Question About Power Source in Relation to Power Draw for Setup

[JordanOConnor]

Hello, I am no professional DJ, just a guy who enjoys powerful at home sound systems, and I have a question about my power draw requirements and any help or input is appreciated!

Below is my setup with relevant power draw specs and the power source (wall outlet) specs.

Power source:
- 20Amp/120VAC wall outlet on a single circuit

System Setup:

Speakers/Subwoofers
-2x (two total) Cerwin-Vega XLS-215 Floorstanding Loudspeaker (6 Ohms) (Passive)
-2x (two total) Cerwin Vega EL-36C Earthquake 18-Inch Folded Horn Subwoofer (8 Ohms) (Passive)
-1x (one total) Cerwin Vega EL-36DP Earthquake 18-Inch Folded Horn Subwoofer (8 Ohms) (Active)

Crossover/EQ
Behringer Super-X Pro CX2310 V2 (Crossover)
-Behringer FBQ6200HD (EQ)

Amplifiers
-QSC PLX2402 Power Amplifier (driving the two XLS-215 Loudspeakers) (stereo mode)
-QSC PLX-3602 Power Amplifier (driving the two EL-36C Earthquake Passive subs) (stereo mode)
-Built in amplifier for the active EL-36DP Earthquake Sub

Relevant power Specifications
-QSC PLX2402 Power Amplifier (8Amps?) https://www.qsc.com/resource-files/p...spec_specs.pdf
-QSC PLX-3602 Power Amplifier (11.5Amps?) https://www.qsc.com/resource-files/p...plx2_specs.pdf
-Power Consumption of the 3602 Full Power @8ohms: 25A/120V https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...wer.html/specs
-Amplifier in the active subwoofer (Cannot find power requirement specs on this) https://cerwinvega.com/el-36dp.html

My questions about this setup
Is my power source capable of adequately supplying enough power to this setup?
If not: Does meeting the power requirements actually improve the SPL or Loudness of my system, or am I already getting the most out of my system?
-Do the QSC Amplifiers have a built in power detection system to; on the fly, limit their power consumption based on the power provided?
-Is my power source bottlenecking the systems overall performance?
-What is the difference between "required power" and "power consumption" and which one should I be using to calculate the total amount of power I need?

Side notes
-The overall loudness of the system (Max I've measured) is 109DB so it is very loud and sounds very clear and not distorted
-I have been able to push the amplifiers hard enough to clip both the PLX2402 and the PLX3602
-I have never tripped the breaker
-Lights on the same circuit never dim or flicker

To me it seems that I do not have the power necessary to drive this system to its fullest potential, but the fact that I've never tripped a breaker raises questions.

Any information/answers on any of these questions is very much appreciated! Thank You for reading!

[conanski]

My questions about this setup
Is my power source capable of adequately supplying enough power to this setup?

In it's current configuration Yes.

-Do the QSC Amplifiers have a built in power detection system to; on the fly, limit their power consumption based on the power provided?

No, and if they don't have sufficient AC supply they tend to clip prematurely and shut down.

Is my power source bottlenecking the systems overall performance?

I don't think so.

-What is the difference between "required power" and "power consumption" and which one should I be using to calculate the total amount of power I need?

The power requirements stated in the manual are the continuous average, momentary peak demand is not indicated and is music dependant. With your current speaker config(stereo 8ohms) the 1/8 pink noise rating is closest for the subs but may be a bit high for the tops assuming they are high passed at 80-100hz. But even if we took that at face value that would produce a continuous average current draw of 12.5 amps for the system... well within the AC circuits capability. Oh I forgot the powered sub. It likely has a class D amp which is more electrically efficient than the QSCs so it's average current draw will be less than 1/2 of the 3602.. maybe only 2.5A so you are still OK,

Side notes
-The overall loudness of the system (Max I've measured) is 109DB so it is very loud and sounds very clear and not distorted

what dB scale/weighting? Note that regardless this is a continuous average and does not indicate peak SPL.

