Suggestions for a good quality step down transformer

Balanced transformer should take care of differential noise

Thanks for that Prem...Will check with vertex now if they make any balanced transformers too. Thanks

Edit:
Further to the above...I just checked with vertex. And as per them since my house is running single phase...the isolation transformer will stop transverse mode noise ( don't what that is though) as well as common mode noise. However the earthing has to be good, to enable the isolation transformer to stop these. As per them...for single phase power usage...there won't be any unbalancing internally, and that's why their kit is much bigger in physical size than most other competition, which are smaller in size.

And I got this reply at 10:15 in the night. Wow :D
 
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In short, you will hear the mixie motor or fridge/AC compressor run.
Which you should, otherwise how will one discern the nuances of music.
But the harmonics/noise they inject into your home grid will not show up in audio chain.
At least that's the theory.

Cheers,
Raghu
Ok I still didn’t get it. What has the ac compressor running 30 feet away got to do with music in the living room? Are u saying that the hum from the ac/ fridge compressor can be heard when I play music? Or is this noise internal in the wiring? When I put on my music setup, I don’t hear anything. No noise or hum etc. So this noise u r saying is internal?
 
Ok I still didn’t get it. What has the ac compressor running 30 feet away got to do with music in the living room? Are u saying that the hum from the ac/ fridge compressor can be heard when I play music? Or is this noise internal in the wiring? When I put on my music setup, I don’t hear anything. No noise or hum etc. So this noise u r saying is internal?
Internal noise. This gets injected into the home wiring and "may affect" audio performance.
A fellow FM could hear high frequency ringing in my system when the fridge turned on.
I couldn't, thankfully; his ears are a couple of decades younger than mine though :)
Cheers,
Raghu
 
Ahhh ok. Well so far my 40 year old ears also cant hear anything when I turn on the music. So if I can't hear anything, no need to lose sleep over it I guess. But I get what u and @sidvee are saying now. Thanks guys :)
 
Someone knowledgeable should make a proper "case" for isolation transformer. There seems to be a fair bit of interest but I find the reasons cited vague. What is the pain area that it's supposed to address, etc.
 
I have 3 vertex servo stabilizer units, 2 of them I bought over 10 years ago (1kva, 2kva & 3kva). These guys know what they are doing, no pseudo science, no subjectiveness, no fluff. Their customer base includes companies who run voltage/power sensitive equipment that costs perhaps 10 or 100 times more than the most expensive audio equipment/setup in India. So when they say their equipment is going to do something, then more than likely it is. However at the end of the day, our ears are the final arbiter of whether these units are doing anything or not to help our audio equipment, and to my ears one thing I can say with great certainty - they are doing no harm! On top of that they are cheap insurance. I am certainly not going to connect a 4 lac system or even a 50k one directly to the power socket anywhere in India. I don't have that much confidence in our government supplied power (private supply excluded). Plus their service (at-least in hyderabad) is excellent - definitely better than PS-audio or even Shunyata or any other western power product manufacturer. And Issac (their rep) in Hyderabad is not trying to push any sales. When I inquired about an isolation transformer he asked me if I was having any issue with my current setup, and why exactly I needed one. When I told him that I am just looking for improved SQ he said maybe, he never tried to sell any improvement in rosy audiophile terms, which unfortunately a few dealers try. So at the end of the day, what you may experience SQ wise with a servo, isolation, CVT or any other unit from Vertex is going to be strictly limited to your subjectivity on any improvement, but one thing you can rest assured is that you are getting a quality product which is doing what it is supposed to do (whether you hear it or not, I have experimented with cables that cost many multiples of this and heard nothing despite reviewers/users stating that they could) - nothing more/nothing less along with great service. I have no association with Vertex other than being a customer but having bought a great many audio devices and experiencing dismal customer service and support, I fully endorse these guys and I feel they are doing a great service to the audiophile community . vertex1.jpgvertex2.jpgvertex3.jpg
And lastly I don't want to go OT on the OP's post, yes they make excellent step down units as well. I have a 3kva step down unit (currently in storage) which I used to run 110v equipment from ARC/Conrad Johnson/MSB/Modwright etc. without any issues whatsoever.
Cheers,
Sid
 
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.... I have no association with Vertex other than being a customer but having bought a great many audio devices and experiencing dismal customer service and support, I fully endorse these guys and I feel they are doing a great service to the audiophile community .
And lastly I don't want to go OT on the OP's post, yes they make excellent step down units as well. I have a 3kva step down unit (currently in storage) which I used to run 110v equipment from ARC/Conrad Johnson/MSB/Modwright etc. without any issues whatsoever.
Cheers,
Sid
Second that endorsement.

Vertex, BLR have been excellent at responding to queries and have provided great support thus far. No issues either with the equipment.

I didn't know Vertex does step-down transformers, thanks for the information. I have used Maxine for step-downs and they are great too in responding to queries and in the quality of their step-down transformers.
 
Hi all....thanks again for all your advise and guidance. Thought I'd give a meaningful end to my post.

So I ended up buying a vertex servo stabilizer of 1 kva capacity and a vertex step down transformer of 1 kva capacity with inbuilt isolation transformer.

