Electrical - Romex Wiring and Other Recommended Enhancements

fsonicsmith

... 15A breakers are far more advisable to avoid the chance of frying wire and house fires. I’m no EE but think that it is true that just because an amp or preamp has a 20A IEC receptacle does not mean you need to feed it 20A for optimum performance.

I can’t imagine any preamp requiring a 20A line for sufficient current, but there are certainly some amplifiers that do. And an amp that requires only a 15A line might still be better served with a 20A line, because the heavier gauge wire on the 20A line will suffer less voltage drop.

... the capacity of the breaker is about convenience-not having to worry about the breaker tripping. The trade-off is that the higher the amperage of the breaker, the less protection you have.

Not so. The capacity of a breaker is defined by the gauge and length of the wire on its circuit. The purpose of a breaker is really to protect the house wiring. Provided the wire is properly sized, a 20A line and breaker is as safe as a 15A line and breaker.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with using 20 amp breakers as long as you run 10/2 wire.
Yes, there are preamps and amps constructed for 20 amp IEC's, it is possible that if you use a 15 amp breaker the product might lack its full potential.
If you are going to use an HFC Hemisphere then I would suggest you use a Furutech GTX-D NCF (R) outlet and not the cruzeFIRST Maestro outlet to power the Hemisphere.

cleeds1,367 posts04-23-2018 8:38am
Not necessarily. It depends, in part, on the length of the run from panel to receptacle. If in the US, check NEC.

You are correct; longer runs could require a larger gauge.  Always best to check NEC code.

lak3,062 posts04-30-2018 8:54amThere is absolutely nothing wrong with using 20 amp breakers as long as you run 10/2 wire.
Yes, there are preamps and amps constructed for 20 amp IEC’s, it is possible that if you use a 15 amp breaker the product might lack its full potential.
If you are going to use an HFC Hemisphere then I would suggest you use a Furutech GTX-D NCF (R) outlet and not the cruzeFIRST Maestro outlet to power the Hemisphere.

20 Amp breakers and 12/2 is also often acceptable, but as Cleeds1 stated, it is best to check NEC code if you have a long wire run.