Dr Morbius Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 Hi, am building a house and found a power transformer on a pole which will be tapped for my house near me. I was told power could fluctuate from 120volts to 130volts. I plan to use HH Scott amps to power my Klipsch’s and it was suggested they run great at 115 to 120volts. Is there some kind of power limiter to get only 115 or 120 volts to my amps? (I don’t mean a voltage regulator that has the big knob to adjust from 0 volts to max volts. I mean a set voltage of 115 or 120 volts). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CWOReilly Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 A good power conditioner should do the trick. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybob Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 6 minutes ago, Dr Morbius said: Hi, am building a house and found a power transformer on a pole which will be tapped for my house near me. I was told power could fluctuate from 120volts to 130volts. I plan to use HH Scott amps to power my Klipsch’s and it was suggested they run great at 115 to 120volts. Is there some kind of power limiter to get only 115 or 120 volts to my amps? (I don’t mean a voltage regulator that has the big knob to adjust from 0 volts to max volts. I mean a set voltage of 115 or 120 volts). Hello, I would take this up with the power company. Not aware of your source but, would have them address your concerns as, they have systems that control, or attempt to control voltage at powers entry into structure. Unless, I dreamt it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khornukopia Posted May 24, 2022 Share Posted May 24, 2022 18 hours ago, Dr Morbius said: Is there some kind of power limiter to get only 115 or 120 volts to my amps? I use a Monster Power AVS 2000 voltage regulator. There are some used ones available at times. It does exactly what you are asking about, plus it will step up the voltage to 120V when the power company supply has a voltage drop. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grendel23 Posted May 24, 2022 Share Posted May 24, 2022 I built a bucking transformer for my M-125 monoblocks. Mine is switchable between 6 and 12 volt drop. Works well. If you are handy with a soldering iron it could be a good route to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babadono Posted May 24, 2022 Share Posted May 24, 2022 ah...what about a Constant Voltage Transformer? CVT for short. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boom3 Posted May 24, 2022 Share Posted May 24, 2022 Save your money! This is actually a non-problem. The power company supplies a nominal voltage which means it can fluctuate depending upon load. In North America, the accepted or usual range is 105-125 V. You will share that pole transformer with one, two or three other households. Depending on load, your voltage measured at the wall outlet will vary in the range I just quoted you. No manufacturer, and that includes HH Scott, designs their products for one and only one supply voltage. Unless your power company has a real brownout (less than 105V) you won't hear any difference. If you feel you just must have a "power conditioner" read Audio Science Review for their tests of those things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybob Posted May 24, 2022 Share Posted May 24, 2022 Household appliances among lists to be concerned besides just the audio. Any customer hooked to an outlet that is on the warm range side of an operational window is in jeopardy of prematurely burnout connected items. Least of which is the common light bulb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curious_George Posted May 24, 2022 Share Posted May 24, 2022 The "standard" for the USA is 120V +/- 5% or +/- 6 volts. I've never seen anything out of this range and it is highly unlikely, a power company would supply voltages out of this range. So the range is 114 ~ 126, not 120 ~ 130. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted May 25, 2022 Share Posted May 25, 2022 open up a Bitcoin mining farm... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curious_George Posted May 25, 2022 Share Posted May 25, 2022 18 hours ago, billybob said: Any customer hooked to an outlet that is on the warm range side of an operational window is in jeopardy of prematurely burnout connected items. Least of which is the common light bulb. 126V is not really the issue, it is the 114 that poses the real problem. High current demand appliances such as hot water heaters, ranges, HVAC, motors, etc will draw excessive current and it is this that poses the real threat to equipment. Granted, an incandescent light bulb will seem to last forever operating at 114V. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybob Posted May 25, 2022 Share Posted May 25, 2022 Got a kick out of a retired electrician who called electric company to complain about his bulbs burning out prematurely. They would go through the motions of checking the transformer while assuring the gentlemen all was good. No, suggested that the OP should address his concerns to the power company about what was said. His audio equipment is a concern. Is a concern for me also. That is why I use a surge protector. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curious_George Posted May 25, 2022 Share Posted May 25, 2022 21 minutes ago, billybob said: Got a kick out of a retired electrician who called electric company to complain about his bulbs burning out prematurely. I used to know some people who claimed they had many many years of experience (30 +, etc), the problem for these people is they stop learning after the first year or less, then they have 30 + years of "working in the same job". 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybob Posted May 25, 2022 Share Posted May 25, 2022 Yes, have a nephew with Tampa electric that rose to the top. First, he graduated with a degree from U of F. Gentleman I mentioned still had his old early edition books he studied to become an electrician. Just after WW2. A good trade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seti Posted May 25, 2022 Share Posted May 25, 2022 For vintage amplifiers I sometimes just use variacs but the ability to dial voltage to 115v is help. In my house I see higher voltages at night routinely 125v. Before this voltage to my house was unsteady. They put up a brand new transformer for me and everything leveled out although still a bit high. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grendel23 Posted May 25, 2022 Share Posted May 25, 2022 I adjust the line voltage to my amps to keep the filament and B+ voltages near design values. Not necessary, but I think a good investment for reliability and tube life. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Morbius Posted May 27, 2022 Author Share Posted May 27, 2022 So grendel, how do you adjust the line voltage from your outlet to your amp? 120 volts is fine for me, not 128 or whatever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babadono Posted May 27, 2022 Share Posted May 27, 2022 Again how's about a CVT? Too much money? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curious_George Posted May 28, 2022 Share Posted May 28, 2022 CVT's are a bit pricey. A Variac (variable auto-transformer) would be the least expensive route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Racer X Posted May 28, 2022 Share Posted May 28, 2022 Agree a Variac auto transformer is exactly what the OP seems to be describing, not sure why he ruled it out in his initial post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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