AudioCircle
Other Stuff => Archived Manufacturer Circles => P.I. audio group => Topic started by: dBe on 9 Apr 2011, 05:20 am
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This new development will be shown at AXPONA. We are not telling anyone what it is, but it will cause quite a stir, we are sure. Mach2 will be using preproduction prototypes in 4 rooms at the show. I guarantee it will be worth your while to give it a listen. :thumb:
One of the rooms is the Carnegie Acoustics room with GR Research and Mach2.
Have fun, ya'll. Wish I was going to be there :cry:
Dave
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So now that the show has started, what is the product? I've seen no mentions of it anywhere.
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So now that the show has started, what is the product? I've seen no mentions of it anywhere.
The Mach2 MacMinis' being used at the show are all running on 12VDC provided by my new BatteryBUSS. The BatteryBUSS is 12VDC input (production versions will have a PowerCon for the input connector) with 2 different voltage outputs. 12VDC will be available with 2 different output levels: one high current and two low current outputs (HDD or whatever). There will be two 5VDC @1.5A outputs for powering HDD, too.
The BatteryBUSS has an extremely low output impedance - vastly different from the ~ 1ohm battery impedance. It has a current dump capablility of ~60A instantaneously with an output impedance measured in milliohms. The result is an incredibiy dynamic, dead silent sound presentation with a HUGE soundstage. Of the PS configurations that we tried this is by far the best and not by a small amount.
More info (availability and pricing ) will be presented after the show.
It is an unbelieveable advance in digital audio reproduction... even if I do say so myself. We done good :D
Dave
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What about a picture for now?
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It is an unbelieveable advance in digital audio reproduction... even if I do say so myself. We done good :D
Dave
Sweet! Congrats to all of you, Dave! :thumb:
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What about a picture for now?
Jason, they are 3.5" x 3.5" x 10" ugly black boxes with wires coming out of both ends right now. I am sourcing enclosures and I/O's. Then they will be better looking black boxes. Perhaps someone at the show will take some pictures and post them - Rich: are you listening?
The production versions will use standard and mini-XLR outputs with the PowerCon power inlet with an Off-On switch.
Dave
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I got the chance to attend Axpona yesterday afternoon; my first audio show, so of course overwhelmed and didn't get to see nearly everything. My first stop was the Carnegie Acoutics room, with Danny hosting, and a Mach2 Mac mini powered by Dave's née gizmo feeding a Tranquility SE DAC. Sound was magnificent some of the best at the show for me, and the noise floor was mucho lower than any other room I sat in! The mad scientist has another winner :icon_lol:,
Randy
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A few questions, if you don't mind. Are you using sealed lead acid, Lithium-ion polymer, or some other chemistry? Is this designed to be left plugged into the wall at all times? MSRP?
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Hi Dave,
Hold production on my UberBuss! This sounds even better......we can talk when you get a chance, but no rush at all as I know you're very busy!
Have fun in Hotlanta....
Cheers,
Morgan
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A few questions, if you don't mind. Are you using sealed lead acid, Lithium-ion polymer, or some other chemistry? Is this designed to be left plugged into the wall at all times? MSRP?
We are using and recommend AGM (activated glass mat) sealed lead acids as they are the only battery that is affordable as well as safe in the house in large AH sizes. The most common size is 26AH. I have a 100AH that I use with my Dodd gear. Chargers that we recommendare the Ctek smart chargers. The bottom line is that you can use any battery combo that you wish. We do not and will not deal in battery sales or chargers. Too many other people sell them at great prices and I have no desire to be lugging around batteries getting them prepared for shipment.
We are dealing in what happens AFTER the battery. I have designed and built the BatteryBUSS and the guys at Mach2 are doing the conversion on the Mac Mini (2010 ONLY). The earlier Macs do not lend themselves to battery conversion because they require 18.5V to make them happy. I will supply the BatteryBUSS and the cable to the battery with options for the outputs with different size DC power plugs for differing applications.
We do not have a firm selling price as of yet as I stated in my earlier post. It is TBD when all of the quotes that we have out get back to us.
Be advised: this is a very serious conversion for brave souls. You ain't lived until you have seen a high capacity battery in a short circuit! :o That is also one of the reasons that we are not supplying the batteries. The end user gets to share that potential liability with his dog or spouse. :lol:
Dave
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Hi Dave,
Hold production on my UberBuss! This sounds even better......we can talk when you get a chance, but no rush at all as I know you're very busy!
Have fun in Hotlanta....
Cheers,
Morgan
You got it, Morgan.
No problem. I got an order for another one like the one that I was working on for you, so it is not an issue.
Later, Dude.
Dave
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Dave,
Just spotted about the BatteryBUSS picture and will get one tomorrow.
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Dave,
Just spotted about the BatteryBUSS picture and will get one tomorrow.
Awesome, Rich. I appreciate it. It'll give people a kinda sorta picture of what is going on.
Most of the wiring on the prototypes is done with umbilicles not connector sets. I seldom take pictures of prototypes except for my own use. It can be very misleading to a potential customer to see butt ugly. A bit of a buzzkill.
