Audio Research 230/240 volts

Actually- Dual-voltage transformers will have four wires, connected to two windings on the primary side. To convert from low to high voltage in, the primary winding connections need to be changed from parallel to series. Few pieces of audio gear come with dual voltage transformers. Contact ARC and ask whether the piece is equipped with one, or get a price on a 230V transformer. The conversion would be a simple task.

Many hifi transformers are made with two wires one 115AC Volts and the other double 115 + 115 = 230 Volts
It's only a simple de-soldering and re-soldering issue

Hello.

I want to buy a CD3MkII and convert from 120 volts to 230 volts. Anybody who has done that?

Regards

Fredrik

VT 100 MkIII and LS16 MkII, both running beautifully 2 months after conversion. The tech did say there were 2 transformers in the LS16, but they were both universal. If you think about it, it's crazy economics for a manufacturer to go to the expense of making different transformers for different markets (probably less than 50 VT100s rated at 240 volts sold in my neck of the woods) when a universal can do the job for all markets. But no manufacturer will tell you that, as their priority is to protect the market for each distributor in each country. Problem is, that where I'm from, ARC products are priced at twice the price of what you can buy them for in the US. BTW I ran both through step down transformers before converting them with no degradation in sound quality (you just have to make sure the transformer can handle the maximum wattage of the amp). I just decided to go ahead with the conversion because it was easy to do and to clean up the mess of electronics behind my rack.But that's an option if you don't want to keep the equipment original.

I am sure a pre amp will be OK. I got into big trouble with my ViVa Solista, I bought in from the states, to the UK. It was easily changed from 110 to European standard 220volts. After it repeatedly blew capacitors and then output tubes. The Italian designer told me that UK 240volts needed new transformers. A year waiting and £800, it works perfectly, but a costly mistake. The problem was the high voltage around 820 volts in the 845 tubes. In the immortal words of Scotty from startreck " they'l no take it captain"

Roberts1897,

So what models are yours that being converted successfully?
Will all later models than yours be what Elberoth2 said, not universal in one of them...

This is not exactly true. At least not in all cases. A friend of mine attempted to convert his Ref 2 mk 2 preamp, and it turned out that althought 2 of the transformers were universal, the third wasn't. He had to order a new one.

I've recently imported two pieces of ARC equipment from the US (an amp and a preamp) and have had them converted from 120 volts to 230 volts (according to the specs on the transformer)and am running them at 240 volts without any issues. BTW, both of the units use universal transformers so that voltage conversion was simply a very straightforward matter of reconfiguring the wiring on the transformer in each case. I had it done by an audio technician for vey little cost. I suspect all ARC equipment uses universal transformers, so don't believe it if you are told that voltage conversion of ARC equipmnet is going to be an expensive exercise.

You will be just fine.

As I write this, my PS Premier is telling me incoming voltage is in the range of 239-241V whereas it is supposed to be 230V here in Germany. It has been showing that every day for 11 months it has been in my system. So it would seem, before I had the Premier, I've been exposing gear to higher voltage for years without knowing it. This has neither affected functionality nor the life cycle of any component. Sonically, with the Premier in the system the performance is cleaner, but I'm convinced that would have been the case at 230V incoming voltage as well. However, especially tube gear did run noticeably hotter previously when plugged directly into the wall socket.
All in all I think you can safely go ahead.

You should be fine with that piece. Even if the transformers weren't the same, the lower voltage unit would only operate at a slightly elevated temperature as there is only about 4% difference in the ratings. Many of the older Audio pieces over here were designed with 110-115V X-formers/power supplies. Now normal residential voltages are running 120-125V(an 11% disparity), and the function of the equipment is not affected.