CD players sold in Japan can work in US with no problem?
| Post removed |
The one I have is "PRECISION STEREO PREAMPLIFIER C-275". I purchased it in Tokyo, Japan. Clearly marked "100V" on the back panel. I have never seen anyone selling the C-275 on here or other online used markets. Usually it's the C-280. Probably not much different except for the AC voltage.
Why didn't I use an external transformer after I brought it to California? Because I never thought of it. The unit sounded superb 20 years ago and it still does. And hopefully for 20 more years. |
@jkbtn, I see in one of your other posts that your Accuphase preamp is apparently a C-280. I took a look at its manual, which can be found at hifiengine.com if one is registered there, and it is described as having switches located behind a removeable part of the rear panel which allow the AC voltage it is operated with to be selected between 100, 117, 220, and 240 volts. I'm thinking that 20+ years ago it was probably set to 117 by you or whomever you purchased it from, if not by the manufacturer. +1 to the good comments by Sleepwalker65. I suspect, btw, that Geoff's comment was a facetious reference to his use of "portable Panasonic CD players" that are battery powered :-) Finally, I would re-emphasize my earlier reference to the possibility that running a component with 20% or so more AC voltage than it was intended to be used with may affect sonics. I find it ironic that some audiophiles concern themselves with minutiae such as which way a fuse is oriented, but it seems in many cases wouldn't think twice about the possibility that sonic consequences could result from such a major difference in voltage. Regards, -- Al |
Geoff: Modern switch-mode power supplies are often auto-ranging as far as input voltage is concerned. You would need to check the labels to be certain. As Al wisely pointed out, the power supply in the CD player is likely a linear power supply, and designed to operate within specific tolerances for the target market. Most audio gear is made with different transformers for different markets. Depending on regulatory requirements in electrical codes, they may have specific requirements for switching the hot -and- neutral wires, fusing and depending on mains voltage and sometimes frequency differences in some parts of the world, the primary windings and magnetic circuit in the core of the power transformer will be rated for different voltages and frequencies. Over-powering a linear power supply causes rectifiers, ballast resistors and regulation circuit power transistors to run hotter than they were intended to. This heat leads to premature failure and possible catastrophic failure or 🔥 fire 🔥 hazards. Then, there is also the issue of filtering capacitors running over voltage tolerance, and over-heating and bursting or catching fire. This is because in analog electronics, some power supplies are crudely regulated, counting on line voltage to stay relatively close to design and working the filter capacitors very hard without voltage regulation. These cautions explain the real value of power conditioners that mitigate input voltage variance to our expensive gear. |
Many thanks. So far, I have purchased a few electrical items from Japan, assuming that 100V would be no problem with 120V. They were all cheap electric devices under $100, and used very occasionally, and I haven't had any problem so far. I was looking for something over $1K Marantz CD player from Japan and I wanted to make sure that it would not have any problem. It appears like I'd rather look for something else made for US usage. |
Assuming the player uses linear voltage regulators, which is a good bet, running the player with 20% more AC voltage than it is nominally intended to be used with will cause the amount of power that is dissipated by some of the parts in the regulator circuits to increase to levels that the designer most likely didn’t anticipate. Consequently both the temperature of those parts and the overall internal temperature of the player will increase to unanticipated levels. Also, of course, the voltages seen by the power transformer, by capacitors in the power supply, and perhaps by other components will increase, relative to what the designer anticipated. None of those factors are good news with respect to long term reliability. And conceivably with respect to sonics as well. In addition to the converter that was suggested by Elizabeth you can find inexpensive converters here: https://www.voltageconverters.com/ Regards, -- Al |
| Post removed |
Yes it works, but the life of the CDP will be shortened. Good Lord. This is so far beyond wrong its backwards! The challenge in building a really good regulated power supply is in maintaining constant voltage in the face of wildly varying swings in demand. Not supply. Demand. The challenge with regards to incoming voltage isn't the voltage per se, but the noise riding on the AC line. Whatever the incoming voltage, hardly matters, because it is gonna be stored in caps anyway. The idea is the caps, in storing the power also filter the noise. Which they do, just never as good as we'd like, which is why power supply mods and things like dedicated lines, power cords and conditioners matter so much. But remember I said it was not just wrong but backwards? I'm gonna use the usual water metaphors here. Voltage is pressure. The caps are dams storing up the water. We want the dam full at all times, to help keep constant water pressure coming out the other end of the hose. The higher the pressure (voltage) coming in, the faster the dam fills, the easier that is. Not harder. Easier. |
big_greg Yes it works, but the life of the CDP will be shortened. The voltage regulators in the DC power supply are working their butts off trying to maintain a constant designed rated voltage. |
I have been using my Japanese 100V Onkyo player with no transformer and no problems. I did a fair amount of research about it and the consensus seemed to be there is no problem in doing so. Having said that, I’m very careful to protect the rest of my electronics, especially computers, against under and over voltage. I paid very little for this CD player so if it craps out it’s not the end of the world. |
As a rule the mains voltage should not be greater than 10% of the manufacturer’s rated voltage. The extra fudge factor is for AC mains voltage that may be higher than the equipment’s rated input voltage, overvoltage events, and or a serge voltage event on the mains. 100V x 10% = 10V 110VAc would be the max mains voltage for the CDP. Your average AC mains voltage could run anywhere from 115V to 122V.. My Mains voltage holds pretty steady at 120V. |
| Post removed |
