20amp IEC connector with a 15amp plug PC? ??

Note the IEC 60320 C13/C14 is rated for 10 amps. And the IEC 60320 C19/C20 is rated for 16 amps.
jea48

I spent some time looking at sites on Google. From what I have gathered in Europe the C13/C14 has a listed rating of 10 amps. It appears here in the US and Canada the connectors have a UL and CSA listed ampere rating of 15 amps.

The C19/C20 Europe 16 amps, US and Canada a UL and CSA listed ampere rating of 20 amps.
Example, note in this ad the UL/CSA at the side of each connector and the spec info page.

12-15-07: Audioblazer
Jea48, CJ350 stock PC comes with a 15amp plug.
It doesn't make sense. As far as I understand it , shouldn't equipment with need a 20amp IEC comes with a 20amp plug which rightfully should be connected to a 20amp dedicated circuit with 20amp circuit breaker to maximise whatever current the equipment need?

I assume the CJ amp is UL and or CSA listed. If so the equipment was tested and found that it did not exceed an FLA, (full load amps) of more than 12 amps. That meets the minimum plug that can be used on the cord of the equipment.
CJ could have supplied a cord with a 20 amp plug but imagine the complaints from the consumer. The damn thing won't plug into my Oyaide receptacle.....

You the user can step up to a power cord that has a 20 amp plug if you wish. What you should do is make sure the conductor, wire, in the cord is at least #12 awg gauge. Make sure the IEC female connector fits tightly into the male connector on the back of the Amp. Poor contact pressure causes arcing. Arcing causes noise as well as heat and voltage drop.
Also for your amp a dedicated 20 amp circuit with a good quality receptacle. Just a note here on receptacles. The guts inside a good quality recept use the same 20 amp rated contacts be it 15 or 20 amp..... Only the faceplate is different. It's an NEC safety thing as I described in an earlier post.

Wire size for the 20 amp branch circuit? Minimum of #12 awg. In your case if the total run is more than, say 30' to 40' I would have installed #10 solid wire. Jim

You guys are making a mountain out of a molehill. The reason some 15A audio equipment is using the C19 connector is exactly as I said previously - because it's a more solid connection.

First I would bet the cord is not listed by UL or any other recognized testing agency.

Jea48, how much do you want to bet? :-)

I am looking at a box full of about twenty NEMA 5-15p to IEC C19 cords that are UL and CSA listed. The computer industry has been using them for decades.

Rex, I concede to your challenge. Obviously I was wrong..... After doing some research I have found the IEC connectors are in a category all their own. The oddest thing I noticed the same connectors can be used for either 125Vac as well as 250Vac. To my knowledge I cannot think of any other plug and receptacle device that allows that here in the US.

The problem I have understanding the UL/CSA listing is where is the protection for the non savvy consumer that buys a piece of equipment that has a 20 amp IEC connector, that has a FLA rating of 16 amps, and did not come with the manufacturer supplied cord with a 20 amp plug. The guy that sold him the equipment lost the the factory cord and plug but threw in one that fit the IEC connector and had only a 15 amp plug.

The buyer knows beans about what we have been discussing here. He plugs the unit in, powers it up and everything seems to work fine. The branch he plugged into is only a 15 amp circuit and the wire is being overloaded. Hopefully the breaker will trip open. You would be surprised how many 15 amp breakers won't trip at 15 amps. Where is the protection.....
The cord and plug is not idiot proof, jmho.

Now here is an example that to me mirrors the same thing that is allowed with the IEC 20 / 5-15P power cord . As per NEC I cannot make a power cord with a NEMA 5-20R receptacle on one end and a NEMA 5-15P plug on the other end...... Can you see the difference?

Where is the protection.....
The cord and plug is not idiot proof, jmho.

I agree that it's not idiot-proof, but I'm not sure that it matters. How many threads have you seen here and on other forums where chooses (or advises someone else) to do something blatantly foolish with electricity or electrical connections in the name of audiophilia? How many times have you heard some audiophile say that the NEC is too cautious or just plain wrong? Way too many times, I reckon. Make something idiot-proof, and a more resourceful idiot will come along.

Anyway, the saving grace (pun intended) is that there are almost no consumer audio products that actually need more than the rated power of a 15A convenience outlet. The few that do that I'm aware of have hard-wired power cords. You'd have to saw off the factory plug and put a NEMA 5-15P on there in order to plug it into a 15A outlet.