Welcome to Caelin Gabriel

[prepress]

Originally Posted by CGabriel

There are no problems from an operational point of view and you said that your immediate goals were aesthetic and not performance.

However, from a performance perspective it is less than ideal. As I have said many times, the best PC in your system should be the one powering the power distributor. You have a long distance to travel for this cord and have chosen to use the extension cable which is not a problem in itself but using a 12 gauge extension to a 10 gauge PC will not perform as well as a custom made to length PC. If you are happy with the sound of your system, I wouldn't sweat it.

cg

Okay, thank you. This will help me decide what I want to do. I am pleased with the sound I get (I just had company and we played CD and DVD; it sounded quite good), but I may go for a new cord anyway depending on how things shake out.

[CGabriel]

You know we can always find things to tinker with but there is a point where we should just enjoy the music. I am enjoying a classic Jim Reeves album on my less than perfect music system. I love it!

Cheers!

[prepress]

Originally Posted by CGabriel

You know we can always find things to tinker with but there is a point where we should just enjoy the music. I am enjoying a classic Jim Reeves album on my less than perfect music system. I love it!

Cheers!

The good old days . . . on both counts. Jim Reeves was one of the smoothest vocalists out there in my opinion, country or otherwise. And if music really moves you, it can do that on the most expensive rig or a much more modest one. At one point for me, being ignorant of high-end audio equipment, it was all about the music. I think it will be important to get back there.

And I will try not to get crazy with or overdo the cable adjustments I make going forward.

[Lalodi]

I would like to know the diference betwen the Hydra 2 and the Guardian Pro
Thanks

[GrantS]

If you are referring to the Guardian Pro 2 and Hydra 2, they were essentially the same product, same performance. The Guardian Pro 2 was marketed to professional studios while the Hydra 2 was a product made for the commercial high-end audio market.

Regards,

Grant
Shunyata Research

[Masterlu]

Lalodi... Welcome!

[MisterBritt]

I have a question. It is not so much a "Shunyata" or any manufacturer question per se, except the 20 amp Hydra AV sits in the middle of my concern.

Yesterday afternoon my final PC arrived, a 20 amp Python. This was ordered to sit between the wall and my new Hydra AV. The Hydra AV needs a 20 amp PC.

For some strange and unrelated reason, 20 minutes before the 20 amp Python PC arrived at my door my dedicated 20 amp line switched off. The circuit breaker (circuit protector) cannot be addressed, the test button is failed -- it looks like it needs to be replaced. You can imagine my disappointment. This is just background. This is why I cannot use my recent dedicated 20 amp line. So now I'm getting to the question.

In the same listening room there remain several outlets from the original, existing 15 amp configuration that work. I have, in other words, a 15 amp outlet in my listening room that works and I can reach it.

Can I plug the Shunyata 20 amp PC that sits between the wall and the Hydra AV into an ordinary 15 amp outlet until such time as I can get my 20 amp line back up and running?

[CGabriel]

Originally Posted by MisterBritt

I have a question. It is not so much a "Shunyata" or any manufacturer question per se, except the 20 amp Hydra AV sits in the middle of my concern. Yesterday afternoon my final PC arrived, a 20 amp Python. This was ordered to sit between the wall and my new Hydra AV. The Hydra AV needs a 20 amp PC. For some strange and unrelated reason, 20 minutes before the 20 amp Python PC arrived at my door my dedicated 20 amp line switched off. The circuit breaker (circuit protector) cannot be addressed, the test button is failed -- it looks like it needs to be replaced. You can imagine my disappointment. This is just background. This is why I cannot use my recent dedicated 20 amp line. So now I'm getting to the question. In the same listening room there remain several outlets from the original, existing 15 amp configuration that work. I have, in other words, a 15 amp outlet in my listening room that works and I can reach it. Can I plug the Shunyata 20 amp PC that sits between the wall and the Hydra AV into an ordinary 15 amp outlet until such time as I can get my 20 amp line back up and running?

There is a lot of confusion concerning 15 amp circuit versus 20 amp circuits and 20 amp PCs versus 15 amp PCs.

RE: Dedicated lines
A dedicated AC circuit is one that has a dedicated circuit breaker. There is a dedicated Hot Neutral and Ground wire that run directly to the AC outlet. There is no more than a single outlet attached to this line.

RE: 15A versus 20A
The current rating of the line is determined primarily by the circuit breaker's trip threshold. Secondarily, the in-wall wire and the AC outlet must be chosen in accordance with the breaker's rating. A 15A circuit rating simply means that this is the maximum current that the circuit can support before the breaker will trip. A 20A circuit will trip at a point 5 amps higher than the 15 amp circuit. There is no inherent performance difference between a 15A and a 20A circuit as long as the total current draw is within the rating. What does matter to performance is the size and type of wire that is used in-wall regardless of the trip point of the breaker.

If you are going to the expense of installing dedicated lines always install a 20A rated line. The difference in price is almost nothing compared to the price of installation.

RE: 10A, 13A and 15A PCs
Power cords that have the ubiquitous IEC connector that we are all familiar with can have a current rating from 10-15 amps. However, they will all fit in the standard inlet to the component. The rating of the power cord is primarily determined based upon the size of the conductors. Conductor size for commodity power cords ranges from 18 gauge to 14 gauge. If you do not use high-end power cords, always use a 14 gauge power cord for your audio/video components.

RE: 20A PCs
20 amp power cords are fundamentally different than the above in that the component end connector is physically different than the common IEC connector. You cannot physically plug a 20A (IEC-C19) in an inlet that is not built for it. All Hydras and many high current amolifiers and preamps use the IEC-C20 inlet connector that accepts the C19 power cord connector.

The confusion arises when you need a C19 cord and want to plug it into an AC outlet circuit that is rated at 15 amps. The AC end of the power cord for both the 15A and the 20A is usually the same US-P15 plug. So both cords can be physically plugged into the wall. There are no issues using a 20A cord into a 15A circuit unless the components you are using actually exceed 15 amps of current. Just because a component uses a C20 inlet does not mean that it REQUIRES 20 amps of current. Lookup the current requirements for each component if you are interested.

All Hydras and the Venom PS8 are rated for 20 amps of current so that the user has the flexibility to use it with a 20 amp dedicated line if the user has it. This in no way precludes using the Hydra on a 15 amp circuit. It just means that the Hydra has more capability than the 15 amp circuit can provide.

[MisterBritt]

Originally Posted by CGabriel

There is a lot of confusion concerning 15 amp circuit versus 20 amp circuits and 20 amp PCs versus 15 amp PCs.

RE: Dedicated lines
A dedicated AC circuit is one that has a dedicated circuit breaker. There is a dedicated Hot Neutral and Ground wire that run directly to the AC outlet. There is no more than a single outlet attached to this line...

Thanks for the prompt reply. It looks like I'm good to go. I do, however, want to take a closer look, per the BOLD above. It is my understanding that there are three (3) outlets attached to my recently installed dedicated 20 amp line. That's possible, right?

I had my electrician install a dedicated 20 amp line with 12 gauge wire, to which he informed me it was connected in series by 14 gauge wire to two (2) additional outlets. Nothing unusual here, right?

When the circuit breaker tripped on the dedicated 20 amp line, it took out all three (3) outlets.

[BlueFox]

It isn't a dedicated line if there is more than one outlet on the line. That is a normal house wiring line. You can always disconnect the line from the first outlet that feeds the next outlet, etc. Then you would have a dedicated line, and two other outlets that do not work.