Is agency approval requred for all equipt

Anything that is remote, the receiver for the remote is always running. For me this stuff must be UL listed. My audio gear is never left on, so I don't worry to much about that stuff. A power amp, tube or solid state can get fairly hot. Vintage gear can be a risk, since the insulation is brittle, or old technology, and risky due to age. The CE marking means nothing for safety according to UL. Some companies try to pass that off as a safety test. Some US companies also. Play it safe and buy UL tested, or unplug it when not using.CE/UL link.[http://www.ul.com/global/eng/pages/offerings/perspectives/regulator/electrical/additionalresources/cemarkings/]

Some cities and counties such as LA require safety approval but it doesn't have to be UL. There are many other safety agencies such as CSA, ETL and TUV are similar. Canada, like the EU also requires safety approval on all electrical devices.

The cost of get an approval can easily exceed $10,000 depending on complexicity of the device. There is also annual fees and unannounced factory inspections to ensure that the parts used in production are the same as the submitted test sample.

CE approval is usually more expensive because it requires EMI and a host of other tests like surge, esd and so on. In addition to the test costs, many test samples are needed since most of the tests are destructive so there is additional costs.

For many small manufacturers, the cost is too high. When I worked in the network industry, I spent $200k a year for all sorts of approvals and thousands more in equipment cost.

Also, it's possible that meeting some of the safety requirements could have negative effect on sound quality. For example, to meet EMI and ESD requirements, filters might have to be installed on inputs and outputs connectors which may impact sound quality. Digital devices such as Dacs and Cd players produce lots of EMI.

CE approval is usually more expensive because it requires EMI and a host of other tests like surge, esd and so on. In addition to the test costs, many test samples are needed since most of the tests are destructive so there is additional costs.

For many small manufacturers, the cost is too high. When I worked in the network industry, I spent $200k a year for all sorts of approvals and thousands more in equipment cost.

Also, it's possible that meeting some of the safety requirements could have negative effect on sound quality. For example, to meet EMI and ESD requirements, filters might have to be installed on inputs and outputs connectors which may impact sound quality. Digital devices such as Dacs and Cd players produce lots of EMI.
Sfstereo (Threads | Answers | This Thread)

I always thought the CE mark was for Europe. The UL states
that also.

I also thought interference causing electronics (digital,etc) had to meet FCC rules, from my understanding.

Yes, CE is for Europe. FCC testing is required on digital devices but it only test for EMI emissions but CE requires additional immunity testing such as surge, RF immunity, transient, ESD and power factor correction. These were the requirements when I last did some CE testing many years ago.

Sfstereo, still, networking and audio gear would have different guidelines. I don't quite see how you could compare them (networking and home audio) rules. The FCC is always changing its rules also, for all areas of the industry.