2. misc-audio
  3. 128338-4692

Which sounds best, 120 volts, or 240 volts?

I read all these reviews and comments that say how a new power cord can make a system sound better! Or different. With just a tiny adjustment, just a few feet of wire making audiable differences. I'm not disputing that, but it raises the question, can you hear the difference between a system powered by 120 volts here in the US, from a system in Europe that runs on 240? Surely that's a huge difference that should be immediately noticable. However it is hard to get a side by side comparison, most components needing internal adjustments to convert from one to the other, and of course the changing of input current. Different frequency too! From 60hz here to 50hz there, these have got to be major differences compared to swapping a cable? Any of you jet setters out there have an opinion on this? Do you prefer the sound on one side of the pond to the other? 
alpha_gt
noromance's avatar
noromance
9,389 posts
 
Amps, current. Talking about stuff you don't understand.
billbartuska
83 posts
 
Would not an amplifier sold in both the US and UK have exactly the same circuit boards inside and differ only in transformer / rectifier? And does this not make the question moot?
alpha_gt OP
155 posts
 
The point was, if a power cord can make a difference in sound, would not operating on a different frequency, transformer, etc. make a huge difference in sound? And I'm afraid I do know what I'm talking about, I've got a college degree in electronics and computer sciences. Current is measured in amps, voltage measured in volts, and resistance measured in ohms. Power is measured in watts, or amps times volts. Alternating current goes from positive to negative and back is one cycle, if it made one cycle in one second, that would be one hertz. So 50Hz changes polarity 50 times a second, and 60 Hz changes polarity 60 times a second. But none of that is the point of the post, just the fact that these differences are HUGE compared to swapping a power cord, they should be readily audible. 
That, is the only point I'm trying to make. 

More to discover