Power cord replacement

Does it matter what gauge it is? I have three choices, 10 gauge, 12 gauge, and 14 gauge. The 14 saves me a few dollars so I rather go with that. One needs 3 feet for my CD player and the other 6 feet for my sub. Will 14 gauge power cords do it? They will be connected to a Tripp Lite power strip.

 

Does it matter? Those will probably all work. The 14 is good for the CD player but it wouldn't hurt to get the 12 or 10 for the sub.

You might even want to check the sub specs to see if the current requirements would rule out any of them.

 

Do you mean extension cords? Or cords to replace what came with the equipment? Extensions, I like to get 12AWG so I can use with whatever later on and not worry about it. Replacement cords, I agree with @RnRmf doesn't matter for the CD player due to little power draw, and big for the amplified sub is nice.

 

Yeah I mean replacing the power cord that came with my CD player and the one for the sub. So a 14 gauge 3 feet should be enough for CD player? 12 or 10 for the sub on a 6 foot run?

 

Are you rolling your own?

 

Your power strip and its ratings will be the current limiter in your setup. The cords will be of less importance. Your house wiring is probably 12 gauge and rated at 20 amps. A 14 gauge cord will be rated at 15 amps and a 16 gauge cord at 10 amps. Your audio device current ratings should be well below that.

 

Standard house wiring in Canada and the U.S. is 14/3 Lumex or equivalent, tough-pitch (ETF) copper conductors, covered with individual dielectric for each conductor and an outer insulation jacket. 14/3 is more than adequate for 15 amp, 120V circuits, which is why it will always meet or exceed Code.

There are few reasons, none of them related to sound quality, to use anything heavier than the 16/2 or 16/3 gauge power cord normally supplied with audio components. The majority of so-called audiophile AC power cords contain 14/3 or 16/3 conductors. Only the uber-expensive ones use 10/3 or 12/3 conductors, which is entirely pointless and mainly serves only to create ridiculously stiff cables that hang off the end of components and that are impossible to bend around corners and other components.

 

The Tripp Lite power strip I use says it has this "The SUPER725B has a 14 gauge SJT input cord". Does that mean that a 10 or 12 gauge power cable plugged into it is completely unecessary or useleess?

 

Useless. Yes.

 

Someone up there suggested that 14 would be fine for the CD player, but perhaps I should go with 10 or 12 for sub.

 

As long as you're using the power strip (read bottle neck) the choice of power cables for your gear is a mute point.

 

The 14 gauge is fine. Since you're replacing the cables that came with the pieces, what gauge were they? Unless it's a high end sub, I'll bet the manufacturer supplied a perfectly adequate 18 gauge cord.

edit: My personal preference is to plug amplifiers and powered subs in to the wall directly; no power strip.

 

Oh yeah I thought about that. I forgot to mention that I am replacing my amp's power cord as well. It is a Yamaha AS-701. Should I get a 10 gauge power cord for that if I am plugging it directly into the wall?

 

What gauge is the cord that came with the amp? Actually, why are you replacing the power cables? Something wrong with them?

 

I prefer and recommend plugging power amplifiers directly into the wall outlet. Lower amperage items should be fine connected to the power strip.

 

Mostly just for looks. I am trying to make all the cords blue. Hmm I just checked and it seems to be the same thickness as my Audiolab 6000CDT.

 

Definitely 14 gauge is more than adequate then.

 

You might want to lead with that sort of thing next time.

 

Oh well yeah but I also don't wanna burn anything. So while I might be doing this primarily for looks, I still rather have the proper measurements.

 

Then just choose the gauge you think looks the best.

*shaking head in disbelief*

 

I just checked the ratings. The amp has a 16 AWG cord. The CD player and the sub either have 16 or 18 AWG(hard to tell on those cords) but for sure they aren't 14 or lower gauge.

 

Here ya go.

 

So I ordered 2 but they are three pronged. My amp isn't grounded at all, not in the unit and not in the power cable. Will they still work? It looks like they will fit with no problem.

 

Since the amp end of the power cord is female you'll have no problem using them.

 

Youre not gonna believe this. When I bought my house in the northwest semi rural area after the house inspection, the guy highlighted the a very few things before we proceed.
1. the roof shingles needs to be changed. (the owner gave me $8,500.00)
2. there was small hidden rotted trimming on my garage. (the owner fixed it)
3. He showed me the electrical box and all were modified to thick heavy duty lines including the new style breakers. (far out....)
The only thing I bought for my system was 2 separate a 650 watts voltage regulator. I don't hear anything and nothing but clear full sound!