Hi, my electrician installed 12/2 wiring on a 85 foot run so I’ll probably get a 4 volt drop.
Is it ok to run the BHK 300 Mono’s at 116 volts ? or should I have him redo Ugg with 10/2 resulting in 117.8 volts. They will be all dedicated 20 amp circuits and amps running 4ohm’s.
At 115 volts I’ll probably only loose 50 watts of output I’m ok with that and wont be running them at full beans, but will the lower voltage result in poor sound quality is my main concern ?
Thanks…
Curious as to why you believe those voltage drop numbers, seems high IMO.
Resistance of 12/2 AWG wire is 0.1588 milliohms per 100 feet, 10/2 improves on this at 99.89 milliohms per 100 feet. Unless you are running Class A the amp current draw will not be constant. The current draw will vary with dynamics, so lower line resistance is a positive.
600 watt peaks with a 12 AWG 120 VAC supply equates to a 5 amp current draw per amp, so voltage drop will be on the order of 0.662 VAC per amplifier, assuming both fed from the same line. With a 10/2 feed the voltage drop is 0.424 VAC. How well the BHK 300 power supply recovers from dynamic swings will play into this as well.
The above is an oversimplification for the BHK 300 amp as the application is dynamic versus static. Transient peaks on extremely dynamic may be affected slightly. It’s a matter of if you can hear it. For the most part the BHK 300s will be coasting putting out less than 25 wpc. A robust power supply will best handle dynamic peaks, have sufficient curent reserve and better setling times.
Since the job is done I’d not fret it. Consider a PS Audio P20 Power Plant if still concerned.
Thanks for the information, line voltage is above my pay grade. I was using an online calculator probably not correctly. Each amp will be on its own 20amp dedicated circuit. Lines are run but not hooked into box yet, I could replace them myself before he finishes up at about $700 for the wire.
It’s just flex line in aluminum tubing. I’m in a giant loft space hence the long run. Just trying to maximize what I have, haven’t even plugged them in yet. Sounds like the difference would be minimal, any thoughts on whether it would be worth doing ? I’ll also be driving Triton Reference Speaker bass amps on a separate 20 amp line per speaker and they need 1800 watts to achieve peek transients.
Thank you again…
The Triton bass amps are Class D so no big current draw.
Good point, I’m just ruminating over what to do… Spent some bank on everything and just want to maximize everything, before it’s all installed. Just wasn’t thinking about the length of the run when talking with electrician. It does sound minimal if I change wiring.
Thanks for the reply…
I’ll say this terminating 10 AWG onto a 20 amp duplex outlet is a PITA. Your electrician may advise against it. Ultimately it is on you as it is your spend.
I run 12/2 AWG to my main system, but it is a 4 foot run. A second system is a 40 foot run of 12 AWG. I had a P15, which did help with voltage regulation among other things and is why I recommended a P20. The P15 is now gone, nudged out by a Gryphon PowerZone 3.10. The PZ does not address voltage regulation.
My electrician wasn’t thrilled when I had him run four 10/2’s into duplex outlets on the equipment wall in the new room I added on last year. I let him run 12/2 to all the other outlets even though they are all 20 amp circuits. As there is a sub-panel in the room he only had to run the longest one 16’.
Maybe I could run 10/2 to the junction box at 55 feet then connect it to the 12/2 going to the receptacles at 20 feet. that would lessen the voltage drop ?
Thanks…
Why?
You may be over thinking it. Why not just pull a 8/2 run and be done with it, ha!
Haha, ya I’m lost in it… It’s 7 20 amp runs cheeper than a P20 power plant for sure. I wont know the difference because I’ll never hear it with 8/2… Ignorance is bliss !!! I hope I’ll turn it off and sleep tonight…
Any poking is totally accepted, I’m a lost freak…
Thanks…
Hi, my electrician installed 12/2 wiring on a 85 foot run so is that ok.
Is it ok to run the BHK 300 Mono’s at 116 volts ? or should I have him redo Ugg with 10/2 resulting in 117.8 volts. They will be all dedicated 20 amp circuits and amps running 4ohm’s.
But will the lower voltage result in poor sound quality is my main concern ? I’m just guessing on the voltage drop.
Thanks…
Sounds like you were reading a 12 volt DC voltage drop chart. Then 85 feet does matter.
Thanks, for anyone with a similar situation this is what PS audio sent to me.
Hi Chris,
Here in Boulder, we have pretty significant swings – all the way from 115 to about 125 volts without too much trouble. You would likely see a watt output decrease like you said, but sound quality should not be significantly different. I’d recommend making sure that the incoming power is clean (maybe a PowerPlant?)and stable before investing in rewiring the circuit for an extra two volts if you’re seeing diminished sound quality.
My best,
Delia Lynch
PS Audio Service
1-800-PSAUDIO | 720-406-8946
psaudio.com Boulder, Colorado
Well, at least now it is official. Buy a P20 and be done with it.
[quote="weedeewop, post:2, topic:40485”]
Since the job is done I’d not fret it. Consider a PS Audio P20 Power Plant if still concerned.
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