100v,115v versus 230v

Two things that two people told me over time and I present them as I heard them.

1. In the U.S.A., safety was a concern (check millercarbon’s post above). That ended up with more Amperes for the same Watt number. More Amperes is allegedly somehow more problematic if anything goes bad in houses with lots of wood in their construction. More fires. Which then, just based on observation (not any kind of statistics) seems true. Houses in the U.S.A. are probably much more wood-based than those in most of the Europe.

2. Above mentioned poster is like a broken clock. He is correct twice a day. It is that time of the day, it seems.

The only way to find out the answer to OP is to cary the same amplifier to the place with both voltages. However, once you add some step-down/up transformer in the mix, are you sure you know what is influencing what you hear? I have 110 and 220 (240?) here. My turntable has both voltages. It runs the same speed at both voltages. Ok, a little cheating. It is quartz-controlled.

Yeah, nothing I'd like more than to run 230V in this apartment... :)

Sadly almost all American outlets are 110V, with rare exceptions for large appliances.  Still, the potential is there! I mean, high voltage = less current, less voltage sag during drops.

Of course, you could also get a Sander's MagTech amp, which does a pretty good job of compensating for this.

It is becaurse you only use half the current in 220-240V hifi. Watt is watt no matter where you are. So if a amplifier is 220W it only uses 1 Amp. current in europe, but 2 Amp. in the US. So it is twice as hard on the internal of the amp. and there is more heat that needs to get away from the unit.

230V or 110V is just as dangerous. You can die from more than 51V 0,03 Amp.here in europe. Yes, someone even died from at battery 9V. He put his tung on a new battery......

I agree with you that watts are watts no matter what the voltage is. But the key thing is that in the US you guys are limited to about 1,800W out of one of your sockets, but in Europe we can get 3,000W from one.

This might make a difference to a big muscle power amp, being able to draw a lot more power out of the wall might enable it to sound better. Might. 

a few observations

millercarbon  'the US is really 240v but you get 110v in your wall.
??eerrrrgh.  In UK the local substations get 7kV but it doesn't mean that is in your wall.
But yes, good contact with 220v is quite a jolt.  I know from when it was 240v and have been very careful since then.

True your power amp probably runs on 400v rails and just transforms to that from whatever it feeds on.  But an easier transformation if you start with 220v and easier to engineer distortion out.

For Glupson:  UK was 240v until 2003 when it harmonised with EU at 220v.
The French had been on 110v up to that date and changed instantaneously to 220v.  But to this day they still use the mickey-mouse thin plastic plugs and sockets AND HOUSE WIRING!!! designed to handle 110v.  This would be an issue in the USA also - if it were to move to 220v, the kit would need upgrading.

Does anyone remember using Krell 200KRS in the US?  I have these now 35 years old and refurbished.  Full Class A, they are said to draw 1.2kW per side.  On 110v ???your wall would catch fire.