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No interest in battery powered components?

I would have thought that with all the hoopla going on around here with AC power problems and the myriad of band aid fixes for sale, that some would be interested in using battery power for their systems. Apparently not. I have posted previously on this subject and got little interest. I am using battery power on two-thirds of my system right now and am working of converting my preamp to battery supply. This is not as hard as it may sound. My David Berning amp came standard with a battery power option, and my Teres turntable has a DC motor/controller with battery power option. When comparing the exact same equipment with the same system, in the same room, with the same records, the battery supplied system sounded considerably superior to the same system using AC mains supply. Now, as some of you know, I generate my own power, so I do not have even as much line contamination as a standard house AC mains. And the improvement was still great. I would venture to say that the improvement in a normal home with street mains would be astonishing.
I am posting this because there is a method available to eliminate, not band-aid, the power problem and nobody seems to care. Why is this?
I can understand that people with 1 kilowatt amps may not be able to power that amp for very long off of batteries, but that does not affect their using battery supply for other components like turntables and preamps and head amps and CD players. Why does nobody consider this?
A battery supply system is cheaper than most of the line conditioners and power cords out there and eliminates the problem at the source. A battery power supply system eliminates the internal(or external) power supply transformer of the component, thereby reducing hum and stray fields and making the unit run more efficiently, using less power. A battery power supply system has no line induced voltage fluctuations, RF hash, digital noise, or AC switching to rectify. It automatically charges up when not in use. It requires no special knowledge or extra care or maintenance over and above what the normal audiophile would do anyway. If you want, you can have totally separate battery supplies for each component, thereby eliminating any interaction between components in the power supply section(think CD). They will run for hours without going dead or reducing voltage. They don't have to be big cumbersome units. I use the portable power units that are commonly affixed with jumper cables for automotive use.
Why is nobody pursuing this idea but me? Is there anyone out there that is thinking like me, but has not talked about it? If so, please post here because I would like to converse with others who are interested in leading-edge stuff like this. If you think I'm crazy, you can post that too. :-)
twl
danielk141
489 posts
 
I have a Rowland Model 2 with the optional Battery Power Supply. I think the #1 problem with this BPS was the original retail price - $3000.00.
I bought my BPS used from the original owner for less than half price when Jeff Rowland discontinued the Model 2 - the
factory blew them out to dealers for $1500.00 for a short time.
To be perfectly honest I can't hear any difference with my BPS. I live in the Phoenix area, the ac power here is noisy and fluctuates daily in the summer. I think this shows how well engineered my Model 2 is. It is dead quiet, even plugged directly into a wall socket. I CAN hear an improvement in both my music system & my video system, when I plug in everything but the amps into my Power Wedges.
That said, I plan to keep my BPS. From time to time I contemplate selling it for $ to get something else. But it does complete the amp........
I do wish I could find a cost effective BPS for my front-end components. I would try it in a heartbeat. I woke up at 4:50 a.m. last Thursday after a transformer in the neighborhood blew up - They are loud!
I did my usual routine, calm down the dog, unplug entire music system, go to the living room & shut off all video,
go to work & re-incarnate systems in evening...
philefreak
423 posts
 
I also run all battery I can. I have a Reflection Audio preamp and Final Labs Music-6 amp. I still run ac for my Zanden DAC and Audio Note transport, but as sson as I can elmintate my ac, I will. I agree with you totally,power cord manufactures don't like the DC idea, so DC is a bad word. Audio is very political. Sometimes the very best never gets brought up. We swallow elephants and gag on knats!
brtritch
28 posts
 
Hey, I'm willing to try it. But I have no idea where to begin. It seems that the components that I have that run off of wall warts should be easiest. Is it?

Also, could you elaberate slightly on the comment that you 'use automotive battery chargers.' Do you mean
the type I can buy at Kragen's and hook up to my car battery to recharge it? How do I hook it up?
twl OP
3,251 posts
 
Brtritch, I think that the wall wart supplied components are easiest to convert, since many actually step-down and rectify to DC right at the wall wart. This would only require a battery and simple regulator circuit to make it battery powered. Some other units, like my preamp, have outboard power supply that give an easy way in. The charger you refer to as "automotive" is not the one like you use to fast charge your car battery. However a small trickle charger would do the job of charging. The one I use is built into the Portable Power Pack/Jumper Unit that is sold in Auto Zone or others for jumping or supplying 12vdc accessories. It has an charging circuit built in that you can just plug into the wall when it needs charging. Don't charge when you are using the battery, though, or you will get the undesireable charging circuit noise on your power. For small loads, around 2 amps or so, this type of unit will give you a nights worth of listening and you can recharge it during the day or overnight by plugging it in. For components that require other voltages than 12vdc, a simple regulator circuit can be used to set the voltage to whatever the power requirement may be for the component. Be sure to use a regulator that can handle the current needed for the component. That is all there is to it. You have to be a little handy with simple circuits, but it is not too difficult.
I am glad to see that there are at least a few adventurous souls out there that are interested in this subject. I believe that this is the wave of the future in audio design. Leading edge companies like Rowland, Berning, Teres, Redpoint, and others are starting the ball rolling. I will be happy to report more of my results to you guys as I complete further projects.
oneprof
147 posts
 
I have Merlin Milleniums with the Battery Bam. Once in a while I forget to unplug the Bam, which lets it run in AC mode. It doesn't take me long to realize my mistake, because the sound with the Bam run by batteries is noticeably superior to the AC. It just sounds more 'real'.
By the way, twl, I have a Berning too, only it's the 270.
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