fuzzydog Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Just upgraded my receiver from a Marantz NR-1402 to a Pioneer SC-1323. Noticed that the Marantz came with a much beefier power cord than the Pioneer. The markings say that the Marantz supplied cord was rated for 13 amps while the thinner Pioneer cord was rated for 10 amps. The besides the thickness and amp rating, the cords are otherwise identical. The cords are even made by the same company. Is there any advantage to using the thicker 13 amp cord to hook up the Pioneer? Could this cause any problems??? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 No advantage whatsoever - I would leave each cord with its respective receiver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzydog Posted February 9, 2014 Author Share Posted February 9, 2014 I imagine that the only difference is the gauge of the wire. The component will draw whatever current it's using depending on the load. It's just surprising that a 50 watt receiver would come with a larger gauge cord than a 125 watt receiver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 The simplest thing to do is look at the wattage rating on the unit. It should be on the UL tag on the back where the power plugs in. A 10 amp cord is good for up to 1200 watt demand. A 13 amp cord is good for 1560 watts. Neither of your units will demand close to that much. They are 280 watt and 240 watt, or 2 1/3 amp and 2 amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzydog Posted February 10, 2014 Author Share Posted February 10, 2014 Just checked and the Pioneer's power consumption is posted at 290 watts. How can they claim "630 watts multi-channel simultaneous drive"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 The watts rating on the back of the unit refers to the watts of household electricity. 290 watts divided by 120 volts A/C = 2.42 amps. Good question. I Don't think you can get more watts out of an appliance than you provide, unless perhaps you are using unobtainium capacitors. The only hypothesis I have is that the energy stored in the caps is released in amounts substantially higher than the input wattage. This couldn't be sustainable, IMO. You couldn't keep 300 watts or more pumping into the speakers once the caps level off, unless you are providing 300 watts plus overhead to the amps. Maybe somebody has a better idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snailtrax Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Watts in is at 120 volts AC. Watts output is at a lower voltage, so according to Watt's Law or Ohm's Law, "I forget which one" it is very feasible. Google Ohm's Law and Watt's Law. They can explain it better than I can. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Watts in is at 120 volts AC. Watts output is at a lower voltage, so according to Watt's Law or Ohm's Law, "I forget which one" it is very feasible. Google Ohm's Law and Watt's Law. They can explain it better than I can. Bill Not really. Volts times amps = watts. For the same wattage, and lower voltage, you have to increase amperage. Watts are watts. 1 amp at 120 volts = 120 watts 10 amps at 12 volts = 120 watts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 (edited) I don't think it is a linear relationship concerning the unit consumptiona and the watts that the unit can pass to the speakers. Amps take an input signal and amplify that to an output. In between this is the property of gain. Edited February 10, 2014 by derrickdj1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Richard Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 The only hypothesis I have is that the energy stored in the caps is released in amounts substantially higher than the input wattage. This couldn't be sustainable, IMO. You couldn't keep 300 watts or more pumping into the speakers once the caps level off, unless you are providing 300 watts plus overhead to the amps. Maybe somebody has a better idea. Most of the multichannel AV receivers will not output full power on all channels simultaneously. They are also not subject to FTC regulations regarding 2 channel stereo equipment. The power ratings may be peak power, or a rating based on testing one or two channels at a time. Some manufacturers will give honest specs, if you read closely. Others don't. Since a lot of these AVRs use switching power supplies I doubt there are any large storage caps in them. If your receiver advertises 100 wpc for 6 channels and draws 290 watts from the AC line, its a safe bet that 290 watts give or take a few is all you can get out of that unit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 How can they claim "630 watts multi-channel simultaneous drive"? Behringer took an amp rated at 2500 watts and relabeled it as a 4000 watt amp. Same amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babadono Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 You cannot get more power out of an amplifier than you put in. If it were 100% efficient you could get out exactly what you put in. There is no such amplifier(100% efficient) that is why they get warm or hot, they are dissipating power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 You cannot get more power out of an amplifier than you put in. If it were 100% efficient you could get out exactly what you put in. There is no such amplifier(100% efficient) that is why they get warm or hot, they are dissipating power. Right. Watts are watts. Those electrolytics store the energy for the bursts of output. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djk Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 "Those electrolytics store the energy for the bursts of output." A 1F cap will deliver 1A of current for 1 second. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 "Those electrolytics store the energy for the bursts of output." A 1F cap will deliver 1A of current for 1 second. Thanks. I did not know that. That's not much. A 1 Farad cap is huge! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 A good thing is that an amp or avr never even come close to the power consumption rated on the back of the unit. The power comsumption should include running the amp, heat lost and output. All the numbers are fudged so who really knows since it varies by brands and amp class. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 "Those electrolytics store the energy for the bursts of output." A 1F cap will deliver 1A of current for 1 second. Thanks. I did not know that. That's not much. A 1 Farad cap is huge! My Furman will store 55A for bursts. Don't think it's for a second though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryC Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Believe it or not, power cords can sound very slightly different from one to another. Not necessarily better overall, but different. I'd try both, see what you think. Listen for bass fullness and clarity, and to the liveliness and accuracy of the treble. Likely no net difference. On general principles, I'd probably use the Marantz's cord. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djk Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 "My Furman will store 55A for bursts. Don't think it's for a second though." I've seen that product, it's for voltage sag that lasts 10s of milliseconds. There is a 1,000F capacitor available for car starting that will deliver 200A for five seconds, enough to start most any engine. It is not afordable for any but fleet owners, it is generally used on a two-wheeled hand truck for emergency starting purposes, you start the vehicle, and then let it charge back up before moving to the next vehicle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 (edited) Believe it or not, power cords can sound very slightly different from one to another. Not necessarily better overall, but different. I'd try both, see what you think. Listen for bass fullness and clarity, and to the liveliness and accuracy of the treble. Likely no net difference. On general principles, I'd probably use the Marantz's cord. Why would a power cord change the sound? Edited February 12, 2014 by mustang guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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