Help please : Anyone used a US-bought 1000 in the UK?

Has anyone in the UK bought a 1000 by mail from the US? How much was postage and customs duty? I fancy picking one up but when we're paying at least the equivalent of $1100 it's kinda harsh...
Also, is there a voltage switch on the unit? What kind of power connector is used on the US version?

Most people don't ship this kind of stuff US mail; it would be in 1000 pieces if you get it. They use UPS or FEDEX and every store has different policies.

There is no switch on the back of the 1000 and the power connector is a standard 110v plug. You should buy this in the UK unless you buy an adaptor for a 110v connector.

$1100 is a rip-off! I only paid $840 for my MPC1000 and that's about 459 British Pound. Be careful!

I believe the 1000 has an auto sensing Power supply, so an american one only needs a british power cord and no converter.

bigal_davis wrote:There is no switch on the back of the 1000 and the power connector is a standard 110v plug. You should buy this in the UK unless you buy an adaptor for a 110v connector.

$1100 is a rip-off! I only paid $840 for my MPC1000 and that's about 459 British Pound. Be careful!

Thanks for the reply; so do you mean that the unit automatically senses the correct voltage, or are there separate 110 and 230V versions?
Yeah, $1100 is a rip-off, but that's about the cheapest you can get in the UK right now (£600).

auto sensing same unit in uk and us.

elmacaco wrote:auto sensing same unit in uk and us.

Ta!

Do any UK owners who have bought an American machine know where I can get a replacement power cable for the UK plug socket, is it just like the standard one that you get with a portable radio or a kettle, or is it a special Akai one that I need?

Plus, as the unit automatically works out which voltage to use, can I not just get a plug adaptor to put on the end of the US power cable in order to plug it in?

mate if i were you i'd buy one in the uk. you're paying that extra cost but if there's ever any problems it's easy to take it back to the shop, plus you've got people that can offer you hands on techincal support close by...

It was so expensive to get to machine in the UK I decided to go the US route. So if its a universal machine, is the power cable on the one you bought in the UK like the kettle or portable radio kind in the way it connects to the MPC?

i reckon you'd get away with using one of those kettle ones, i don't think it's a specialist akai connection or anything. i've seen connectors before used for computers etc that look like they would fit straight into the back of an mpc..

Ok, thanks man.

Ok.....I am one of these people you are asking for but i bought mine my self when i was out there. the postage depends on the value and weight of the mpc. also you will need to pay custom and exrsise fees as well.
Which could result in making the overall cost VERY high, make sense you go to Turnkey instead, they have one for about £450 i think. B stock!

Also the voltage situation is simple. The MPC1000 is universal, meaning it runs both 110 & 240 V so all u need is a UK kettle lead.

Hope this clears up all the madness for you.

Ok, thanks for clearing that stuff up about the power connection, just wanted to know if I needed to go out and buy a special lead, but I got a kettle style lead around somewhere so thats fine.

Well if u wanted to be techie, you could go out and purchase a Hi End Lead which carries a good current and is not efffected by surges etc, spikes blah blah this will set u back £75, read the What Hi FI mag they got good choices in there.

Air Adam wrote: the cheapest you can get in the UK right now (£600).

Got mine for £549 free postage from http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk and a friend just got one for £549 too from GAK (http://www.gak.co.uk) although that was in the shop not mail order and he had to ask for that price.

Say you find one in the US for $850 that's £445.38. Customs will add VAT at 17.5% and a 3% import tax. That's £445.38 + £77.88 + £13.35 = £536.61. This excludes shipping which Customs also charge VAT on. I've no idea how much shipping would be but $25 would add a further £15.38. That's £551.99.

Furthermore Akai will not honour the warranty outside the US. In addition the warranty may be much less than the statutory 12 months for items sold in the European Union (soon to change to 24 months). Often US prices are lower because manafacturers are under no specific requirements for warranties. They can be as little as 3 months.

Current used price in the UK is around £450 so that's an option.

Jim