I got vertex hyderabad dealer contact number from a friend. Gave that gentleman Mr.Isaac a call. Since I mentioned that this was speficially for audio application where I wanted quality power. He suggested adding a servo stabilizer also in the chain, apart from step down transformer I was originally looking for.

The final bill with GST and transportation charges to my residence came to 19.8k. Expecting delivery around the month end.

I had requested for a change of those indian sockets to universal sockets. And also requested for 2 outputs instead of one. My request was accepted. Thanks for reading View attachment 39360View attachment 39361
Congratulations. Looks a solid piece of gear. Can you also share how many equipments you are planning to connect to this stabilizer?
 
Congratulations. Looks a solid piece of gear. Can you also share how many equipments you are planning to connect to this stabilizer?

Thanks Kapmish :)

As of now just a FM tuner and a preamp. Will probably look to add a turn table next year. But still not certain if I want to dip my toes into analogue at the moment. Thanks
 
I tried an experiment this morning that might be relevant to this poster.

I have a high-resolving tube amp that can do both 110/220V at a flick of a switch. I also own an el cheapo step down transformer I bought from the US for $60 or so for my blender. It is 1200W capacity.

I tried my amp first in 230V straight from mains.
Next tried the same song, 110V from the transformer. I went back and forth 2-3 times.

No difference in the sound, dynamics, bass, topend all good. I only tried one song though.

In fact the 110V sounded cleaner! perhaps the step-down transformer cleaned out some noise.

Based on this experiment I am going to go ahead and buy a 110V tube amplifier from the US, wish me luck! :oops:
 
I would say depending on your skill level, cost of the item/warranty etc, if you can, open the unit (demount the transformer if needed) to check numbers on it. Usually the transformers are made to cater both US and India voltages and it is just that they are hard-wired differently based on the region it was made for. If you can share the numbers on transformer with me, I can or in fact there are several techies here who can help.
I am planning to offload my 10 year old AVR to a friend who wants to try out with basic HTS. Mine is a US 110v model Yamaha V665/HTR-6260.
Please outline the process of modding the AVR to convert it into a 220v. We are ok with the risks associated.
 
I am planning to offload my 10 year old AVR to a friend who wants to try out with basic HTS. Mine is a US 110v model Yamaha V665/HTR-6260.
Please outline the process of modding the AVR to convert it into a 220v. We are ok with the risks associated.

Not all can be converted; it depends on the transformer, if it has dual primary, it can be. As with most of us, I too am a semi-tech person and my suggestion is dependent on of the transformer has sticker on it showing the winding layout. So, if you could open and share some pictures of transformer inside, we can try.
 
Hi FMs,
My query is not regarding AVR but pertaining to step down transformer being discussed in this thread.

Recently, I received a gift from US.
Its nutri bullet 600W model 110v model.

Please suggest a suitable step down transformer or any solution which other FMs might be using for this sort of appliance.

TIA
 
Hi FMs,
My query is not regarding AVR but pertaining to step down transformer being discussed in this thread.

Recently, I received a gift from US.
Its nutri bullet 600W model 110v model.

Please suggest a suitable step down transformer or any solution which other FMs might be using for this sort of appliance.

TIA
Maxine step down transformers are the best one. However they are much costlier as your nutribullet is 600W you may need atleast 700W stepdown transformer to convert the voltage as the nutribullet has a motor. Probably the step down transformer might be costlier than the nutribullet. Here is the link for maxine step down transformer.
 
Hi @mathan
Thanks for the reply and yes, both are costing same now :D
Now, will need to find a way to send the item back to US, atleast it can be used instead of lying idle with me

Thanks
 
Hi all :)

Iam in need of a good quality ( mainly silent with no hum ) step down transformer for running my US voltage audio gear. I did see some Maxine step down transformers on Amazon, but not sure if they are quality enough for use in a music system. Will be grateful for any suggestions, and forum member experiences with any that they are using or have used in the past. Thanks
Contact Aulten @ 9811597709
I have been using this since 3 months, it's worth it and excellent quality, no humming.
You can chat with Aulten executive and confirm which transformer will be adequate for your requirement.
You can order directly to Aulten and you can also order on Amazon.
I hope this helps.
Regards
 
Hi all :)

Iam in need of a good quality ( mainly silent with no hum ) step down transformer for running my US voltage audio gear. I did see some Maxine step down transformers on Amazon, but not sure if they are quality enough for use in a music system. Will be grateful for any suggestions, and forum member experiences with any that they are using or have used in the past. Thanks
Contact Aulten executive @ 9811597709 on Whatsapp, discuss your requirement and they will provide a specific product matching your requirement,
I have been using Aulten step-down transformer past 3 months and I must say it's perfect product with quality and warranty.
You can get it directly from Aulten or Amazon
I hope this helps,
Regards
 
Hi FMs,
My query is not regarding AVR but pertaining to step down transformer being discussed in this thread.

Recently, I received a gift from US.
Its nutri bullet 600W model 110v model.

Please suggest a suitable step down transformer or any solution which other FMs might be using for this sort of appliance.

TIA
Motors would be running at lower speed and lesser torque. Frequency decides the speed. It could overheat, overload and burn.

Gift it to your enemy and buy a new one 🤭 🤭
 
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