[gandhisfist]

I have been looking at C15, because 15 amps appears to be the standard for devices in his class. The super expensive cables also limit it at 15 amps. What I haven't been able to work out is why they terminate with 15 amp connectors for both the IEC and the NEMA ends, but then turn around and use 10 AWG cable which is capable of carrying 30 amps.

If anyone knows, I'm all ears. I am going to contact my amp manufacturer and ask what their specifications are and what they recommend.

 
From my reading C15 is rated for 10 amps, not 15, C21 is rated for 16, which is why I was asking about that one.  Correct me if I'm wrong?

 

[yage]

What I haven't been able to work out is why they terminate with 15 amp connectors for both the IEC and the NEMA ends, but then turn around and use 10 AWG cable which is capable of carrying 30 amps.

 
It's the same reason why some people use silver wire in transformer windings rather than copper... because they think it sounds better. (Personally, I've gone back to using generic 14 AWG SJT for all my gear.)

 

[yage]

   
From my reading C15 is rated for 10 amps, not 15, C21 is rated for 16, which is why I was asking about that one.  Correct me if I'm wrong?

 
For clarity's sake, these values are used for safety reasons. You can pass a lot of instantaneous current through those connectors without damage, but it's the continuous current draw that these materials are rated against. One way to give an upper bound to how much continuous current a piece of gear would draw is to look at the mains fuse rating. For example, my old integrated amp (a Plinius 8100) used a 5 A slow blow mains fuse, so it's a safe bet that it drew less than that from the wall socket under normal operating conditions.

 

[Barry S]

A Ragnarok can draw maybe 4 amps if you turn it up to 11. Most of the time, it's probably drawing between 1 and 2 amps.

 

[TimeLord]

From my reading C15 is rated for 10 amps, not 15, C21 is rated for 16, which is why I was asking about that one.  Correct me if I'm wrong?

You're right that the IEC standard only rates IEC C13/C14 and C15/C16 up to only 10 Amps. But for North America Underwriters Labs rates them higher to 15 Amps. And in contacting power cable manufacturers, they also adhered to Underwriters' specs.

 

[TimeLord]

yage I am still puzzling over a cable that can carry twice as much current as its terminals. The thing is, I would normally dismiss it as meaningless superficial construction if it wasn't for the fact that there was a pronounced improvement in sound quality over that cable than the cable I was using which was rated for only 10 Amps and was 18 AWG.

I blame sheldaze for this. Lol

 

[sheldaze]

 

[yage]

@yage I am still puzzling over a cable that can carry twice as much current as its terminals. The thing is, I would normally dismiss it as meaningless superficial construction if it wasn't for the fact that there was a pronounced improvement in sound quality over that cable than the cable I was using which was rated for only 10 Amps and was 18 AWG.

I blame @sheldaze for this. Lol

 
Ha ha... I wish I could offer a rational explanation for you, but in the case of power cords, you'll probably just have to trust your ears. I heard an improvement when I used a DIY power cable made from Belden 83802 on my previous CD player - an Arcam CD33. Bass in particular firmed up quite nicely with it in place of the stock cord. I also felt I heard an improvement with the Ayre Codex when using the same DIY cord. That time I felt that it evened out the tonal balance and offered up a smidge more resolution.
 
Of course, the logical extension to all this is to look into power conditioners... Shunyata Denali, anyone?

 

[sheldaze]

^ I think I'll need to pursue power conditioners more seriously. I've also found a fairly easy way to baseline - use something from a battery. If I listen to the song via tablet, into Mojo, into my headphone, I get at minimum a clean sense of what the song can sound like. For me, it was the noise I heard via the standard power cable. It got closer to the baseline with the power cable. But each cable varies, so might be aiming for a different target with a different cable.

 

[Billheiser]

...

Of course, the logical extension to all this is to look into power conditioners... Shunyata Denali, anyone?

That was recently reviewed on audiostream.com.  A good website, except for the most gullible, suggestible man on earth, Stephen Plaskin, who of course raved about it.  He raves about everything.  Every month his noise floor of 0 gets lower; it must be deep underground now.

 

[TimeLord]

Ha ha... I wish I could offer a rational explanation for you, but in the case of power cords, you'll probably just have to trust your ears. I heard an improvement when I used a DIY power cable made from Belden 83802 on my previous CD player - an Arcam CD33. Bass in particular firmed up quite nicely with it in place of the stock cord. I also felt I heard an improvement with the Ayre Codex when using the same DIY cord. That time I felt that it evened out the tonal balance and offered up a smidge more resolution.

Of course, the logical extension to all this is to look into power conditioners... Shunyata Denali, anyone?

Oh boy, that's a pricey unit.

I don't think sheldaze's cable was cleaning up the power supply; rather I think it was providing more current to the amp. But I'm not basing that on anything empirical, just gut instinct.

 

[yage]

  That was recently reviewed on audiostream.com.  A good website, except for the most gullible, suggestible man on earth, Stephen Plaskin, who of course raved about it.  He raves about everything.  Every month his noise floor of 0 gets lower; it must be deep underground now.

 
Well, guess I better tell him about the fix for the Schumann resonances that are plaguing his system. Oh wait... too late. <Seinfeld voice> Plaskin! </Seinfield voice>

 

[uhhmike]

By any chance, is anyone going to this show going to bring the AudioZenith PMx2 can? Thanks in advance.

 

[TimeLord]

By any chance, is anyone going to this show going to bring the AudioZenith PMx2 can? Thanks in advance.

I can bring a PM-1 if that helps.

 

[sheldaze]

I just read (and listened to it for myself to verify) there is an audible difference between the single-ended and balanced output from the Jot. Probably a fault of mine, in that I tend to listen to things for a short time when the delta is obvious and a very long time when the change is subtle - or I am simply happy. It took me about a week before I finally changed the gain setting, and heard a more "meaty" sound through the HE-1000. I was happy with single-ended through the HD650, so it took until now for me to try the balanced...
 
In short, if you plan to listen to the Jot, I recommend you bring a 4-pin XLR terminated cable, and an adaptor to 1/4" phono if you want to A/B. I'll be doing more experimentation in future when I can obtain the proper cabling for other headphones.