Hi,
Just a quick note for Fullvolume
Power consumtion in Watts is what you want to look at when considering mains power required.
Output power of an amplifier is still measured in Watts but is a different to power consumption.
The power amp is hungry for power.....could draw 1000's w
A cd player might draw 20w same with dvd,blu ray.
A tv might draw 75w
Just rough examples to get you started.
The OFFICIAL bryston specs for a 4B SST are here
http://bryston.com/4bsstspec.htmlIf your speakers are 8 ohm (usually the norm) then about 10 amps draw at MAXIMUM VOLUME !!! I seriously doubt you run things that loud........
The rest of your system might require 1-3 amps
So dont panic about the power draw required.
ALSO if you are not sure the breaker in your power distribution board will trip if you overload it as a saftey feature, so again no worry - It is designed to do this.
I have put this in basic rough terms as you mention this is an area you are learning about, People should be concerned about mains thats a sensible consideration, the good news is there is protection to look after you.
ONE last thing, it is the cable in the mains circuit that is the limiting factor to what can be drawn, so if the cable can take (say) 15A you could put 15,20,"x" amp socket on the end but 15A is the limit due to cable size. The Breaker size is to protect the cable.
In some situations (in UK) we might have a 5A socket on the end of 15A cable - THEN the breaker will be 6A to protect the socket - Because it is the lowest rated item on the mains wire circuit - that is rare and may not be a USA item.
Hope thats of help to you,
Andy.