Best battery or PSU for Caiman mk2 (that is available to buy)

[Arkless Electronics]

I stand by what I say that the best linear supply will beat the best battery supply. over and out

[Audio Advent]

Beat or equal? Wouldn't it depend entirely on the internal working of the unit being supplied with power and not a universal statement that can be made?

The difference will be convenience perhaps of charging a battery.

[Audio Advent]

Not in the case of the Caiman and Bushmaster. They got an energy reserve system that can store about 4 seconds worth of power to drive the DAC if power is removed unexpectedly. That power reserve works very well with batteries in producing clean DC with zero noise or hum. But the new Mark Grant power supply comes extremely close to my Ankaka battery pack. I have been using one for a few weeks now and I really can't fault it.

Considering the low power use of the Caiman and Bushmaster, does the battery supply used actually make much difference? Perhaps there could be more chemical noise with some than others?

Have people noticed any real sonic differences between say a gel battery compared to something like the Ankaka? Real sonic differences which don't come from psychological effect of a better quality and properly designed product on show (as opposed to a bare battery with wires).

[StanleyB]

The battery method of powering makes an audible difference. But my own design is already very energy efficient and low in noise. There can't be many other DACs out there like the Caiman II that are so quiet as mine that they don't need to use any muting relays or muting transistors. So if different types of batteries were used to power the Caiman II you would have to measure the noise with a scope. The signal to noise ratio of the Caiman II itself is so low that it can't be heard through speakers.

[wee tee cee]

I have run most of my kit on battery for a couple of years. A big car battery if kept above 12v sounds excellent to my ears. Ive tried smaller motorcycle batteries and li -po battery packs but the big car battery gets the nod. Lasts for donkeys on a single charge.

Battery t amp thread on here can help with wiring advice.

Well worth a try if you whip the battery out yer car to trial it before you buy.

[Desmo]

Well worth a try if you whip the battery out yer car to trial it before you buy.

Be very careful in "whipping out" the battery from a modern car! There are many electronic systems that rely on the presence of the battery, and you might find that you'll be paying your local garage to do some reprogramming for you.

As to the whole battery thing for powering a Caiman II - I've tried it, but went on to a good linear PSU pretty quickly. Just too much of a faff with batteries in my experience.

[struth]

Yes. My battery was replaced a few weeks ago and the guy switched the engine on so the generator kept to supply on

[Arkless Electronics]

Beat or equal? Wouldn't it depend entirely on the internal working of the unit being supplied with power and not a universal statement that can be made?

The difference will be convenience perhaps of charging a battery.

A really good linear PSU can have lower noise and much lower output impedance than any battery. That's a universal statement. What really matters is the voltage regulation inside whatever is being powered though and this is usually ignored as it's beyond the non technical dabbler. The external supply is not that important in many cases. I'll leave it at that as it gets complicated and anyway, as I have now long ago found on fora, people would rather believe what a hifi journalist or a few non technical people on forums say than what an electronic engineer involved in the design of hifi gear says

[Audio Advent]

A really good linear PSU can have lower noise and much lower output impedance than any battery. That's a universal statement. What really matters is the voltage regulation inside whatever is being powered though and this is usually ignored as it's beyond the non technical dabbler. The external supply is not that important in many cases. I'll leave it at that as it gets complicated and anyway, as I have now long ago found on fora, people would rather believe what a hifi journalist or a few non technical people on forums say than what an electronic engineer involved in the design of hifi gear says

Hmm... I'll have to take that with a pinch of salt! Ken Kessler says that hifi journalists are always right because they listen correctly and electronic engineers are blinkered in technical jargon. I'll go with that because I've had it confirmed by people on the forums.

(for clarification for any libel lawyers, Ken Kessler didn't really say that... just a little joke).

[Arkless Electronics]

Hmm... I'll have to take that with a pinch of salt! Ken Kessler says that hifi journalists are always right because they listen correctly and electronic engineers are blinkered in technical jargon. I'll go with that because I've had it confirmed by people on the forums.

(for clarification for any libel lawyers, Ken Kessler didn't really say that... just a little joke).

Precisely the attitude which means I can't be bothered to get involved beyond telling it how it is and then leaving the thread... byeeee