I was thinking that I would have to run another outlet to feed all the equipment I have, but to date, so far, I haven't tripped my 20A circuit. But my math or logic isn't quite right. If I add up all the amplifier power in my theater, the RMS power is 3,460watts (peak is somewhere around 5,100 watts). That's 120w for each of two Velodyne subwoofers, 860w for each Goldenear Triton Two, a 250x2 Yamaha main amp, and a 200x5 Sherbourn amp. Dividing 3460 by 120 volts yields 28.8 amps. That's just amplifiers, not to mention a Plasma that is rated for 550w on the back, a computer, Slingbox, Ethernet switch, Dish DVR, and Monster power conditioner.

So, I'm wondering why I can run all this on a shared circuit, and when trying to play loud 7-channel music, I haven't tripped the breaker yet? When I say loud, I mean 100db. Maybe I'm just not pulling the wattage, or maybe my amps are being starved? The monster power conditioner has no amps, just input devices, but the voltage monitor gauge swings by 3-5 volts during the playback of music, and goes down to 110v at times.

What's everyone's thoughts on this?

Murphy,

My first guess would be that even though you are playing at spirited levels, you're not pulling that many amps. The Tritons are efficient speakers and don't take all that much power to hit 100 dB. This is the most likely scenario but you are definitely asking a lot of that circuit...

My only fear would be that if you're wiring isn't 100% or if your fuse/breaker isn't functioning properly, you could be running too many amps through that wire which could cause it to over heat/melt and could pose a fire hazard. I had a similar issue in my home that an electrician discovered and fixed when wiring multiple 20 amp outlets for my evolving theater. It may be worth a quick inspection by an electrician just to be sure.

Cheers,

T Cobe

Murphyslaw1978,
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it!!!!"
BUT IF anything is gonna go wrong, my guess would be it would happen to Murphy's Law.
ha ha
I don't think those ratings really mean you are getting/using that much power, much IF ANY of the time.
I think you are fine, but will let the elect. engrs chime in.
Happy listening, Enjoy,
God Bless,
Wayne

The wiring in the house is all new. In fact, the previous owner was an electrician and lives next door. So I can ask him about the wiring, but it looks good to me. He ran 12AWG to this circuit in conduit and it has a 20a breaker.

Murphy,

With that said, you are in the most likely scenario of running more efficiently than you think. GET speakers are efficient. With even 64 watts, you'll be playing quite loud.

Before I had my basement rewired, I was tripping a 15 amp circuit with a subwoofer. Had a contractor change the breaker to a 20 amp and ran that way for a while. When the electrician came in, the wiring on that circuit was 14- guage and the breaker wasn't working. A little scary since that circuit ran half my basement and my entire theater. There was also a rats nest of wires run not according to code. Obvious things like wiring extension cords right into the circuit, live wires exposed in the ceiling, connections made with only electrical tape, etc. we were luck the house didn't burn down in the 8 months we were here before having the work done. Luckily. Found an electrician that would work for $30 an hour.

Clearly this is not the same situation for you. You can test the breaker yourself with a cheap circuit tester from Home Depot just to make sure it's working if your worried about it, but I agree with Wayne, you are probably good to go. Happy listening!

Cheers,

T Cobe

Great comments Toby!!!!
Thanks and God Bless,
Wayne