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Does sound quality go down with battery life?

post #1 of 15
9/4/02 at 11:15pm
Thread Starter 
Am I imaging this or do others notice that when the battery gets to the last 1/2 or 1/4 of it's life that the sound quality you get from your portable player decreases.
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post #2 of 15
9/4/02 at 11:19pm
Especially true out of the headphone jack, but less so out of the line-out (if the player has one).
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post #3 of 15
9/5/02 at 12:05am
Optimus 3400 produced low clicking noises when batteries are on the low side.
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post #4 of 15
9/5/02 at 1:34am
I second Eagledriver.
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post #5 of 15
9/5/02 at 12:13pm
I haven't noticed this, but theoretically it can be a problem only with alkaline cells. Rechargeable NiCd and NiMH cells have flat discharge curves, i.e. the voltage remains nearly constant until almost all capacity is consumed and then decreases sharply.
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post #6 of 15
9/5/02 at 1:02pm
Thread Starter 
I am using Alkinlines. I just find them more convenient than rechargeables.

Maybe this is a reason to consider rechargeables.
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post #7 of 15
9/5/02 at 2:00pm
Watchdog, if you're considering rechargeables, check www.thomasdistributing.com You can also find deals on batteries like Nexcell on eBay.
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post #8 of 15
9/5/02 at 2:31pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the link.

Holy cow is there ever a ton of choice and information there. I guess I'll have to learn a bit about rechargeables before I buy some
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post #9 of 15
9/5/02 at 2:38pm
I was going to say that I hadn't personally noticed any difference, and then noticed blr's post... that'll explain why, because I always use my NiMh gumstick batteries
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post #10 of 15
9/5/02 at 2:42pm
Quote:
Originally posted by Watchdog
Thanks for the link.

Holy cow is there ever a ton of choice and information there. I guess I'll have to learn a bit about rechargeables before I buy some
What size are you looking for ?
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post #11 of 15
9/5/02 at 3:06pm
Eagle_Driver hereby thirded. And I'd almost claim, that I can hear it with NiMHs, too (never bothered a lot with NiCads, though...). Nevertheless, the NiMHs >= 1600 mAH last quite a while. And their lower inner resistance might be responsible for my impression, that NiMHs sound better than alkalines...

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini
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post #12 of 15
9/6/02 at 12:29pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally posted by HighwayStar


What size are you looking for ?
I'm looking for AA.

I read the Nicad vs. Nimh thread and remain confused. Sounds like if you use the batteries a lot that Nimh are better, however for someone like myself who make take a while to drain the batteries maybe Nicad is better.

Then again it seems the environmental impact of Nicad is far worse so other things being equal that would bias me towards Nimh.
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post #13 of 15
9/6/02 at 2:07pm
Wouldn't worry too much about the environmental impact of batteries. (e.g., think about the amount of mercury or cadmium released into the environment by a single volcanic eruption!!!!).

Just take them to the local battery recycling center instead of dropping them in the trash.

Bruce
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post #14 of 15
9/6/02 at 2:45pm
Quote:
Originally posted by Watchdog


I'm looking for AA.

I read the Nicad vs. Nimh thread and remain confused. Sounds like if you use the batteries a lot that Nimh are better, however for someone like myself who make take a while to drain the batteries maybe Nicad is better.

Then again it seems the environmental impact of Nicad is far worse so other things being equal that would bias me towards Nimh.
This will not disappoint ->

http://www.thomasdistributing.com/mh-c204f-4aa180dc.htm

This little charger is great and with the four 1800ma AA's you'll be all set. (It'll take AAA's as well) If you've got a digital camera or something else that uses AA's, you can hit up eBay for a 12 pack of the Nexcell 1800ma AA's for $25. You will never need another AA, that's for sure
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post #15 of 15
9/6/02 at 4:04pm
I.. fourth? eagle_driver.

The Ni-Cd/Ni-MH discharging curve isn't absolutely FLAT, it's mostly flat, and then really, really drops off towards the end. If your equipment functions towards that "end" you might hear it.

And I've read some people think their airhead sounded better on new alkalines than full Ni-MHs. Anecdote for the weekend :P

Sanyo, I think, just came out with 2100mAh Ni-MH AA's in Japan. Ho.ly.c-o-w
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