Step down transformers detrimental to SQ?

If your overseas dealer told you that then he's as electrically misinformed as, well as pretty much everyone else. You're talking to a guy who has wired a whole house, recently installed a panel, and has a whole system personally custom wired to run on a dedicated line that goes from 220v coming out the service panel to a custom solid silver step-down transformer that does drop the 220 to 110 just under my listening room. Not to mention built a 200 watt amp, modified lots of electronics. And yes I am sure.

But hey, don't take my word for it. Go try and find yourself a step-down transformer designed to go from 110 to 100. Good luck! They don't make one. For the simple reason there is no market for one. Because nobody needs one. Because it just doesn't make any difference.

Incidentally, and this is probably nothing, but I am curious to know if this is an older vintage type amp? And where was it made?

Again, there's no problem with higher voltage. Its lower that tends to cause problems. And since if you go back to say early 1900's America (or 'modern' day California) you were much more likely to encounter low voltage situations, its possible they were designing (and labeling) electronics for those somewhat lower voltages.

Either that, or it was made somewhere with substandard (by modern standards) electricity (like, you know, California) or maybe even somewhere foreign. Like.... all together now.... California.

Kidding. California would get the label right.

But seriously: vintage? Country?

@bsmg I was under impression that I need a step down because the voltage from my wall is higher than the amp spec.

Sorry; you’re correct. I misunderstood what you were asking.

Don’t know where millercarbon is but my power conditioner shows a digital voltage readout when it’s on and I’ve never seen it drop below 121V and most of the time it reads 123V,,,,,,in northeast TN hard by the VA border.

And you're lucky with that 220V stuff......I once plugged in a 110V blow dryer in Manila; it ran real fast for about 2 seconds and died.

@millercarbon No one makes them? Huh ... here are two good ones

https://acupwr.com/collections/japan-to-usa-transformer-converter-use-100-volt-appliances-in-110-vol...

https://www.ebay.com/p/SANYO-Step-Down-Transformer-Tsd-06u-120vac-Input-100vac-6-6a-Output/193998103...

Sounds like you bought a Luxman on Ebay. :)

Best,
E