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Battery Powered Preamps

I notice that the more expensive preamps get within a line, or in general, the more complexity and expense seems ot be applied to the power supply and regualtion; sometimes with the addition of a second box for the power supply.

I conclude power supply is important. If this is so, why not go the simpler route of battery power for pure DC? My Dodd Battery Pre works very well indeed (for context -I've owned CAT, Lamm, ARC, Joule, Placette Active, Atma-sphere (still own), Bent TAP). Am I missing something, or doesn't battery power just make the most sense for a preamp - off the grid and all that? Seem much simpler than most highend approaches, and much less expensive to implement.
pubul57
jwpstayman
399 posts
 
For anyone attending the RMAF this weekend, be sure to have a listen to the Veloce Audio LS1 battery powered TUBE linestage. Those that have had the opportunity to do so already have been stunned by the performance of this completely new design. Also showing with the battery powered monoblock amplifiers and Kharma speakers, so it should be very, very good.
dgarretson
2,597 posts
 
Pubul57, in low-current source and LS components the new SS monolithic op amps and buffers are particularly good, and if powered correctly may even surpass tubes in terms of transparency & musicality. However, IME op amps don't get to this high level of performance without batteries, whereas tubes can sound great both on AC regulated power or on batteries. The gating factor is finding tube designs that operate within the limited current reserves of batteries.

Another advantage is that monolithic op amps *should* reduce complexity and costs-- though this does not appear to be true of the $18K Rowland pre.

Anyway, my gut is that op amps on batteries aspire to SOTA, whereas(as noted in the 6moons review of RWA Isabella) a tubed pre on batteries is more about high performance in the context of value.

BTW, what I've found is that though an unregulated SLA battery supply can surpass a more complex AC PS, the battery sounds better yet with gobs of capacitance and discrete DC voltage regulation circuits. These features are not inexpensive to implement.
pubul57 OP
3,712 posts
 
Dgarretson, would love to get your impression of the Dodd. SBank also owns Merlins (great minds...) and switched to the Dodd after owning the Atma Pre (he had the MP-3, not the MP-1). In my system I prefer the Atma-Atma combo, but I prefer the Dodd with my Music Reference. I don't understand the theory, but I think Gary Dodd knew what he was up against and obviously came up with a pretty good approach. I wonder if this is Gary's all out approach to a batttery implementation at $3,300, or if more money could have done even better (he didn't spare any expense on the wood chassis or top plate) - there are not a whole lot of parts in there, but maybe as many as necessary and no more. I'm looking forward to RMAF, there seems to be a lot of ingenuity going on out there.
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