German bought vintage kit - Plugs - Newbie help !

[sthomas048]

Hello all,

A really simple question this, Im thinking of buying an amplifier from Germany and was wondering could I cut off the power plug and replace it with a standard UK plug ? Would this be safe ? It seems all the best vintage kit is being held in Germany.

Cheers !

 

[iMark]

Shouldn't be a problem. It depends a bit on the kit. Sometimes you can simply take the power lead off and replace it. We did this with a bluray player we bought in the UK and simply replaced it with German/Dutch one. (Here in NL all electrics are to German DIN standard.)

We also bought a juicer in the UK which we use with a plug adapter. I didn't want to cut off the integrated plug.

German HiFi however isn't earthed (double insulation instead) so there would be no earth wire to connect in a UK plug. 99,99% sure it comes with a Europlug (CEE7/16). More information here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europlug

The easiest option would be to buy a conversion plug. The German plug would be completely in the converter and your plug would be fused. You would need a BS 1363-5 conversion plug. Here's an example I found on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/LINDY-Euro-UK-Adapter-Plug/dp/B0000934J2/ref=pd_sim_sbs_computers_5

 

[sthomas048]

Cheers Mark, that is very helpful. It is a bit of pot-luck with vintage gear what plug I will get, but anything being still used will have one of those euro plugs so that conversion plug is ideal.

 

[iMark]

I don't how vintage the equipment is you intend to buy but watch out for DIN-connectors.

You may come across the 5-pin connector for record players, tape decks, tuners etc and a 2-pin plug for speakers. There are 5-pin to cinch (RCA) adapters but they give you inferior sound.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DIN_connector

Dual, Grundig and other German brands used the DIN-connectors up to the 1980s, as did Philips in NL. When the Germans (and Dutch) started buying Japanese HiFi with RCA-connectors, they finally gave in and switched to RCA.

My first stereo was a Dual record player system and had DIN-connectors, as did my first Philips cassette deck.

 

[sthomas048]

Ah yes, I have noticed quite a few older amps using DIN sockets. I tell you what Ive noticed - a lot of seriously vintage amplifiers and many German-made amps have odd speaker inputs, they arent screw type inputs or spring terminals, they are basically two small holes for inputs. Any ideas what they are called ? You have been extremely helpful iMark and sorry for another question !

 

[andyjm]

Din plugs are well designed connectors, arguably better than RCA which have all sorts of problems. NAIM Audio use Din connectors and have a page on their website that explains their choice.

There is a Din spec for speaker plugs, one connector is round, the other oblong. If you google '2 pin din' you should find what you are looking for.

One small pedantic point, the connections on the amp are speaker outputs, not inputs.

Good luck.

 

[iMark]

If you have a look at the Wikipedia page I provided in my earlier post, you will see that there's a section about DIN loudspeaker connectors and sockets.

 

[sthomas048]

Thanks andyjm. Yes I meant speaker outputs, sorry ! So good to know what they are called - 2 pin din. Ive found some din to banana cable for sale online too, so Im ready to roll now.

 

[sthomas048]

Yes iMark, I did take a look at that page. Not knowing what the speaker outputs were called I was very confused and it was impossible to find the info I needed online. But thanks to you Im all sorted now. Sincere thanks to you.

 

[iMark]

Glad to help. Once you've got your DIN-connectors you'll be alright. You may need a soldering iron to solder the speaker cable to the connectors. DIN works fine, as long as you don't have to use DIN-RCA adapters to connect RCA equipment.

What vintage German HiFi are you looking into?

 

[sthomas048]

I have these cables for my speakers - http://flashbacksales.co.uk/acatalog/speaker-connectors.html (at the bottom of the page). Im not specifically looking at German hifi, although a few nice pieces are available. Im looking at proper vintage 1960-1979. Mostly amplifiers at the moment. So you have your Leak Delta 70/Stereo 30, Sansui tube amps, Eagle and I quite like the look of the older HH Scott amps. I have a thing for old kit, though not reflected in my sig below, I have owned numerous vintage amps - Musical Fidelity, Sansui, Pioneer and Sony. But nothing really credibly old or noteworthy - yet !

 

[GeoffreyW]

I was just on the cusp of recommending you speak to Flashback Cables, they're extremely helpful, and are first class cables, too.