240 vs 120

General
1

I am contemplating upgrading my M205’s to M500s and I might have the option to go from 120 to 240 (yes another Niagra 7000 but oh well) however my question is has anyone compared the 2?

I know the math but I have not heard them sooo anyone ever done an A/B on the sound?

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2

Hi Peter,

I have a Niagara 7000, actually 2 so each amp has its own 7000. Each Niagara on a separate 20A 120V circuit and the M500s are working great.

I don’t think that 7000 can be used on 240 V in the US.

Dan

3

Ahh, @Dan there is a european spec version of the 7000, what I am trying to find out is would I be better off running 240 or 120, currently single 20A circuit but depending on the answer I will install one more 20A, in my setup I have a single 7000 feeding dual M205’s and it works great but if I am upgrading to M500’s I might as well change it to whatever sounds the best (as this is a very low cost change)

4

The advantage of 240 for your system is half the current. Just keep in mind, not all equipment will auto switch between 120 and 240, so use caution. We run our listening room at 240V as it’s a clear improvement, and here in the US, it will balance your load better from the grid. I would suggest putting the actual 240V plug type (NEMA 6-20) in your wall instead of cheating and using the generic outlets. It will prevent someone from accidentally plugging something into it and making fireworks. :slight_smile:

As far as the amps, the M500s are simply a better design. You won’t use significantly more power vs your M205’s for listening, but it will sound significantly better. You might use 60 watts more….unless you plan on playing louder than you normally do or changing your speakers.

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5

@Jonathan_Gullman Well there might be a method to my madness :wink:

I have options:

  1. consider my system to be the end state and be very happy with an amazing stereo

  2. upgrade the source and be happy that I can use Spotify and Tidal Connect as they are issues as it stands (but very minor)

  3. Upgrade my amps

  4. upgrade my speakers to Estelon Forza or Extreme

  5. 3+4 (in that order)

  6. 3+4+2 (in that order)

But the issue with upgrading my amps is I want to think through how I am feeding them power:

  1. wall direct via 208/20A single circuit

  2. single 110/20 to a Niagra 7000 (current setup)

  3. single 208/20A to a Niagra 7000 (european spec but I have to find out exactly what that means as I am confused by the website)

  4. dual 208/20A to dual Niagra 5000s but this potentially means moving the Cascade to the basement and 50ft XLR dragon

  5. Something I haven’t thought of yet :wink:

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@Peter.Bomberg , you are in the most fun stage of this industry. Researching and curating upgrades. There is no right answer, but I hope you are enjoying the process none the less.

One step at a time I suppose. The M500’s will offer a big performance step with or without incoming power upgrades, so I would keep that in mind :+1:

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@Daniel_Francis alas that answer while true doesn’t help me the least bit :frowning:

Please let me know what the benefits of 240 are as my wife will tolerate me making holes in the wall before I install the gear but good luck after soooo.

I can easily convert the system now but I really need to understand the rational so please please tell me why you run them at 240 vs 120 (you must have a reason)

8

Heh, sorry!

@Jonathan_Gullman touched on the topic above. It really is half the current. For power hungry amplifiers, it is similar to making every connection twice the contact area. The Amplifier will have easier access to power, simple as that. Better power delivery = better performance.

Power conditioning is a completely different topic though. If your power is dirty, conditioning could help. If your power is relatively clean, conditioning could hurt. Most of the time, we have better performance directly into the wall. Amplifiers often need good access to power, and adding too much in the path before them can slow them down. We added an entire Farad to the M500’s which reduces this effect significantly, but it is still a consideration.

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9

@Daniel_Francis and @Jonathan_Gullman, my apologies, I am very happy to swap to 240, my power is very clean I was hoping the system might run cooler but no worries, so the outcome of this is I will convert to 240 and pull 4 or more dedicated Schuko outlets (they ensure nobody tries to plug in a non 240 appliance into the outlet. The only debate is do I run straight to mains, via a Niagra or via a large UPS?

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Hi Peter,

I’m been assuming you are in the US. A US 240V socket is physically different than a 120V socket and will prevent a 120V plug from being inserted into it.

I’m pretty sure the electrical code in the US doesn’t allow Schuko receptacles and hacking one in might actually be a safety issue because grounding is done differently in Europe.

But just tell your electrician what voltages you want and he will sort all that out for you.

Dan

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I was planning on Schuko solely due to the fact that AQ dragons work natively with them, and if I use a NEMA I have to swap the end (likely I have to do that in all cases)

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Sounds like you are close to the implementation phase.:+1:

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13

Still waiting on Audio Quest but getting there

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