can Line Magnetic 210ia work in US?


All the offerings of these integrated amps for sale only appear to be 220v. Is there any way to safely convert them to US 115-120v?  

Thanks

rankaudio

3 possiblities:

1.  the amp has a switch on it for 120/240. That would require that the transformer and associated cirucuit was set up for this in the first place.  Probably not likely or they wouldn't sell 2 versions.

2.  Buy a transformer.  I bought a 240/110 volt transformer on amazon for $300 that did a good job.  You need one that is rated at least 5Kw so ensure you don't limit the amp (I know the nameplate is much less, but the amp needs ready access to ample power.  The one I bought had quite a bit of hum so hopefully you have a laundry room behind the stereo wall and you can put the transformer in there.

3.  Install a 240 circuit.  That's what I did.  Now I can run any European amp.  There is an advantage that doubling the voltage halves the current so the wires look twice as large to the amp.  It's "like drinking out of a fire hose" as a good thing.  This option can be expensive if you have to hire it done.

4.  i said 3 options because the 4th one doesn't work.  Option 4 is to buy a power conditioner/regenerator from PS Audio or similar that is fed by 120 and powers 240.  Would be very easy to do as part of the system they are designing but so far I have found none that accomodate this need and when I tried to discuss it with them they were more interested in telling me why they were right in their historical decision making.

@rankaudio,

Yes, Line voltage switch (red) on back of the amp.

Mike

 

The 240V Option

Some high end amps can be switched over and run on 220 volts and I recommend it may sound better. The transformer primaries and the core seem to run slight more efficiently yielding lower impedance so the supply might appear slightly ‘stiffer’ to the amp’s audio circuits (always a good thing). Because the amp is now running at twice the voltage but half the amps (current) the wall wiring looks twice as thick to the amp as it does at 120 volt (ohms law). Now the amp makes even less audio noise on the line and it then rejects its own line noise better. The 220 volt outlet can be a standard 15 amp with 10 Ga.. Wire up to 80 feet then 8 gauge beyond that.

For the 220 volt lines, the electrician may, or may not know about a NEMA receptacle and plug number that is the same size and form as our common Edison duplex 120 volt receptacle but the wide blade of the plug is on the opposite side as the 120 volt duplex. Hubble or commercial Leviton works fine for 220 volt, and the 6-20 series looks less industrial in your home.

It is Nema plug number 6-20P. ‘Stay on line‘ is a good source but your electrician may like a local supplier.

BE SURE TO CHANGE OVER THE AMP INTERNALLY IF YOU DECIDE TO RUN 220 VOLT !

Last Trick – Twist the conductors

Lastly, you might ask him to twist the conductors one twist every 6-8 inches or so. Each line should be alternately twisted relative to the one next to it. This prevents any coherent coupling between them. Keep them away from each other by minimum 4 inches. It is perfectly OK to cross them at a right angle.

Final Word

If your electrician has any concerns about all this, be aware he is always concerned about CONTINUOUS current draw and rates everything and splits up the loads like the air conditioning and the electric dryer for the available amperage. Please explain to him that we are designing for incredibly short peak current pulses and we need the resistance back to the utility as low as possible for best amplifier performance. The continuous draw is negligible from an electrical standpoint. 10 gauge wire is the largest size that will fit into a wall outlet and as far as I know does not violate any codes but you and your electrician are responsible to be sure this is true in your state, county, and city.

Be sure that your speaker cable is at least 10 gauge. You should consider 8 or 9 gauge for speakers that are below 87db sensitivity, and/ or 4 ohms. Some manufacturers say, ‘our 14 gauge behaves like 10 gauge, etc.’, this could be true but I go for the real measured gauge.

Now, without exception over the last 12 years, comments from those that have done the above heavy gauge wire wall power mods say there is audible improvement in dynamics while making the sound even more detailed, yet much more relaxed with dark backgrounds leaving only the notes and music. I was very surprised the first time I did this house power mod. I did not expect the mid-range and the highs to clean up and get more coherent as much as they did. Of course bass and dynamics are better as you would expect with better current delivery.

 

link to page: https://www.msbtechnology.com/faq/house-power/

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5

Do NOT change the voltage by yourself in my opinion as I do not want to make things complicated.

Get the US version when you purchase.

 

@runwell   I don't think this amp has it but some amps have a switch to go back and forth that is designed for consumer use.

@carlsbad what I mean is that you just ask for US version when you purchase, that's all you need. Things become easy.