Grandmeister transformers - EU/UK

gearaddict

Interesting that Thomann reckon it's not the case...they usually have a bit more clue than other big retailers.

ragingben

When my 230v tubemeister went back to thomann they said that there is absolutely no difference between the 230v and 240v versions and irrc they started my 3 year warranty again from the repair date. It's been fine since, and it's been ragged a reasonable amount. Perhaps they were just saying it, but thomann are usually pretty good at rectifying stuff. I agree with siremoom, catering for the 240v market separately would be unusual from a business sence. Just use a power transformer with taps if it's that critical, or build an amp that can work for both markets like most other companies do. As far as I'm concerned Hughes and Kettner pissed me right off - I ordered one of the very early TM36s way before they harped up with any of this about the voltage, and now am lumbered with an amp that is harder to sell over here than it should be if I decide to. If they realized retrospectively then they should of sorted the problem long before releasing the grandmeister 2 years later.

Deijavoo

Hhmmm.. My Diezel Hagen is marked as 230v, should I be worried or at least have it tested?

ecc83

I do not see why H&K would fit a different transformer for the UK market either.

Blackstar's amps use exactly the same transformers here as in the rest of the EU. The amps are rated, i.e 20 or 40 etc, watts for 230volts input and all other specifications are tied to that input voltage as well.

Of course, if you design an amp that is slamming its limits at 230V + 10% then you are likely to have trouble at 240+10%!

I have put in hundreds of amp hours running all the models at 230+10% and at full or 1/2 power on pink noise and programme using both purely resistive and reactive loads. Only the valves fail...Eventually!   Ok, maybe the odd fuse.

Dave.