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Can US 220 Volts Be Used On European 220 V Amp?

I am in the US and all my audio components run on the traditional voltage from a standard wall outlet. I am considering the purchase of a European amplifier that runs on 220 volts. If a US 220 Volt socket is added in my listening room, will the 220V European amp run properly on this US 220 voltage? Some thoughts I had is that the US 220V is 60 Hz, while (I think) the European 220V is 50 Hz.  I plugged in a volt meter into my wall outlet and it reads +/- 120 volts. Does that mean the the 2-pole voltage is 240 volts? Lots of questions and I don't want to damage the 220V European amp if I decide to buy it. Let me know your thoughts and experiences. Thanks in advance.

3zub

Showing 2 responses by cleeds

cleeds
6,088 posts
 

lou_setriodes

I got a 220V power supply and a power inverter that’s used on boats and plugged the power inverter into the power supply .. works like a charm.

I wouldn't want an inverter near my system. I think it's better to use gear designed for the type of power it will run on, 120VAC/60hZ for most of us in the US.

cleeds
6,088 posts
 

lou_setriodes

Changing from 50 to 60 Hz or vice versa will impact the speed of a cd player, cassette deck, reel to reel and a TT.

That's only strictly true with synchronous motors. Others, such as DD, may not be affected. However, they may have other issues if not designed to run at the supplied frequency, such as overheating.

If you have a turntable with a synchronous motor, you can safely use a drive controller such as the VPI ADS to alter the frequency and, hence, motor speed. I think Walker also makes a unit and there are probably others.

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