Voltage specific amps - why ?

[fleabag]

After having looked at a few amp heads, and specifically i was tempted by a Carvin BX1600 in the USA as a possible head, used in good condish, but this amp is country specific, so i was told and 120v, rather than having auto internal voltage switching

In this day and age, whats the point in having country specific voltage ? It seems daft to me, since plenty of amp builders throw in some kind of
voltage switching, depending on whether it needs 110/120v or 230/250v

Maybe there's a good reason for having to make different amps for different countries mains voltage, but surely for economics, its just as easy to fit a voltage switch, and therefore, more possible customers ?

Maybe i'm missing something.

Brain cells, perhaps

[LukeFRC]

it utterly depends on the type of power supply I think.

Isn't there a guy selling a Carvin head for cheap on here?

[LukeFRC]

also .... go to carvings website, look at the photo of the back and read the label... it is switching...

[fleabag]

I didnt see anyone on here selling a BX1600, not that was still for sale anyways

AS for the switching, yes i read their website description. Its country specific, just as the guy told me in the US, so his used example was sadly no good to me,.



[size=2][b]AC Voltage Input: 120V 60Hz (230V model available) - Power Requirements: 800VA
- Exclusive AC cord features a "lock-in" function to prevent accidental cord disconnect
- Designed and manufactured by Carvin in the USA[/b][/size]

[url="http://www.carvinaudio.com/collections/bx-series-bass-amplifiers/products/bx1600"]http://www.carvinaud...products/bx1600[/url]

Edited December 4, 2015 by fleabag

[Dad3353]

It's not always that simple for the manufacturers, though. Different H & S regulations, different fuse ratings, different component costs in a competitive world, maybe even different target markets mean that different companies will have different policies on this. There may be a case of attempted protectionism, too. Some do things better than others, but 'better' depends on one's point of view.

[fleabag]

Yup, never thought about H&S and other regs. I sort of felt that it wasn't that simple, hence asking the question, because i was sure there were suitable reasons.

I just couldnt think of any, but your suggestions sound quite feasible

[dannybuoy]

I've heard of a couple of amps that are switchable internally by moving a jumper, who knows, the Carvin might be the same. Perhaps they were done this way to reduce the chances of numpties melting their amps by flicking it to the wrong setting (as my mate did to his PC once!).

[fleabag]

I dont think they do that, and the proof seems to be the printing on the back of the amps. I have seen both US and UK versions with different printing ... 110 - 120v on the US model and 230 - 250v on the UK model.

So i'd say we would have to buy the amp specific to our voltage

[BigRedX]

I would imagine that most of Carvin amp sales are in the US where they only need to deal with 110V and consequently can use lower spec and cheaper components on the mains voltage side of the amp. Fitting a switchable 110/230V transformer and beefing up the rest of the PSU to cope with higher mains voltages would add an unnecessary expense when the majority of their customers simply don't need it.

Edited December 4, 2015 by BigRedX

[fleabag]

Good point there BRX

I never thought of all these things, so i guess its making sense now. Didn't do me any good, but what the hey

[icastle]

Quite aside from the tech and safety aspects, it's also a good way to deter grey imports.

[machinehead]

It's often overlooked that the supply frequency (Hz) is different - USA is 60Hz, Europe is 50HZ.

So you need to be sure that the lower frequency in Europe won't damage the amp if you're using an external transformer.

Frank.

[fleabag]

Yup, i guess that has to be a consideration.

And UPS have told me here it will be here Friday. Woot

Hope they sent a European one

[IMG]http://i63.tinypic.com/21njjf4.jpg[/IMG]

[SubsonicSimpleton]

99 euros must be a misprint surely

[fleabag]

Dont call me surely

No it wasn't a misprint

[mcnach]

[quote name='fleabag' timestamp='1449657393' post='2925569']
Dont call me surely

No it wasn't a misprint
[/quote]

[fleabag]

I should say they didnt misprint it, but i photoshopped it