Question on HK970 Amplifier

[John.D]

Friends, I have got this Harman Kardon HK970 amplifier which has power input mentioned as AC 230v ~ 50Hz.
Can I run it on regular AC outlets in the USA?

I tried plugging it and it powered ON fine but I did not connect any speakers to test.
Is it safe to run as it is on USA outlet?

 

[JSmith]

You're lucky it wants 230V and you ran it on 120V... other way around, it would have popped and magic blue smoke would have ensued.

I'd suggest you will need a step‑up transformer to run this properly.


JSmith

 

[John.D]

You're lucky it wants 230V and you ran it on 120V... other way around, it would have popped and magic blue smoke would have ensued.

I'd suggest you will need a step‑up transformer to run this properly.


JSmith

I did google search before connecting to power and found it’s probably safe and so gave it a try.
How to find which specs would be good enough for Step UP transformer to run this amplifier?

 

[JSmith]

How to find which specs would be good enough for Step UP transformer to run this amplifier?

Just having a quick look for you... I'd suggest one rated at least 1000 VA or higher, like 1.5kVA;

https://hifi-wiki.com/index.php/Harman/kardon_HK_970

Power consumption: 410 W

JSmith

 

[John.D]

By the way, is this amplifier HK970 any good? Don't know if one of those with tons of distortion as we have seen in a few reviews of old ones.
It's pretty old and I know that it hasn't been used for years. I have ordered step up transformer to see if it does work and how well.

 

[AnalogSteph]

By the way, is this amplifier HK970 any good? Don't know if one of those with tons of distortion as we have seen in a few reviews of old ones.

It's an AB amp rated 80 wpc at <0.09% THD 20-20k, so unlikely to have problematic levels of distortion. The SNR spec of 95 dB is a bit meh, but that's typical for H/K in general, so there may be some audible hiss depending on how sensitive your speakers are. (This one uses a WM8816 electronic volume IC on +5V, so not exactly the prerequisites for gobs of dynamic range.) If memory serves H/K gear from this time period can have issues with bad solder joints.

 

[John.D]

It's an AB amp rated 80 wpc at <0.09% THD 20-20k, so unlikely to have problematic levels of distortion. The SNR spec of 95 dB is a bit meh, but that's typical for H/K in general, so there may be some audible hiss depending on how sensitive your speakers are. (This one uses a WM8816 electronic volume IC on +5V, so not exactly the prerequisites for gobs of dynamic range.) If memory serves H/K gear from this time period can have issues with bad solder joints.

I finally got step up transformer to power this one and it is working perfectly.
No hiss, no heat, no issues really. SQ is excellent as well.

 

[Guddu]

I finally for step up transformer to power this one and it is working perfectly.
No hiss, no heat, no issues really. SQ is excellent as well.

Hey neighbor,
I might swing by to have a look at this one at your place over the weekend

 

[Multicore]

I finally for step up transformer to power this one

What did you get?

Last time I needed one I had trouble finding a product I thought I could trust.

 

[John.D]

What did you get?

Last time I needed one I had trouble finding a product I thought I could trust.

Home Depot, VEVOR brand.