Audio Converting 110v to 220v, could it affect sound quality?

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observer

Disciple
I might upgrade my CD Player with one purchased from USA. I would have to use a converter for doing 110v to 220V. Could using a converter on a CD Player, affect the sound quality?

Thanks
 
If its one of those passive ones ( step down transformer types) I dont think there will be a huge difference :ashamed:

PS: some stuff might come with an internal voltage selector. those should make it easier for you :)
 
Do you have time for deep electronic theory? It's Monday morning and I don't, not right now.

The short answer is that the power supply is fundamental to the operation of any equipment. Shoddy conversion will result in poor performance of the downstream units. This is not something I need to explain in detail, on a forum that has hundreds of posts on the importance of choosing the right power supply. The principles don't change, though the applications may be different.

And btw, it's a CD player he's getting, not a DVD player. The latter usually used switched supplies and wouldn't be as critical of input voltage as would a high-end CD player with a linear supply. You wouldn't want to get a $1000 CD player and connect it to a $20 converter, would you? then again, it depends on how much you can hear, and how much your speakers tell you!
 
hmm, most cheap converters are Switch mode adapters, which you want to keep far , FAR away from your audio equipment. all the switching noise and other hash they put into the power supply will negate any advantages of using a better CD player. To get an idea of what I'm talking about , try running your existing CD player off your UPS output when its running on battery. the adapter will sound worse :p

If you want to run 110V audio equipment here , make sure you get a transformer based converter, like this one

AC 220V TO 110V CONVERTERS Transformer type, STEP UP STEP DOWN TRANSFORMER , EUROPEAN PLUG, CONVERT 110 VOLTS TO 220 VOLTS
 
low_bass_makker said:
Which model dvd player did you get ?

HOW ? :S
Click to expand...
I have not bought it yet because of this power issue. But I had in mind two players .1 Rega Apollo CD Player and 2. NAD T585 Universal Player.

Sangram, you said "The latter usually used switched supplies and wouldn't be as critical of input voltage as would a high-end CD player with a linear supply."
Do you think NAD T585 fits that design?
 
greenhorn said:
hmm, most cheap converters are Switch mode adapters, which you want to keep far , FAR away from your audio equipment. all the switching noise and other hash they put into the power supply will negate any advantages of using a better CD player. To get an idea of what I'm talking about , try running your existing CD player off your UPS output when its running on battery. the adapter will sound worse :p

If you want to run 110V audio equipment here , make sure you get a transformer based converter
Click to expand...

What about those cheap converters, that look like a wall wart to me ?

I'm referring to the ones that are little heavy , you plug in your equipment to one end and insert the other end into the mains. Don't these have some sort of transformer in them ?

Also UPS does not give sine but square waves (the usual sort not the smart ones) which the converter i'm referring to would not. Square waves into equipment that expect sine is never a good idea.

The other issue is how to handle the different frequency the mains works at here, 50Hz as opposed to 60Hz in the US. This might be where you linked to product is better.
 
looking by their size and build , they seem like switch mode units to me. as long as they are the switch mode types, you can never predict the output from those things.

If you can open it up and confirm that its a passive device , then there shouldnt be issues :)
 
greenhorn said:
looking by their size and build , they seem like switch mode units to me. as long as they are the switch mode types, you can never predict the output from those things.
If you can open it up and confirm that its a passive device , then there shouldnt be issues :)
Click to expand...
How do you identify whether the device is passive or not?
 
open it up. if its a passive step down transformer, there will be just one big transformer ( laminated iron core, copper windings etc )

for a switch mode converter, there will be a circuit board , with power transformers ( IC's with heat sinks on them) etc etc.

from outside, the passive devices tend to be heavier than the switch mode ones ( ex like a mobile charger is lighter than your walkman or discman adapter )
 
greenhorn said:
open it up. if its a passive step down transformer, there will be just one big transformer ( laminated iron core, copper windings etc )

for a switch mode converter, there will be a circuit board , with power transformers ( IC's with heat sinks on them) etc etc.

from outside, the passive devices tend to be heavier than the switch mode ones ( ex like a mobile charger is lighter than your walkman or discman adapter )
Click to expand...

I am silly, I thought you were talking about the the power section of NAD. This you are talking about the converter being passive or not, am I right? I have one for my powered toothbrush :eek:hyeah: which just plugs into the the mains and the brush plugs into it for charging. The converter is around the size of a multipin plug (those white ones) but bulky and does not seem to have any electronic components with it.
 
It is a SMPS....

NAD%20T585%20power%20section.png
 
greenhorn said:
hmm, most cheap converters are Switch mode adapters, which you want to keep far , FAR away from your audio equipment. all the switching noise and other hash they put into the power supply will negate any advantages of using a better CD player. To get an idea of what I'm talking about , try running your existing CD player off your UPS output when its running on battery. the adapter will sound worse :p

If you want to run 110V audio equipment here , make sure you get a transformer based converter, like this one
AC 220V TO 110V CONVERTERS Transformer type, STEP UP STEP DOWN TRANSFORMER , EUROPEAN PLUG, CONVERT 110 VOLTS TO 220 VOLTS
Click to expand...

I totally agree with your concept. But what all equipment he is putting in.

For stepping down voltage I would take a stepdown transformer which will have a 220 volts input and 110 volts output. It will work as a good isolator and will clean any peaks and dips. But the core should be of good quality.

Or one can try the toroidal also as they are very much better than the iron core.

As for the SMPS I never liked them because of the noise they generate.
 
low_bass_makker said:
I totally agree with your concept. But what all equipment he is putting in.

For stepping down voltage I would take a stepdown transformer which will have a 220 volts input and 110 volts output. It will work as a good isolator and will clean any peaks and dips. But the core should be of good quality.

Or one can try the toroidal also as they are very much better than the iron core.
Click to expand...

Is a good quality toroidal core stepdown transformer, locally available?
 
you neednt bother about the toroidal bit, as long as the transformer is put in another case , it shouldnt be an issue. Toroidals are used where space is an issue , and you need to cramp the max stuff into a small chassis. they have high capacity and low size, and low EM field leakage, but are very costly. if you are using a seperate enclosure , the regular E&I core transformers will do quite fine.

Still a doubt, will the 60Hz frequency pose an issue with the CD players internal PSU ?
 
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