CAN I USE AN OLD 110V-220V MAINS AMPLIFIER MADE FOR THE GERMAN MARKET IN THE UK ?

[ZTEK65ZAP]

Hi Everyone

I would like to know if I can use an old Receiver (Tuner/Amp) from the late 70s rated at 110-220V 50/60hz made for the German market in the UK ?

From what I'm aware we in the UK use 230V with a tolerance -/+ range of 216V to 253V. Germany uses 230V (I don't know about their tolerance -/+ ranges)

I'm probably being over cautious here as I'm guessing it should work ok but I just want to make sure before plugging in such a high power unit taking into conisderation of it's power supply specifications of input mains voltage.

Could someone please clarify ?

Thanks

 

[Shotokan101]

Yes you can

 

[Jasonovich]

Yes, Please make sure the voltage switch is set on 220V. If you fail to select it to the correct voltage, it will be like the 5th of November inside your house.

 

[Shotokan101]

Yes, Please make sure the voltage switch is set on 220V. If you fail to select it to the correct voltage, it will be like the 5th of November inside your house.

Yes, good advice, mind you I suspect that electrical goods "manufactured for the German market" will have fuses to prevent the "fireworks" you so eloquently describe..... 😉

 

[Jasonovich]

There is no switch on the back panel. I'm thinking as it's manufactured for the German market it's automatically set for 220V. The Receiver is on it's way to me.

If the receiver was manufactured for the American market then I would assume it will be wired or switched internally for 110V

Yep that sounds logical.
Europe is mostly on the higher voltage.
It's prudent to ask the question, but if it's from Germany, a product sold to the European market, you should be fine.

In the nineties when I was building PCs as a hobby and selling them to a small circle of people, I remember not checking the voltage settings on generic ATX power supply.
I hadn't noticed the switch was flicked to 110v and boom 💥 😂
When I'm ordering stuff from AliExpress, I always check ✅ the voltage. My digital transport was delivered with the wrong voltage setting. The product was for the global market but the vendor hadn't done the due diligence when it was dispatched to the UK.

 

[ultraminiature]

"What is the difference between UK voltage and European voltage​

The voltage used throughout Europe (including the UK) has been harmonised since January 2003 at a nominal 230v 50 Hz (formerly 240V in UK, 220V in the rest of Europe) but this does not mean there has been a real change in the supply.

Instead, the new “harmonised voltage limits” in most of Europe (the former 220V nominal countries) are now:

230V -10% +6% (i.e. 207.0 V-243.8 V)

In the UK (former 240V nominal) they are:

230V -6% +10% (i.e. 216.2 V – 253.0 V)

This effectively means there is no real change of supply voltage, only a change in the “label”, with no incentive for electricity supply companies to actually change the supply voltage.

To cope with both sets of limits all modern equipment will therefore be able to accept 230V +/-10% i.e. 207-253V."

Vintage German equipment is set at 220V. All the hi-fi, photographic and video equipment I purchased in Germany has worked without issue in the UK. My mains is still 240 Volts. It might burn out lamps slightly faster running on 240V than 220v but I haven't noticed.

 

[Jasonovich]

"What is the difference between UK voltage and European voltage​

The voltage used throughout Europe (including the UK) has been harmonised since January 2003 at a nominal 230v 50 Hz (formerly 240V in UK, 220V in the rest of Europe) but this does not mean there has been a real change in the supply.

Instead, the new “harmonised voltage limits” in most of Europe (the former 220V nominal countries) are now:

230V -10% +6% (i.e. 207.0 V-243.8 V)

In the UK (former 240V nominal) they are:

230V -6% +10% (i.e. 216.2 V – 253.0 V)

This effectively means there is no real change of supply voltage, only a change in the “label”, with no incentive for electricity supply companies to actually change the supply voltage.

To cope with both sets of limits all modern equipment will therefore be able to accept 230V +/-10% i.e. 207-253V."

Vintage German equipment is set at 220V. All the hi-fi, photographic and video equipment I purchased in Germany has worked without issue in the UK. My mains is still 240 Volts. It might burn out lamps slightly faster running on 240V than 220v but I haven't noticed.

All of the above is within the threshold of safety.
I have purchased Hifi and PC components both 220v and 230v and no problem at all in the UK.
I once got PC power supply you had to physically switched between 110v or 240v and failed to apply the right setting and boom! 💥 😅