Gigawatt G-20A 2P Audio Grade 20 Ampère Switch, Condition : SOLD

Gigawatt G-20A 2P Audio Grade 20 Ampère Switch

Gigawatt Power Accessories : Pure Quality! No Voodoo!

--- Also check out the review of the Gigawatt LC-Y Evo installation cable,

together with the Gigawatt G-C20A meter cabinet switch and Gigawatt G-044 wall outlet

by Christiaan Punter from Hifi-Advice : Gigawatt Review HFA ---

Optimal power supply starts with a properly installed power circuit in your home. It's simpler than it seems. All you need is a direct connection to your set, or close to it. This direct cable, preferably the Gigawatt LC-Y EVO cable, is connected to the safety switch. It trips in case of a short circuit. This is mandatory, as without this safety switch there could be a fire in your house. As the first upgrade, you will need to replace the standard Automatic Stop, or old-fashioned fuse, with the Gigawatt G-20A or G-20A 2P (Dual). The G-20A 2P is the double version of the single-pole G-20A. Both the Neutral and the Phase each have their own conductor, and an OFC copper contact with polished silver contact, and each are housed in a bakelite enclosure.

Switches or Circuit Breakers

In the audio world, there are many opinions when it comes to power, power switches and fuses. A standard switch, which is probably built into your house, works fine for safety, but the contact points and internal conductivity in such a switch do not account for very sensitive audio equipment. So cheap switches contain a non-optimized signal path and poor connection terminals. Cheap switches are fine for safety, but are tonally unsuitable for Hifi and High-End Audio installations.

Inrush Problems

Modern power amplifiers can temporarily draw a current surge when switched on that can be up to 10 or 20 times the rated value of the switch. This momentary current surge can damage a normal switch, and it will gradually decline in quality. The new Gigawatt G-20A 2P is specially built for this, and the quality of the connection remains optimal.

Fuses

Older houses often have an old-fashioned fuse box with fuses. If you cause a short circuit, the fuse blows, the wire melts. You will then have to replace the fuse. The major drawback of a fuse is that all current must pass through a tiny thin wire. The cross-section of the wire of a fuse is approximately 1/50mm. You read that correctly. There you are with nice and heavy power cords, and at the base you have a wire of at most 1/10 mm thick. If you use a couple of 100 watts, the thin wire already gets warm, and that is already detrimental to the speed of power supply. You can hear it. The dynamics change. If you use more power, the wire gets hot, and even the entire fuse gets hot. The listening results get progressively worse. If you exceed the limit of the fuse, for example above 2300 Watts with a 10 Ampere fuse, then the wire melts, for safety reasons. Fuses don't have the crackling side effects of ordinary electronic switches, but they do have a strong damping effect on your sound system. Fuses are definitely not it. Not even if the fuse wire is made of silver, gold, or if the fuse is assembled by the so-called "Virgin Angels in Moonlight". It's simply unsuitable.

Gigawatt G-20A 2P Circuit Breaker

The Gigawatt G-20A 2P Circuit Breaker is the latest dual-pole electronic safety switch, specially made for Gigawatt by Carling Tech USA for use in the EU. The housing of the Gigawatt G-20A 2P is made of bakelite. This is to ensure that the contact surfaces of the switch, the silver-plated breakers, are always 100% flat against each other. You can understand that if these contact surfaces are even just 1/100mm misaligned relative to each other, the contact is no longer optimal. This Gigawatt G-20A 2P is completely made from demagnetized and cryo-treated material. The contact surfaces of the breakers are made of solid OFC copper, which is silver-plated and then polished. You are assured that the Gigawatt G-20A 2P in closed state really allows all current to pass through unimpeded, without any side effects. The listening difference with a normal or so-called audiophile switch is enormous. The Gigawatt G-20A 2P switch is officially approved in Europe and fits right into your modern meter cabinet, alongside the normal electronic switches. The Gigawatt G-20A Dual allows 20A current to pass continuously and will disconnect the Phase and Neutral contacts when exceeded. This way your set continues to work optimally, and in case of a short circuit, overload or another problem, the switch will open. You can restore the contact by setting the switch back to 1.

How does it work?

The Gigawatt G-20A switch is a high-tech purely mechanical switch. There is no electronics in it and no circuits. The current conductor throughout the Gigawatt G-20A switch is a minimum of 4mm2, and the very important contact point, which ensures perfect current flow with minimal power loss, is firmly pushed into place by the mechanism. In the Gigawatt G-20A switch there is a 4mm2 OFC solid copper conductor for the current, which is wound as a small coil with a couple of windings. This generates a minimal electromagnetic field. Opposite to this are a number of very light and very thin forks mounted. These pick up the small field. When the field becomes too large, thus well above 20 Amperes, a small lever is shifted by the generated magnetic field, causing a silver contact switch to trip. The current is then off. You can simply set the switch back to 1, and the current switches back on. This precise mechanical switch works perfectly, because it is housed in a bakelite enclosure.

Listening

We are often asked, what difference do you actually hear? If you replace your switch, audio module, fuse with the Gigawatt G-20A 2P, everything gets better. The dynamics become better and purer, the 3D image larger, and you definitely hear more details. The quietness also increases significantly, there is simply less stress in the sound, and the distortion is lower. Of course it is best if you not only replace the switch, but also the cable to the set, the outlet, and if your budget allows, a Gigawatt Power Filter, Power Prime or Power Conditioner.

Specifications :

Model : Gigawatt G-20A 2P Audiophile Circuit Breaker

Prices : Download the latest Gigawatt Price List here

Housing : Bakelite for Neutral and Phase

Contacts : Solid copper, silver-plated and polished

Assembly : Standard Rail

Connection : Dual connection up to 10mm2 cable