Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems Using UK Meridian products in the US

Hi, This might sound like a stupid question. Is it possible to use Meridian products designed for UK (European) voltage requirements in the US? Or is it a major ordeal in doing so? Thanks!

Ryan

The answer isn't a simple yes or no I'm afraid.

Those products with Switch Mode Power Supplies (SMPS) are usually multi-voltage and can be used on either 110v or 220v. This is most of the (older) G series and 800 series kit. The newer stuff has "linear power supplies" (LPS) and these are voltage specific. The back of the equipment should specify the voltage the unit was built to run on. I would hope if the unit was modified (say from SMPS to LPS) it should be marked as such for safety

I think all of the speakers are LPS and so would need a change or modification to the power supply to work with 110v. Kit moving back and forward between Europe and the States isn't that uncommon and you may find there are spare LPS out there from somebody who has got fed up of waiting for the right product to turn up in their territory. A WTB entry in The Restaurant may be more successful than you expect.

This subject has been discussed before and I think I remember Fiddler (George, who used to own this site) saying that in some parts of The States houses did have both 110v and 220v available, I cannot remember the reasoning and it may vary from State to State?

I'm not an electrical engineer but my understanding is that the change from 50Hz AC in Europe to 60Hz AC over there shouldn't have an impact. The electronics actually runs on DC from the power supply / transformer so that makes sense to me.

What is it that you are trying to run on your 110v supply?

Regards
Richard

I looked into this a few years ago and came up with two options:

1) Run two phases to the listening Room, which gives you 240V and is probably the best solution for SQ (but may not be possible if you are renting).

2) For some units using linear power supplies, it is possible rewire the input transformer to accept 120V, otherwise the transformers will need to be swapped out.

I came to the conclusion that option 1 was the best solution, but never actually ended up moving permanently to the US.

An external 110V to 220V transformer is a fairly easy and inexpensive, if inelegant, option too.

Agree. I've done this with no noticeable impact on sound quality.

I was looking at a SW1600 subwoofer (UK version) that is listed here and am wondering about the difficulty of getting it to work in the USA.

Hi,

I suspect a more relevant issue would be the cost of shipping it to the US, as it's seriously heavy.

Brian

I struggled to get one of these in the car, let alone shipping. Heavy beast and shippers, well...