[mulciber]

There's a store where I live (lower Manhattan) that sells "lots" of goods - that is, they buy out inventories of stores that go out of business.

A lot of it is crap unlimited (they sell portables by Coby and JWIN - whatever that is) and they sell stuff like Christmas lights in July. I think you get the picture. It's a "junk" store, but occasionally you can dig up a treasure.

They sell tons of nine volt batteries for $1.40 a piece. Different brands. I think I bought a Fuji, a Ray-O-Vac and one other (major) brand today. These are meant to power my JMT-built CHA47.

I don't know much about small solid-state amps and DC power dynamics, but I never let the batteries run too low on my JMT, because I imagine it would take a big chunk out of the sound. Therefore I change 9 volt batteries rather frequently (25 hours of play, on average).

Is there any reason I should be wary of these cheap batteries for this usage? At $1.40 I can change them like kitty litter and not go broke.

Thanks, DGI

 

[Nezer]

All alkaline's are about the same... I would stay away from anything but alkalines unless you do rechargables but thier power density is about half of alkalines...

 

[Hirsch]

you might want to do a search on "rechargeable batteries" in the cable etc. forum.

 

[Ruahrc]

Batteries are batteries. Don't bother about the brand name, they all are basically the same. The only diff you'll see is that MAYBE one brand will last SLIGHTLY longer. (And don't always assume it's the most expensive or well-known brand)

Ruahrc

 

[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally posted by Ruahrc Batteries are batteries. Don't bother about the brand name, they all are basically the same. The only diff you'll see is that MAYBE one brand will last SLIGHTLY longer. (And don't always assume it's the most expensive or well-known brand) Ruahrc

Absolutely untrue, at least for rechargeables. An NiMH rechargeable cell is 1.2 v. Most NiMH batteries use six or seven cells, running at 7.2 or 8.4 volts. The Plainview uses eight cells, which lets it run at 9.6 volts. I have no idea how this would affect the JMT, however, the Grado RA-1 has a clearer midrange and better extension at both highs and lows with the higher voltage of the Plainview (compared to Radio Shack NiMH at 8.4 v, which sounded sucked out in the midrange). An alkaline battery loses voltage over its life, while an NiMH maintains voltage until its charge is almost gone...letting it sound better longer if the device driven is at all voltage sensitive. I get about the same playing time on a charge of the Plainviews as I did on a pair of alkalines (30-40 hours on the RA-1). The alkalines got thrown away, the Plainviews get recharged. Even at $2.80/pair for alkalines, the Plainviews have already paid for themselves, but that's not why I use them. There really is a better sounding 9v battery.

 

[mulciber]

Thanks Hirsch and all. I went back and reread that long thread about Plainviews and other rechargables and this thread has answered my question.

In short, if I'm using non-rechargable alkalines, one's as good as another. They'll all start to affect the quality of the sound progressively over the last 10 hours or so of their life (just estimating).

A rechargable will offer consistently better performance over its life, which will end suddenly. An advantage is that one doesn't have to listen to diminished quality audio for any length of time.

Among rechargables, Plainview stands out.

I think that sums it up. Thank you!

DGI

 

[Ruahrc]

Hirsch, you're absolutely correct. I am sorry I did not specify that I was talking about alkalines.

Does anybody know if they make Li-ion batteries that come in standard sizes (AA, 9v, AAA, etc?) The only place where I see Li-ion is in custom battery packs i.e. for laptops or small electronics.

Ruahrc

 

[blr]

Ruahrc,
LiIon cells have higher voltage than NiCd or NiMH. That's why they cannot be fabricated in the standard AA, AAA cell forms