General Forum

Re: Bang and Olufsen from United States to Japan converter?

Søren Mexico — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 18:59:51 GMT

Conclution: Check the V where you are going, check your devices if you can change incoming V yourself or sign up as silver or gold members and check the manuals on site.

I got my BS 3000 and BL 4000 from Radio Loft Aarhus DK Europe, 120 V 50/60 Hz

Re: Bang and Olufsen from United States to Japan converter?

SWISS_2 — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 18:13:38 GMT

Eliteelectronics;

Thank you for posting the additional information.

1. The Japanese telephone system is different than North America. This information is available on the Internet.

2. I graduated from Waseda University, and lived in Takodanobaba-Tokyo for a number of years. 220-240v was not common to residential electrical service in the cities; I only saw 220-240v & 740 kv for that matter, at a Matsushita factory.

3. B&O items or systems are scarce and highly prized in Japan, and given the Japanese preference for quality standards, the items sell at a high premium. You may already be aware that the founder of Sony, Akio Morita, proudly owned a B&O system ( B&O: From Vision to Legend, page 525 ).

Re: Bang and Olufsen from United States to Japan converter?

gofer — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 13:32:48 GMT

If I can jump in with an additional question to those who know their stuff. I have a BV 7 which I plan to take from Europe to Tokyo, plus BL9's. I think the BL9's are ok by the switchable voltage but the BV7 and BL7.4 I need to have both their power supplies changed. Or alternatively use a transformer to switch the voltage to both before entering the machine. I guess this is maybe better as no impact from 50Hz?

Finally does anyone know if the dealer in Europe can update with japanese PUC's

Sorry if this a dumb question!

Re: Bang and Olufsen from United States to Japan converter?

valve1 — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 13:02:26 GMT

SWISS_2:
Tokyo's voltage is at 100v, ( not 110 v ) BUT the frequency works at 50 Hz.

Japan has 220/240v and 110/100 believe it or not! It depends where you are. There is a historical reason for this and I cannot remember why.

Re: Bang and Olufsen from United States to Japan converter?

Søren Mexico — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 12:35:55 GMT

Your Beocom: check your wall wart, if in= 100 to 240 50/60 Hz no problems.

BS 9000 and BL 4000, bring to your dealer and change the power supply, and keep the old ones if you want to change back again.

Re: Bang and Olufsen from United States to Japan converter?

eliteelectronics — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 11:38:29 GMT

Thank you for your response.

I wanted to run my Beocom 1 phone and Beosound 9000 stereo (with Beolab 4000 speakers) in Japan. Would these work with a voltage converter?

Re: Bang and Olufsen from United States to Japan converter?

SWISS_2 — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 11:33:36 GMT

Tokyo's voltage is at 100v, ( not 110 v ) BUT the frequency works at 50 Hz.

US frequency operates at 60 Hz. If the internal wiring insulation of any of your electrical devices is cheap or old, ( most likely not B&O ) there could be problems.

Eastern Japan, ( Tokyo, Yokohama, Hokkaido, Tohoku ) operates at 50 Hz, while western Japan ( Nagoya, Osaka, Hiroshima, Kyushu, Shikoku, and onward to the southwest ) operate at 60hz. The wiring in your device WILL run hotter because the amperage will increase as a result from running a 60 hz device plugged into a 50hz power source. Sensitive equipment may not run properly, and even become damaged. If it is hot enough and the wiring insulation is bad enough, there could be a fire.

Note also that the equipment plugs are similar to US standard flat two-prong, but can either be polarlized or non-polarized.

Specifically, what equipment ( model and age ) are you considering to operate in Japan ?

Re: Bang and Olufsen from United States to Japan converter?

eliteelectronics — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 10:55:24 GMT

No. In Japan, the voltage is lower than in the United States.

Re: Bang and Olufsen from United States to Japan converter?

Evan — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 10:42:55 GMT

Its the same?

If it is, then you will probably just need a plug adapter of some sort.

Bang and Olufsen from United States to Japan converter?

eliteelectronics — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 10:33:52 GMT

In the United States, the voltage is 100V. In Japan, the voltage is 110V. Would it be possible to get a voltage converter for my United States stereo in order to have my B&O stereo work in Japan.