Dave
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Awesome, Rich. I appreciate it. It'll give people a kinda sorta picture of what is going on.
Most of the wiring on the prototypes is done with umbilicles not connector sets. I seldom take pictures of prototypes except for my own use. It can be very misleading to a potential customer to see butt ugly. A bit of a buzzkill.
Dave
I would simply close my eyes and listen. That'll get my buzz back ASAP! :lol:
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I would simply close my eyes and listen. That'll get my buzz back ASAP! :lol:
Robin, that is one of the reasons I like dark rooms :thumb:
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You got it, Morgan.
No problem. I got an order for another one like the one that I was working on for you, so it is not an issue.
Later, Dude.
Dave
Thanks Dave......let me know when you are free to chat next week.
Be well,
Morgan
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With Danny's help here are two pictures of the BatteryBUSS prototype at Axpona 2011.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=45713)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=45714)
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OK. So the battery isn't in the box...the box is the "Buss" part. Got it.
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OK. So the battery isn't in the box...the box is the "Buss" part. Got it.
Sorry, man. I thought that i made myself clear about the BatteryBUSS being a separate bit of gear from the battery. My bad.
Another thing to note is that this basic unit can be used for ANY 12V piece of battery powered gear to increase headroom and dynamics in the target component. Dodd battery power owners take note: the BatteryBUSS will provide increased dynamic contrast, soundstage and flesh out the harmonic texture just a bit more. The output impedance of the battery is a wee bit too high to deal with instantaneous current demands. With the tube gear it is not as big of a difference as it is with SS gear, but it is there to be sure.
I guess that you didn't make it to AXPONA, either, huh?
Thanks for the pictures, Rich. You are a good man.
Dave
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Thanks Dave......let me know when you are free to chat next week.
Be well,
Morgan
Morgan, I'll hit you with an email a bit later.
Thanks,
Dave
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Dave sounds like a terrific addition to your excellent line of offereings. best of luck.
charles
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Dave sounds like a terrific addition to your excellent line of offereings. best of luck.
charles
Thanks, Charles. It really is good... I like it!!! You should have seen the look on the Mach2 guys faces when they first heard it :thumb:
Dave
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Another thing to note is that this basic unit can be used for ANY 12V piece of battery powered gear to increase headroom and dynamics in the target component.
It reminds me of my little HD black box. Remember?
I guess that you didn't make it to AXPONA, either, huh?
No sir!
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It reminds me of my little HD black box. Remember?
No sir!
Oh, sure. The MiniBUSS DC has been in the back of my mind since I built it.
All of this has been in the back of my mind since we started talking about Mac Mini power supplies a couple of years back. That is how we met, IIRC. I remember trying to wrap my head around the whole 18.5V issue with the MacMini back then and not being abe to arrive at a solution that I could live with. The 2010 solved all of those problems being a 12V animal. I'm sure the 2011 will be the same AFA power supplies go. It will be interesting to see if Thunderbolt makes a sonic difference. Everything else has that we have been screwing with from cables to OS, DACS, etc. Whatever - you will love the Mini on battery power. It is another level up in performance.
Come to think of it, you have been a great source of ideas for me. Thanks for that, Jason :thumb: I love it when people make me think. :D
Bummer about Atlanta for both of us. I hope to see you there next year. We really do need to sit down and brainstorm. Email just doesn't cut it.
Dave
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Sorry, man. I thought that i made myself clear about the BatteryBUSS being a separate bit of gear from the battery. My bad.
Another thing to note is that this basic unit can be used for ANY 12V piece of battery powered gear to increase headroom and dynamics in the target component. Dodd battery power owners take note: the BatteryBUSS will provide increased dynamic contrast, soundstage and flesh out the harmonic texture just a bit more. The output impedance of the battery is a wee bit too high to deal with instantaneous current demands. With the tube gear it is not as big of a difference as it is with SS gear, but it is there to be sure.
I guess that you didn't make it to AXPONA, either, huh?
Thanks for the pictures, Rich. You are a good man.
Dave
Hi Dave,
I have a Dodd Battery Pre. How would I integrate the BatteryBUSS into the Dodd Battery Pre?
Thanks,
Doug
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Hi Dave,
I have a Dodd Battery Pre. How would I integrate the BatteryBUSS into the Dodd Battery Pre?
Thanks,
Doug
Doug, if you are talking about Gary's full size preamp with the batteries on board, I'm not sure. I will have to talk to Gary to see if it is even feasable. Now, if it is the Battery Buffer, you would just use it between your existing battery and the Buffer. I would supply it with a mating PowerCon on the output cable.
Gary's battery powered gear is the biggest reason that I designed the BatteryBUSS in the first place. He and I have been talking about this concept off and on for a couple of years. About two years ago I approached him about doing a battery powered MacMini, but supplying 7A @ 18.5V was too much of a hassle. Now with the plethora of battery powered gear on the market (especially DACs) including the 2010 MacMini that is happy on 12V, this was a no-brainer.
