Is supplemental battery storage the future of a Audiophile system?

[Darrel]

Like most people in this hobby I have spend a lot of time thinking and trying to figure out how to get the best stable, clean and constant electrical power to my stereo system. I've spend a lot of my time and money on cables, power conditioners,external linear powers supplies, wall outlets as well as electrical sub panals to name just a few projects. A few years ago after another power outage I decided to take on the project of independant home power management, starting with at that time was my best known option, two Tesla powerwalls. Last year I added solar to work with the powerwalls. But....

The question is. Is supplimenta battery storage the future for a Audiophile system?

Battery technology is one of the fastest growing and changing technologies in the world of electric usage. You can spend hundreds of hours watching YouTube videos about the subject. I know because I have. As far as a home stereo being powered by batteries it's still a niche' and a very expensive option. Just look at Stromtank batteries that can run over $30K for a 2100 watt battery. They offer a perfect sine wave of stable power to ones system. But, at a hefty price.

But, with the advancements in battery chemistry there will be cost reductions that should make affordable battery option for powering ones stereo system at a very tempting price point. The holy grail of batteries has long been the solid state battery which has been promised for decades and is actually within reach. But, the cost and benifits for a small form factor stereo battery is still years away and may not really be needed. The newest breakthrough in batteries is the sodium ion battery which is built around...your guessed it, Salt. Salt has a lot of big advantages over other battery chemistries. One being themal runaway or fire hazards. Salt batteries can handle high and low tempatures with no know adverse effects. Salt ion batteries do need a larger container for storage. How big will depend on how much energy is in the battery. But, for running a stereo system using a 4-6 KWH battery the size and cost should be a lesser factor. The standard today is LFP or Lithium Iron Posphate for battery storage. And prices for these batteries are also coming down and are very efficient.

The big advantage I see in using a battery in a stereo system is power not being influenced by anything external. One just can plug the battery into any 110 room outlet and charge when idle or active. Cables and conditioners can be reduced or eliminated.

So, would you choose a battery to run your stereo system if its cost and size was affordable?

 

[Hear Here]

There was a recent thread here or on another forum asking much the same question - can hi-fi be powered by batteries with good results?

The guy who started the thread seemed determined to start with mains power, then to use a charger to serve his batteries, and then convert back to AC via an inverter to power his amp, etc. – that used its built-in power supply to convert back to DC!

My response was that this is bonkers, as the amplifier requires DC to power its components and batteries deliver DC. Going AC to DC to AC and then (via the amp's power supply) back to DC to power the amp's guts was crazy!

I supported this by saying that I used to own a Red Wine Signature amplifier that had its own internal batteries that supplied the amp’s circuits directly - no conversions whatsoever - DC all along. Although this particular amp was not to my liking (it used an Evaluation board of early Tripath Class D design), it seemed to me the obvious way to provide power to an amp (or other kit), if it is thought that mains AC is as dirty as some believe. I'm not in that camp and am happy to send my 240 volts to my amp’s power supply and expect it to do its job of converting to DC without problem.

So, my suggestion - start with batteries of whatever voltage your amp's circuit requires and bypass the amp's power supply altogether. You’ll then be avoiding AC altogether and no conversions required. You'll forfeit your amp's warranty of course by doing this, but you'll get as pure a voltage as you can ever get by powering the amp with just the DC voltage it needs. And of course the cost is not prohibitive. A good battery of sufficient Ah to keep your kit supplied with juice for 12 hours or so, and a soldering job to bypass the amp's power supply. Best to introduce a suitable DC socket into the amp's back panel too.

You'll have to do your own research on the best battery chemistry you need to get the DC such that your amp will be happy (delighted I expect), but don't consider the roundabout route of multi-AC to DC conversions. Good luck.

Others may disagree, but let's argue the point logically.

 

[Darrel]

I get your points. But, currently I'm running my house 24/7 with solar and powerwalls that is converted to my main electrical panel to AC. If I run off the grid while listening to my stereo and then switch to my solar or batteries the switch is instant and there is nothing negative in the listening. If like the Stromtank that converts DC to AC internally to a stereo system then I don't think there is a negative result. I have heard from a dealer systems running just using Stromtank as its power source. The system included Magico, CH Precision and Wadax. A few years ago there was a Tidal amplified speaker with the Tidal preamp/Dac/streamer running off of a 5000 watt Stromtank. I think it was at the Munich audio show. Even on YouTube it sounded amazing.

So, batteries can power a system. If cost was reasonable. Will batteries be the power source in the future? I think its a question that should be considered.