2. amps-preamps
  3. 1247008529

battery powered with 'vivid' sound

I am looking for battery powered amp options that have a sound signature more vivid in nature than refined. I'm basically looking for a battery powered version of a Manley tube amp operating in triode mode (connected to a pair of ProAc 1SC). My real objective is to get my components off the grid and save the thousands of dollars I would otherwise spend on re-wiring the house, power conditioning, and cables.

I have a Red Wine Signature 30.2 that I'm trying out and there is a lot to like about it; detail and staging blow away the Manley and my acoustic jazz on vinyl is wonderful. But it comes up shy to what I want with rock and pop, it's not as emotional or involving compared to the Manley.

Suggestions?
shazam

Showing 7 responses by shazam

shazam OP
205 posts
 
Veloce looks nice, but well out of my price range at the moment.
shazam OP
205 posts
 
Glory, I'm curious about your upgrade - was it the 70.2 that did it or the Isabella pre? What about the sound changed for you? My sense with the 30.2 integrated is that what I'm missing is not the muscle but the bloom and sweetness of tubes.
shazam OP
205 posts
 
Seems like its pretty much Dodd or Red Wine unless I want to shell out the big bucks for ASR or Veloce.

It just seems that there should be more companies using battery power for all the problems it solves.
shazam OP
205 posts
 
Power conditioning technology is mostly a band aid for something that is - in my opinion - the single biggest problem in hi-fi. Much like up-sampling and re-sampling, if the source (in this case, power) is garbage, you can only do so much to clean it up. Even the PS Audio conditioners that regenerate AC are only 60-80% efficient. Besides, is there a single piece of audio equipment that natively uses AC power? No, everything requires DC power.

AC is useful for most uses in a typical home - appliances, lighting, etc. But hi-fi is a critical application of DC power - why on earth should effort be wasted on trying to extract it real time from garbage AC when battery technology now exists to bypass it?
shazam OP
205 posts
 
Cdc, the power inverter is the same philosophy of the PS Audio Power Plant line - buffer DC power to regenerate AC. But the problem of AC transmission and DC conversion in the component remains - this is the weak point I'm trying to eliminate.

I have heard that sealed lead acid (SLA) batteries can be noisy compared to others - I'm sure batteries will continue to improve. But it's significantly better than my Isotek power conditioner and Manley tube amp when it comes to noise. It has the side benefit of being cheaper and eliminating the snarl of cables too.
shazam OP
205 posts
 
I do live in Phoenix, so a solar powered Hi-Fi would be a neat DIY project for me sometime. Of course, I'd still have to charge a battery for night listening.
shazam OP
205 posts
 
Rottenclam; you can indeed disconnect and take a battery amp like the RWA with you. The lit that tells you to leave it plugged in is should probably be clearer and let you know "you can unplug it if you like, but you don't have to and it is still running off the battery." Most leave it plugged in for simplicity sake (if the snarl of wires behind your rack is like mine, it's a pain to unplug something).

In the case of RWA, SLA batteries work best when fully charged at all times, so it makes sense it charges up every time after any use. Some batteries (like Lithion, I believe) will charge and power equipment better after being fully drained and can actually go bad if kept charged all the time.
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