-I have been able to push the amplifiers hard enough to clip both the PLX2402 and the PLX3602
-I have never tripped the breaker
-Lights on the same circuit never dim or flicker

This also suggest you have enough AC power. Also note that the 20A circuit rating is a continuous RMS measurement and it does not account for short term peak supply capacity which could be quite a bit more.

Your speakers are a little under powered currently but that isn't a terrible thing given this brand... some of the drivers are easily blown when powered to thier full rating in my experience.. the mid and hi frequency drivers in particular. But despite this there isn't a lot more SPL to get anyway.. maybe only a dB or 2 which may be hard to hear. For example do you hear any difference in level between the powered sub and one of the passives? That is 1000w vs 750w roughly.

[JordanOConnor]

Thank you for this response! Very well answered and very informative. Thank you for taking the time to give such a detailed response. Your knowledge and expertise on this subject is very much appreciated. Thank you.

[efinque]

You'll be hard pressed when running lights or a smoke/haze machine with that setup so be careful.. but nice system btw.

20A times 120V is 2400W. That's the most you can get out of your system. Those 18" drivers are the weak link in your system and the amplifiers drawing that power could trip breakers.

The safest bet is to run it from a three-phase outlet but I've done exceptions and ran a full ~2kW system from a 10A single phase (plus all the gear) at a moderate volume.

Most consumer-grade outlets aren't meant to handle such loads but the electricians that designed and built them them left a bit of "headroom".

I read the safest bet is to have double the time of power in reserve (say, for a 2kW system you need 4kW output) and double the times of amp power (in relation of the driver specs, say for a 800w driver you need 1600w of amp power) to keep things in control.

In a real life situation finding two power outlets (that are physically near each other), under different circuit breakers is very difficult. Detecting them isn't easy because you'd have to conceal the wiring (or read/test the distribution board/fuse box) which is somewhat impractical.

But yeah, you could run it from a single phase at home and see what happens.. I have never tripped a fuse other than DIYing electronics (the neighbours never complained)..

[JordanOConnor]

Hey, thanks for the info. I probably won't be adding any additional effects gear. This setup is literally just my personal system in my living room. I know I'm getting really close to maxing the circuit now so when you factor in my TV, lights, or other smaller things I may be hitting it's limit. My plan is to run an extension cord through the floor and use my basement outlet to put the PLX3602 amp on a separate 20A circuit to free up a solid amount for other things on the living room circuit. Hopefully that's all I need to do to make sure I don't trip anything.

[efinque]

This setup is literally just my personal system in my living room.

You have quite the living room setup I must admit.

I know I'm getting really close to maxing the circuit now so when you factor in my TV, lights, or other smaller things I may be hitting it's limit.

TVs and your gear etc aren't much in the equation.. iirc a television (that rules the nation according to Daft Punk) draws something like 50-100W compared to a 700-1000W smoke machine or 250-500W lights.

My plan is to run an extension cord through the floor and use my basement outlet to put the PLX3602 amp on a separate 20A circuit to free up a solid amount for other things on the living room circuit. Hopefully that's all I need to do to make sure I don't trip anything.

If it's somehow reasonably doable then you should go for it.. if it means drilling holes in the floor then no if you're a tenant, unless the landlord gives you a permission (it'd be easier to rework the electric wiring and for that you need a professional)

[JordanOConnor]

Haha thanks! It rattles the heck out of the place. I'm a homeowner so that won't be an issue there. Open basement ceiling with an outlet maybe 20ft from where my rack is on the main floor. I plan on running some speaker wire through the floor as well to hide the cables so I'll already have a hole going through the floor.

I really appreciate the information and setting my worries aside about being massively underpowered for the system. You both have been great!

[light-o-matic]

Yep you are ok.

First of all, as conanski alluded to: Tho your QSC amps are rated at 3600w and 2400w respectively, that is the power you will get when you have both channels loaded at 2 ohms. Since you're at 6 ohms and 8 ohms respectively, you're getting much less that that. But since you're hitting the levels you want, it's not a problem.

If you're spacing your subs apart, try placing them together, right next to each other. (If you're using them to prop up the 215's, you'll have to find something else to stack them on). Placing the subs together increases their efficiency and deepens their bass response (with the same power input), meaning, you can go louder with the same power...