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AC power outlet


Kevin Weddle

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I know some audio purists (also go by the name rich idiots by other people) use batteries to power their tube audio amplifiers. It is true that batteries will have lower noise than any other source. Adding a linear regulator will add more noise. Switching to batteries will be my last optimisation step in any audio project.

Not sure about the 5th harmonic as you say, could be anything, maybe your PC's power supply? Who knows. How big is it? Post a graph.

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Sorry buy that's total nonsense.

A battery will have a much higher impedance than a linear regulator.

A good amplifier will also have a high power supply rejection ratio so even if the power supply is noisy it won't make any difference.

The only time when noise can be a problem is when it's at high frequency, above the bandwith of the amplifier which can cause noise on the audio due to non-linearities in the amplifier. High frequency noise is only a problem if a switching regulator is used and can be mitigated by adding a filter or a low drop-out linear regulator; when the latter is used, the configuration is often known as a hybrid regulator.

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I mean anyone who says batteries are a higher quality voltage source than a linear regulator are talking rubbish.

Some audiophiles believe all sorts of rubbish ranging from scratchy old valve amplifiers sounding better than solid state amplifiers to gold plated oxygen free mains cable being better than ordinary cable. There are idiots who will spend

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Wow. I hope no such "audiophile" falls in your hands :o

I couldn't agree more, I mean who cares about the fifth harmonic which will be better filtered by the bypass capacitors anyway. One of the extremes I have seen (can't recall where, prob some advert) is a silver/rubber ring to put around valves that "reduces noise and distortion by allowing electrons to travel smoothly from cathode to anode".  ???

Regarding batteries, they will have lower noise than any regulator, no matter how good it is. However, as you said, their high internal resistance makes them a bad choice for hi-fi audio.

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  • 2 weeks later...

It depends on what you mean by a conventional power supply.

I assume you're talking about an unregulated power supply consisting of a transformer rectifier and capacitor?

If so you're right, a battery is better.

But if you're talking about a regulated power supply i.e. one made with an LM317 regulator, you're wrong it's far superior to a battery: lower impedance and better regulation.

Yet again, you haven't provided enough information.

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  • 2 weeks later...

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