[Patrick Turner]

I said....

I suspect ARC may have switched to 220V chinese made power trannies.

All I do know is that ppl here buy ARC stuff and don't care about the
mains voltage and then smoke happens.

It is insanely stupid to expect a large heavy box full of very hot
vacuum tubes to last well when the mains voltage is too high, and the
biasing method is so stupid, and there is no active protection if one
or more tubes goes into thermal run-away.

As long as ppl here in Oz understand that there can be problems and
that there are solutions, I have done all I can.

Patrick Turner.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Chances are, ARC may be doing just that ! *

I have no idea what the real origin may be for ARC trannies. Someone
said Magnequest made them. But Magnequest might have a Chinese
subcontractor who employs another contractor etc who employs sweatshop
labour working for a pittance doing **** that US shareholders won't
allow to be done n the USA.



US-manufactured
transformers are ver-r-r-y dear these days .

Indeed, and if one wants to buy a replacement OPT for an ARC amp,
expect a very high bill.

The bill need be no more than the prices charged by Hammond
Engineering IMHO.


And besides, creeping AC
mains voltages are becoming a problem here , as well . What is
historically known as a ' 110 ' volts AC *slowly became 117,
120,125,128 ... I measured what is very close to 130 volts on some
occasions . A good and serious manufacturer should have built his
equipment with proper VAC input settings in order to accomodate
variations anywhere in the entire world . Reality has a habit of
biting you . Better safe than sorry !-

You have echoed the very point I like to make.

Patrick Turner.