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Moving to Singapore. Help needed

I appreciate some help with my present situation.

I will be relocating to Singapore later this year, and was advised several times that speakers, receivers and amplifiers are SIGNIFICANTLY more affordable in the US. As shipping will be borne by my company, I wonder it'll make sense to assemble a set here and ship them over. I understand the electrical system is different in Singapore (220-240v), compared to 110-120v here.

My specific questions:
1. Is it possible to get 220-240v amplifiers/receivers in the US? Is there any specific brand that either carries models that support the 220-240v or allows one to tweak 110-120v to 220-240v easily? I am not very keen on a transformer, as they are generally bulky and will avoid them if I could.

2. Do the differences in electrical supply have any bearing on the performance of speakers?

3. I understand Iphone/Mac users can stream music to their receiver using AirPlay or adding an Airport Express; so far only Pioneer supports AirPlay (as far as I know). Is this true? Is it possible to play music through my Iphone/Ipad/laptop on these systems with no AirPlay compatibility? Appreciate if you could share some of your experience here.

4. An 804 diamond currently retails at $7500, while used 804S and 804d are selling for much less. Is the price difference really worth the sound quality? I spend time listening to vocals, jazz and instrumentals.

Many thanks for your time to ease my audiophilic dilemma.

SP
av_enthusiast
gchuva
8 posts
 
I live in Singapore. If you are going to buy new, I would buy in the US and ship through your company. While there is good selection here, I don't think it is as good as in the US. Plus, the weakness of the dollar mades US branded speakers a good value right now, and you don't want to buy them in Singapore when the shipping could be borne by your employer.

As for amps, look at Wyred 4 Sound as they will do whatever voltage you want.
dtc's avatar
dtc
1,047 posts
 
I am going through a similar search for electronics to go to Europe. Here is what I have found. Most main line dealers with standard brand names will not sell you 240 V gear. There license will not allow it - to protect the overseas distributors. Some of the smaller companies and the direct sale companies (e.g. Wyred 4 Sound) will sell you 240V gear. Some equipment (Peachtree, for example) has a switch to select the voltage. Some equipment has a dual tap transformer that can quickly be changed by a qualified repair person. If it is a single tap transformer, the whole transformer will have to be switched out. Small companies like Wyred 4 Sound, Peachtree, Jolida, Oppo are the best options. If you want want to go used, check if the equipment has a dual tap transformer which can be easily changed.
martykl
3,578 posts
 
Tabl10s,

The Adelphi! I haven't been for 15+ years either, but that place is one of my favorite discoveries anywhere in the world. Probably rank it between the Sphynx and the Taj Mahal.

Thanks for awakening that memory.

Marty
richardyc
28 posts
 
check out http://www.xtremeplace.com/
it's an audio forum where users are mostly from Singapore.
tabl10s's avatar
tabl10s
1,071 posts
 
Marty,

I was originally there for a military exercise which turned into a 27 day vacation with pay:). I would work six hours in the morning, take a nap, discover new audio stores in the afternoon and hit the clubs at night.

I had such a good time, I took a real 10-day vacation eight months later.
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