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Can wall sockets abroad have voltage that speakers can't handle?

Bit of an exotic scenario.

So if I'd bring my speakers to a foreign country, which is a scenario I'm facing, expat in India, could there generally be a problem that taht country is using different voltage which could be harmful? Or are electricity standards kind of "international" and there should generally be no problem with modern tech?

Cheers,
P.
connexion
rcprince
3,074 posts
 
Are you talking about powered speakers, or passive ones that you drive with an amp/receiver?  The latter should work fine, hooked up to an amp but the former might require an adapter and  a check on local voltages, as noted above.
erik_squires
16,303 posts
 
The voltage a speaker receives is up to the amp, not the wall socket. Speakers in the US are the same as in Europe.
almarg's avatar
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almarg
9,670 posts
 
RCPrince asked the right question. Are they active speakers (i.e., containing their own amplifier), or electrostatics or other types requiring AC power?

It appears that the AC in India is nominally 220 volts/50 Hz. If the speakers are AC powered they would not work very well, if at all, without a step-up transformer if you are going to a 120 volt country (e.g. the USA) or to a 100 volt country (e.g. Japan). I suspect that they would do ok in a 240 volt country (e.g. the UK), but look in the manual or check with the manufacturer to be sure.

Of course, if you are also bringing an amplifier or other electronics along it may necessitate the use of a transformer to convert the voltage as well.

Regards,
-- Al

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