Off the Grid Listening-HELP!


In the next year, I am going to have to move my dedicated listening room to being off-the-grid. I would love to hear from anybody with experience in this area.I am just in the beginnings of doing research, but if anyone can accelerate this process I would appreciate it. I would need to power my turntable, a phono pre, tube pre amp, tube mono blocks and a couple of class D sub amps. I know that I need a pure sine wave inverter (how big, what brand?) and a couple of deep cycle batteries. Is there any easy way to calculate the size of the inverter and batteries needed? 12 or 24 volt system? Would something like a PS Audio regenerator be helpful too? This would only best used about 8 hours per week in four hour sessions. Thank you!

mterle

Showing 7 responses by mterle

I would hate to give up any of the gear I have right now. I know class D amps have come along ways, and I am not anti-state, (hey I ditched the A/B sub amps) and even have a SS phono stage. But it sounds incredible now so I don't want to change things up with gear. The tube pre-amps and monoblocks draw about 600 watts. Throw in the sub amp and the turntable phono-pre. I'm guessing 1,000 tops, but I will take some real time measurements listening loud and will see where I am at.

Thanks so much for all the replies. I do have a clamp meter and will see if I can ascertain the amount of power drawn. Are the plug-in meters any better?

This decision will come about because I will be losing use of the property where I have the dedicated listening room. The current room is only a quarter of a mile from my home. It's room inside a shop that was purpose built. I can listen to orchestra crescendos or music with driving bass rhythms and nobody knows. I happen to live on the hill on the edge of town and the new listening room is about the same distance from my house in a finished cabin up the hill from my house that I own. It is a slightly smaller space (more power!). I typically listen with a friends once or twice a week for three to four hours. I could build a generator house for either real time use or charging, bit was thinking to have an all DC to inverter system. Solar may work to charge but I'm in a canyon with Redwoods. The cabin has propane lights currently, but that may change. Not to undermine anyone's faith, but sit down listening to all manner of music is my church. I will have to make this transition. Again, thanks to everybody who has replied. Keep the thoughts and suggestions coming!

 

astolfor, your English is outstanding!

jbs, thanks for the link and the formulas. I think I will need 400Ah worth of battery in a 24 volt system to start. Charging may be rough. I will need to see what solar can accomplish with the light I have, but it may be that I need to use solar and a generator. Much appreciate your input. I feel like I have some direction. Now, after buying a new Lyra phono cartridge, new phono pre (PS Audio), Audioquest Niagra and a few other items in the last year I need to save up some pennies for this!

jbs, wouild you please clarify what you meant by, "I'd opt for the low power route and make that tradeoff but that's just me. Big loads are expensive and get complicated to build in that capacity unless money and space don't matter."

Thanks in advance. Also, any reason not to go with lead acid batteries here since weight and space aren't issues?

4krowme, I have read that most don't provide as pure a sine wave as commercial power does. I wish there were more data on the distortion of the sine waves! 

As I mentioned in my original post and you said a PS audio Power Plant may be needed. Not cheap though!

jbs, I am with you on AGM batteries. I don't want to deal with adding water or the off-gassing with old-school lead acid batteries. This system isn't going to be tasked with running anything other than an audio system. 

Jim,

Thanks for the tip on AGM. Come to think of it, I haven't had good luck with them either. I can deal with the maintenance of an old-school and have a place to put them so maybe I will go that route.