Help! 220 to 110


Hi All,

Moving from the US to the EU soon and all my gear is 110. My main components are all AR REF, and while I can have them converted, I won’t be able to use my Furman 20i power conditioner or any of my super nice after market power cords.

The answer, I think, is to find a silent, safe and audiophile quality autotransformer, a single box solution that would allow me to simply plug the transformer into the wall, plug the power conditioner into that, and then all my gear into the conditioner.

Perhaps there are other, better options I haven’t considered or heard of.

Amazingly, I have not been able to get a straight answer from any audio dealers that I’ve worked with and hoping that one of you fine folks will have a great idea for me... besides not moving to the EU, since my wife won’t go for that :-)

Thanks for considering. 
128x128moryoga
The answer, I think, is to find a silent, safe and audiophile quality autotransformer, a single box solution that would allow me to simply plug the transformer into the wall, plug the power conditioner into that, and then all my gear into the conditioner.
You may have to buy an isolation power transformer instead of an autotransformer. I’m not sure a single autotransformer will reduce, step down, (buck) the voltage from 230Vac to 120Vac. A power isolation transformer will be slightly higher in price.

You will need a 50Hz transformer. A 60Hz only may, will, vibrate, hum, louder than normal and may, will, operate hotter than normal.

The power transformers in your ARC gear are rated 50/60Hz. Does the power conditioner have a power transformer? Is it rated 50/60Hz? If 50/60Hz is the primary of the transformer dual voltage? Can it be refigured, wired, for 230V? IF the transformer is 60Hz only it may, will, vibrate, hum, louder than normal and may run hot.


Sizing of the power transformer.
Take the FLA (full load amps), VA (volt amps), Watts, of the power amplifier/s and multiply by at least 3 then add up all the full load ,amps, watts, VA, of the rest of your audio equipment and add it to the power amplifier/s number. Size the power transformer to that number.


You used 220 volt as the voltage for the EU country you will be moving to. Find out for sure. it could be 220V, 230V, 240V, or higher. Parts of Great Britain are 240Vac+
Jim
.
Thanks Jim. Yes, just checked and the country uses 230/50.

Obviously knowing very little about this topic and just to clarify, when you say:

"Take the FLA (full load amps), VA (volt amps), Watts, of the power amplifier/s and multiply by at least 3 then add up all the full load ,amps, watts, VA, of the rest of your audio equipment and add it to the power amplifier/s number. Size the power transformer to that number."

do I add up those numbers, multiply them, do each one separately and then add them up?

Thanks again!!
Might try something like a kreiger step up / down transformer. You can get them up to 1700 watts.