high voltage's affect on amplifier performance


in much of nassau county, voltage readings have increased during the last 3 years.

at one point i was getting readings as low as 117 volts. this past summer, readings have increased to 126. currently, readings are around 122 to 124 volts.

i have a hypothesis that frequency response is affected by input voltage to a tube amplifier.

is there a scientific principle, or mathematical equation which can support my hypothesis ?

if so, i might want to purchase a variac.

thanks for your help.
mrtennis
That is not enough to cause a problem. If you had 135v I would start to worry! (conversely, under 105v I would be MORE concerned than having 124v)
Yes, I too don't see how frequency response would be affected. I would think that power output, dynamic range, and linearity/distortion would be subtly improved on musical peaks, at the expense of slightly increased stress on tubes, capacitors, and other components (probably to an insignificant degree, as Eldartford indicated). If the design incorporates regulated filament supplies, that would minimize or eliminate possible reduction of tube life.

Re voltage stabilizers (as opposed to voltage regenerators such as the expensive PS Audio unit), the ones that I am familiar with use a servo motor to actuate a variac-type device. That means considerable mechanical noise will occur periodically (whenever line voltage or load current change significantly), so you would not want to have one anywhere near your listening area. Here is an inexpensive example:

http://www.voltageconverters.com/itemdesc.asp?ic=SVC2000

Regards,
-- Al
+/- 10% voltage swings from a transformer's voltage rating can cause
transformer hum.
can voltage variation affect the performance of preamps and cd players or dacs, especially if power supplies are not "robust" ?