Big Vern

Heading to the States in April, and I'm thinking of bringing my DVD home cinema system with me. It's already chipped for R1 and PAL/NTSC compatible so it makes sense.

I'm just wondering if anyone else has tried using Hi-fi equipment with a 240v/110v transformer. I know the UK voltage operates at 50hz, I believe the US is 60hz., and I'm not sure if this would affect anything.

Anyone tried this, had any buzzing/sound problems or other instabilities??

dbj1000

Step-up transformers from 110V to 240V are huge, expensive and a pain in the ass.

However, 99% of modern computer and HiFi equipment contains either an "intelligent" power supply that accepts either 110 or 240V, or a switchable supply with a little "110/240" swich on the back.

I would imagine that your home theatre system is perfectly capable of running in the US with no additional transformer.

Big Vern

Alas, Sony tell me that my kit isn't dual voltage.

Wouldn't one of these do??

http://www.110220volts.com/Merchant2...ownTransformer

dbj1000

Yes, those will probably do the job... but as you suggested initially, any time you use a transformer with audio/video equipment you risk transformer "hum" either being picked up in the sound signal or coming directly from the transformer.

Still, I'd say it's certainly worth a try!

Big Vern

Thanks for that - maybe I could put a voltage cleaner on there to maybe iron out any hum and voltage spikes...I'll give it a go.

Cheers for the advice.

tweakr

Don't buy anything you don't need to - I think by law it HAS to say on the back of the equipment or on the power supply (if it's a seperate box, like on a laptop computer or whatever). Just look for 110-240v 50/60hz written on the back, usually above the bit where you plug in the power cord.

Manc

Vern, I really wouldn't bother,

the hassles are too much compared to the ease and conveniece of selling your stuff on ebay.co.uk and then buying new stuff over here.

You may take a bit of a loss, but in my opinion at the end of the day it is throwing good money at a hassle.

excpomea

I was in a similar position a few years back.
I was really reluctant to sell my nice new Pioneer CD player.

After viewing their web site I realized that the Player was sold both in the UK and the US. This lead me to belive that they sold both players but with different voltages.

Anyway, they sold spare parts direct from the website. So I ordered a transformer / Power supply for my CD player. It was about $25.
Once it arrived I removed the UK transformer and replaced it with the new one.

Everything works well.

I realize this may be beyond the scope of lots of people, but I really didn't want to use one of those external transformers.

If you would like to look into this idea, pm me with your equipment brand/ model and serial numbers and I will see what I can do..

Pulaski

I bought a "Voltage Stabliizer" (a fancy transformer) from www.dvdoverseas.com to run my hi-fi. My amp and CD player were fairly new and top-notch stuff so I didn't want to leave them behind. It runs perfectly, you wouldn't know that it wasn't running on a British 220V 50Hz supply.

For running hifi equipment be sure to get a transformer with loads of extra power as amplifiers can (try to) pull large power spikes from the supply, and I think that you'd notice if you skimped and bought one that was "powerful enough". I run my hifi on a 2KW transformer.

dbj1000

2kW Pulaski??? :scared:

You're not a retired member of Spinal Tap are you?

"This one goes to eleven"

Pulaski

You may be in Texas, but if you go outdoors, face north east, and listen really carefully, .... you'll be able to hear my hifi!

Seriously though, a hifi amplifier can demand substantial power spikes, so it is certainly worth the extra $40 over the cost of a 1KW transformer to ensure that you get the best possible quality out of your hifi.

TimFountain

I also got a 2KW transformer for my HIFI when I moved over here. Runs the pre and power amp and CD player. I use a stabiliser before it as a fluctuation on the 110V side will be 2x by the time it gets to 220V.
Frequency did not seem to make a difference, except to the turntable. When I go back next I will get a 12VDC to 240VAC inverter and a 12V PSU over here. One point, the 2KW step-up does generate a fair amount of heat, even without anything turned off due to losses in the core. I found out this did make a difference to the old leccy bill, so turn it off when not in use!

- Tim