15 Amp Breaker Adequate?

I am planning on purchasing a 950/770 combo soon, so I am wiring in a separate circuit for the 770. I have an existing 15 amp breaker I could utilize for this and was wondering if this would be adequate. I know it states in the manual to go with a 20 amp breaker but I was wondering what the consequences would be (if any) if I used a 15 amp circuit instead?

As well, is it necessary to have a separate circuit for the 950 or can I plug it into the same circuit as the 770?

Your suggestions would be most appreciated

A 15A circuit should be sufficient, although it would probably be best not to put a lot else on the circuit with the 770. Gear like your 950 and source devices like DVD players, CD players, satellite or cable boxes, game consoles, etc. draw very little power and could share the circuit with the 770. A television or powered sub would be good to put on a separate circuit, if possible.

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gonk -- 950 Review | LFM-1 Review | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | Saloon Links

Since we are on the topic...

I just orderred the 950/7709/lfm combo and am very excited to get it!

I am running a new circuit (deciding whether to do 20 or 30Amp). I was planning to plug a Monster HTS5000 into it and run all my comonents thru it (incl. a 50" Plasma, 2 DVD Players and HD Tivo).

Would I be better off wunning 2 20Amp circuits and plug the amp directly in to the wall?

Many thanks...

Mike

I wouldn't do a 30A circuit - the receptacle you end up with will be useless. I'd tend to go with (2) 20A circuits. You could probably even get by with 15A circuits if you wanted to (the Monster HTS5000 is likely only a 15A rated device anyway).

In my old house, I ran a Model 950, Model 750 (165Wx5), Parasound HCA-800 Mk II (100Wx2), SVS 25-31PCi (similar size plate amp as the LFM-1), 27" TV, and the usual batch of source devices from a single 15A circuit through a Panamax MAX5100 and even at lound listening levels never had trouble.

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gonk -- 950 Review | LFM-1 Review | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | Saloon Links

Many thanks Gonk, as usual you are a wealth of information.

Regards,

Many Thanks!

Let me post a followup similarly related question. I have all of my components in boxes, but have not yet hooked them up as i am anxiously trying to decide what to do about power. The outlaw amp comes with a 15 amp 14awg power cord, yet the manual recommends a 20 amp outlet. I have both 20 amp and 15 amp outlets available, so that's no problem. However, the manual also states to not plug into a switched device due to high current. Yet when looking up monster, panamax, etc, they have 15 amp high current switched outlets on their devices specifically for amps -- would it be OK to put the amp into one of these? And if not, is there a way to use a seperate device that still that would enable switching capability, do i even need that?

Many questions, lots of time spent looking for the answers, but little knowlege to show for it. The story of my life!!!! :> )

I've been using the high current outlet on a Panamax to feed my Model 750 for a couple years now. I think that those sorts of amp-specific outlets would be OK for the 770 - I've interpreted Outlaw's warning as being intended to help prevent people from blindly putting the amp on a piece of gear that will restrict its current draw.

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gonk -- 950 Review | LFM-1 Review | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | Saloon Links

I agree. I believe that Outlaw didn't want people to hook the 770 up to the switched outlets found on the back of receivers and some other pieces of equipment. I have had my 770 plugged into a 15amp outlet for the past year and a half and never had a problem.