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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
shazam
205 posts
 
In my opinion, you are right on. I'm headed to the Rocky Mountain Audio Festival this week-end specifically to listen to the Red Wine Audio SLA battery components. Aside from the Signature amps, they've just released the Isabella preamp - which includes a battery powered DAC (the other component super sensitive to power current issues).

I've been thinking of getting a Sutherland as my phono stage anyway, so if I like what I hear in the Red Wine components, I'll have a lot of expensive power cords and power conditioning to sell. ;)
cruz123
586 posts
 
Yep, I agree. I have been experimenting with battery power as of late, with great success. In addition to the Dodd (which is marvelous), I also have a Musical Surroundings Nova Phenomena phono stage that is also battery powered. It seems that few would argue that clean AC is one of the biggest hurdles to achieving top quality sound. It makes sense to me to avoid the issue altogether whenever possible.
pubul57 OP
3,712 posts
 
It would be interesting to hear from some designers on the issue, like Ralph Karsten of Atma-sphere and others. Since I know nothing at all about electronics I may be blind to something critical that makes getting on the grid worth the effort. But I do wonder why so much money and expense in preamplfiers center around the power supply, in some lines (e.g. First Sound)the difference in cost, sometimes significant, is almost exclusively centered around the power supply. If the "grid" is such a problem, that needs so much engineering - why not avoid it in the first place -- other than the fact that you have to recharge the batteries evey 6-12 hours (not a problem for me)? Id rather have improved S/N, no power cord issues, no conditioning required. Seems like an elegant solution; and I can attest that the Dodd sounds darn good. I also notice that the BAM on my Merlin Speakers sound better in battery mode than AC mode.
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