5, 2014 17:06:02 GMT -5
It would keep a low impedence between grounds
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Post by mgbpuff on Jan 5, 2014 17:14:17 GMT -5
It would keep a low impedence between grounds I would buy that if you are talking about the ground impedance between two components plugged into a common receptacle vs being plugged into a distant receptacle. That could be a factor in ground loop current between the two. But I don't think that is what the OP meant. |
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Post by RichGuy on Jan 5, 2014 17:38:01 GMT -5
The best thing would be a good power conditioner, my personal favorite is the Belkin PF-60, this will give you plenty of quality outlets and keep sound quality at its best. Typical price is around $200 but they have occasional sales which are much lower.
If you want a power strip type option the Emotiva CMX-6 is a good way to go. Current sale price $99.
As for your typical cheap power strip yes they can work fine but some will hinder performance and limit current peaks particularly ones which have surge suppressors built in, also some are just poorly made.
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Post by lionear on Jan 7, 2014 21:55:07 GMT -5
As long as you don't switch everything on at the same time, you should be fine. Paul McGowan of PS Audio wrote once that you should plug everything into one electrical circuit, because each device reduces the impedance of the circuit. I once had dedicated lines for my power amps and I hated the sound. I don't know if it was because of what McGowan wrote or something else. If what McGowan wrote is correct, and if you trip the circuit breaker, then perhaps the right solution to that is to upgrade that circuit to a higher amp rating, but still connect everything to that circuit. (I also wonder if the reason why some hi-fi power strips apparently "improve the sound" has more to do with reducing the impedance of the circuit.) That statement (and I like and respect Paul McGowan) just doesn't make sense. More load on the circuit is less impedance thus more current flow and more voltage drop due to IR voltage in the branch conductor. The only plus in all that is if the line volts is high, the wire voltage drop would help. What am I missing? May be the reduced impedance trumps possible negative effects on voltage. Electronic gear has to handle a lot of variations in peak voltage and frequency without getting into trouble. I guess my suggestion is to try stuff out and see what sounds good and what doesn't. |
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Post by creimes on Jan 7, 2014 22:11:33 GMT -5
Here's my CMX-6 beside my wimpy poorly built Monster HTS800, and while I know there are bigger fancier Monster power bars these cost the exact same and the build quality of the CMX-6 puts the Monster product to shame and then some.  |
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Post by pedrocols on Jan 7, 2014 22:26:15 GMT -5
You could have a 1000 watts amp or a 5000 watts subwofer but I doubt that is how much they are pulling.
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Post by pedrocols on Jan 7, 2014 22:31:13 GMT -5
I have 11 electronics in the same circuit and when I play music I check the AC voltage on the amp with a multimeter and it reads 118-119 volts.
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Post by creimes on Jan 7, 2014 22:36:52 GMT -5
Voltage will always be around 120 using anything with that rating, it's watts and amps that they pull
for example on a 15 amp 120 volt circuit you multiply 15 X 120 = 1800 watts max for that circuit, my XPA-1L's can pull 450 watts max but I will never get them to do that lol, not even on start up.
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novisnick
EmoPhile
CEO Secret Monoblock Society
Posts: 27,230 
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Post by novisnick on Jan 7, 2014 23:11:21 GMT -5
Here's my CMX-6 beside my wimpy poorly built Monster HTS800, and while I know there are bigger fancier Monster power bars these cost the exact same and the build quality of the CMX-6 puts the Monster product to shame and then some. You tell um creimes! No points for color,,,,,,but how about all those plugs,,,,,,,,,,,,NOT EVEN CLOSE! he,,,,,he,,,,,,he,,,,,,, Nick |
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