120/115V vs. 100V


I just successfully transported my Musical Fidelity A3 CD player from the US to Hong Kong. I'll also be bringing over an A324 DAC as well, in a few months.

The CD player has an input voltage of 115V...so to get it to work, I purchased a step-down power converter to get the local voltage down from 220V. However, I was only able to find one that converted to 100V instead of 115/120V. (Presumably for Japanese electronics.)

I've read posts about pre-mature electronic failure if the voltage is above certain tolerances. What about the case when a 115V component is only receiving 100V? Also, is there a sonic impact? I can't tell, because I am using new speakers and a newly modified amplifier that hasn't burned in yet, all in a new room.

Thanks!

Leonard
lennychen

Showing 1 response by eldartford

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Low voltage can be harmful, but this depends in part on the way the power supply is designed. If it is a regulated supply, and the voltage is close enough to be within the regulator range there would be no effect at all. I don't think that there is an answer which applies across the board for all equipment. You need to consult with the manufacturers technical people.

Because of the global economy electronic equipment is increasingly designed to operate on various voltages. The first step in this direction was power transformers with dual primary windings that can be wired (or switched) in series or parallel to accomodate 110 or 220 volts, and perhaps 100 volts. But now I see power supplies that pretty much work with what they get, without any need for rewiring or switching. The Behringer DEQ2496 for example takes anything between 85 and 250 volts, 50 /60 cycles.
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