[tracyrick]

I just received 2 of these batteries plus the recharger. I think 2 will be enough for me. Batteries are very light and the charger has a very slim profile, not that that matters much for me. Next weekend I'll try them out to see if I get similar results as Romanee. I'll try with and without the Maxxed options and then compare to one of those "Energizer Max" batteries.

 

[Romanee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tnmike1 Romanee: thanks for the update.. I would assume, therefore, if I'm using the Portaphile "off the shelf" with no adjustments my battery life could be longer? We'll see. Thanks again for the update

Right.

Some day I'll get around to test it with power-hungry options OFF (Class-A Biasing, Wide Bandwidth -- even LED OFF) -- but for now I always leave everything ON for best SQ.

You can open the front and experiment with the DIP Switch settings yourself -- checking the Switches page at Portaphile for settings.

Be careful with the DIP Switches: their very small and made of plastic -- and it is possible to break them or wear them down by frequent use.

I use a tiny-straight-blade jewelers screwdriver to adjust the switches -- and a careful touch.

 

[kool bubba ice]

I like my Portaphile when it works..Had it for 3 weeks & it broke twice..The outline jack is vey faulty, at least in mine. First the sound the would phase out in the left side of my Headphones.. I have to play with it before I got sound out of both sides..later when moving it I heard rattling, & the line out hold/jack was lose.. This is the 2nd time it happened..First the phase out then the rattling. I never had any problems with any of my electronics.. I love how Cesar handled the situation the first time. He is a great guy to deal with it, & stands behinds his product.. I emailed him today, to see if I can send it back to him again.. I really miss it cause it delivers very good sound.. I'm going to get a more durable home amp next week, for home use..

 

[nelamvr6]

Hey guys, just pulled the trigger on a PV2^2 maxxed with LT1210. I'm really looking forward to getting it, I was hoping to have a power supply waiting when it gets here.

Does anyone know an online source for good linear regulated power supplies?

 

[tnmike1]

Nelam: ask Cesar; he'll point you in the right direction

 

[nelamvr6]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tnmike1 Nelam: ask Cesar; he'll point you in the right direction

Thanks!

Found one without bothering Caesar: Link

Should work, I've had pretty good luck over the years with Elpac's.

 

[tracyrick]

I finally got to test out these batteries as recommended by Romanee:
iPOWER 9 Volt 500mAh Lithium Polymer Rechargeable (plus the charger that you have to buy for them)

Battery Life - In "Maxxed" mode, I only got 4 hours, 45 mins the first time.

I was hoping for twice as much - bummer. Volume started decreasing and then after about 10 mins the amp went dead. I recharged the battery and got about 4 hours, 20 mins the 2nd time. I will try in non-maxxed mode soon.

Fit - Did not fit perfectly. These batteries are definitely bigger than regular 9V's. The area on the amp where the screws for the faceplate go in are in the way. But the paint scraped off the battery when I pushed it in and then it fits - although very tightly. I might sand the batteries down next for an easier fit.

The batteries are very light. The charger is very fast - just over an hour the light went from red to green. The 4 hour plus time is better than any other reasonable portable solution I can find, so I'm keeping them.

Also, I still haven't concluded if maxxed mode is better than non-maxxed mode (wide bandwidth/class A on vs. off for both). If I can't tell the difference, I'll just leave the amp in non-maxxed mode and maybe get much more battery life.

 

[nelamvr6]

My amp arrived today. I'm in the process of breaking it in right now, but I have to say it sounds pretty darn good right out of the box!

Build quality is exceptional! Thanks Cesar!

 

[Romanee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nelamvr6 My amp arrived today. I'm in the process of breaking it in right now, but I have to say it sounds pretty darn good right out of the box! Build quality is exceptional! Thanks Cesar!

I recall my amp had nice sparkle out of the box, but it will change somewhat -- and it may take about 300-350 hours to stop changing.

When it matures and stabilizes, you'll hear a very sophisticated and beautifully layered sound with a bottom end that's extended but very well defined. The top end may get a bit edgy and imprecise along the way, but it will clear up with great fine detail, ambient and spatial cues, timbral subtleties, and excellent imaging.

It'll be fun to read your impressions.

 

[Romanee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tracyrick I finally got to test out these batteries as recommended by Romanee: iPOWER 9 Volt 500mAh Lithium Polymer Rechargeable (plus the charger that you have to buy for them) Battery Life - In "Maxxed" mode, I only got 4 hours, 45 mins the first time. I was hoping for twice as much - bummer. Volume started decreasing and then after about 10 mins the amp went dead. I recharged the battery and got about 4 hours, 20 mins the 2nd time. I will try in non-maxxed mode soon. Fit - Did not fit perfectly. These batteries are definitely bigger than regular 9V's. The area on the amp where the screws for the faceplate go in are in the way. But the paint scraped off the battery when I pushed it in and then it fits - although very tightly. I might sand the batteries down next for an easier fit. The batteries are very light. The charger is very fast - just over an hour the light went from red to green. The 4 hour plus time is better than any other reasonable portable solution I can find, so I'm keeping them. Also, I still haven't concluded if maxxed mode is better than non-maxxed mode (wide bandwidth/class A on vs. off for both). If I can't tell the difference, I'll just leave the amp in non-maxxed mode and maybe get much more battery life.

It's a mystery why I'm getting twice the playtime that you are from the iPower 500mAh 9V batteries. My amp is away for a few days, but when it returns I'll check my settings and test again.

With Class-A and Wide Bandwidth ON I had been getting about 4-4.5 hours continuous play from Ansmann 250mAh NiMH 9V rechargeables, and about 20 hours from Ultralife 1200mAh Lithium 9V (disposable) batteries. I've been consistently getting about 9+ hours from the iPower 500mAh 9V.

When I get my amp, I'll check to be sure that I didn't have Wide Bandwidth OFF rather than ON. I'll report back either way.

 

[nelamvr6]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Romanee I recall my amp had nice sparkle out of the box, but it will change somewhat -- and it may take about 300-350 hours to stop changing. When it matures and stabilizes, you'll hear a very sophisticated and beautifully layered sound with a bottom end that's extended but very well defined. The top end may get a bit edgy and imprecise along the way, but it will clear up with great fine detail, ambient and spatial cues, timbral subtleties, and excellent imaging. It'll be fun to hear your impressions.

It's gonna take me a while to put that many hours on this thing, but I'll be sure to post an update.

 

[Romanee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nelamvr6 It's gonna take me a while to put that many hours on this thing, but I'll be sure to post an update.

I'm sure you'll enjoy it thoroughly along the way.

 

[Andrea]

Just don't expect metamohphoses

 

[nelamvr6]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nelamvr6 Thanks! Found one without bothering Caesar: Link Should work, I've had pretty good luck over the years with Elpac's.

Update: I found out from Elpac that the power supply in the link above is in fact a switching unit.

I found a much better unit here.

The one that Cesar ordinarily recommends is a 24V unit, but you can't use that if you have the upgraded Black Gate caps, Cesar recommends that you go no higher that 18V with the upgraded caps.

The one in the new link is a 12V unit that shouldn't cause any problems for the caps and should provide more than enough current.

 

[nelamvr6]

Holy cow! I am more and more impressed with this little amp every day!

I'm using the PSU I linked to in the post above, I still only have about 40 hours on the amp so far so I expect it will get even better!

The noise floor on this thing is incredible! The sound just effortlessly springs forth from a silky blackness. The dynamics are superb, probably due to those huge BlackGates, the multiple buffers and the LT1210. The clarity and resolution is excellent.

This thing is starting to sound almost as good as my home amp!