Dave
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Doug, if you are talking about Gary's full size preamp with the batteries on board, I'm not sure. I will have to talk to Gary to see if it is even feasable. Now, if it is the Battery Buffer, you would just use it between your existing battery and the Buffer. I would supply it with a mating PowerCon on the output cable.
Gary's battery powered gear is the biggest reason that I designed the BatteryBUSS in the first place. He and I have been talking about this concept off and on for a couple of years. About two years ago I approached him about doing a battery powered MacMini, but supplying 7A @ 18.5V was too much of a hassle. Now with the plethora of battery powered gear on the market (especially DACs) including the 2010 MacMini that is happy on 12V, this was a no-brainer.
Dave
Hi Dave,
I have Gary's full-size battery pre-amp. If the sound can be improved on this already great-sounding pre-amp, I'd be interested. I just wasn't sure how the BatteryBUSS would work with the Dodd since the batteries are already onboard.
Thanks,
Doug
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Hi Dave,
I have Gary's full-size battery pre-amp. If the sound can be improved on this already great-sounding pre-amp, I'd be interested. I just wasn't sure how the BatteryBUSS would work with the Dodd since the batteries are already onboard.
Thanks,
Doug
Doug, I'll find out from Gary if we can do this. Perhaps a battery I/O on the back of the preamp and matching cabling is all it will take, or something that he can mount internally if there is enough room. I have been waiting to hear from him to find out when he will be back in shape to work on new things.
I'll be in touch.
Dave
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Dave,
I pm'ed you about stuff, but this might negate that :duh:
I have a Battery power supply that has an input for the charger, and 4 outputs for components. Long term these 4 will be...
1. Dodd Audio Battery Buffer (Already running on the supply)
2. Class D Audio SDS-254 Amp (Will be running on this supply soon)
3. Alix PC Linux Music Server (Currently building the cord to run this, requires 7-20V)
4. TPA Buffalo 32s DAC (Not even built yet)
I want to have as clean and dynamic a power source as possible, so what do I need? 4 BatteryBusses? The Dodd and Amp have Neutrik inputs, and the Battery PS has all Neutrik Powercons...
If this would be easier over the phone, let me know ;)
Ted
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Dave,
I pm'ed you about stuff, but this might negate that :duh:
I have a Battery power supply that has an input for the charger, and 4 outputs for components. Long term these 4 will be...
1. Dodd Audio Battery Buffer (Already running on the supply)
2. Class D Audio SDS-254 Amp (Will be running on this supply soon)
3. Alix PC Linux Music Server (Currently building the cord to run this, requires 7-20V)
4. TPA Buffalo 32s DAC (Not even built yet)
I want to have as clean and dynamic a power source as possible, so what do I need? 4 BatteryBusses? The Dodd and Amp have Neutrik inputs, and the Battery PS has all Neutrik Powercons...
If this would be easier over the phone, let me know ;)
Ted
I would like to see the answer to this question as I have a similar setup.
Best,
Ed
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Is this something that would improve the battery supply on my Two.2? It, of course, uses two 12v, 5 amp batteries in series for around 28 volts on constant charge.
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Is this something that would improve the battery supply on my Two.2? It, of course, uses two 12v, 5 amp batteries in series for around 28 volts on constant charge.
It will make it punchier and quieter. The unit is good to ~32VDC (35V caps inside) I can build with higher voltage caps, but there is really no reason to do so. The caps I use are tested to 2X voltage.
Remember that it has two other outputs as standard build that can be used for HDD, DACs - all sorts of things.
Dave
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So it could run both my amp and the smaller battery on my Warpspeed? How much improvement do users typically report? I know your other busses are very highly regarded, obviously, but wasn't aware of this one.
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So it could run both my amp and the smaller battery on my Warpspeed? How much improvement do users typically report? I know your other busses are very highly regarded, obviously, but wasn't aware of this one.
You would think I died or something. :o
The BatteryBUSS is like my other products in that it can be configured to handle quite a range of outputs. Remember, this is a 12-32V (depending upon DC voltage input) noise reduction unit that will provide additional regulated 5V sources for computer based audio gear. It has a wide range of applications and can provide punchy power to just about any DC powered audio gear, depending upon configuration. "How much improvement" is not easily quantifiable. It eliminates the sulphation noise in AGM batteries and has a very low output impedance, which batteries do not have.
Dave
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And how exactly does that help? Thank you, I'm really interested in learning more about these.
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Here is my review from the BB thread...
Well, I can now weigh in on the BatteryBUSS (BB) as I have had mine for a while, and a recent addition showed how truly awesome it is :icon_twisted:
First, I would like to thank Dave for allowing me to be part of the group buy. Besides that, the customer service and knowledge that he is willing to share are truly unusual these days. My BB is slightly special in that it actually has 5 outputs. 3 Regular XLRs and 2 minis. I also got 4 assembled cables and 2 for me to assemble in the future as required. The system this is going in is as follows:
PC Engine Alix Linux based music Server (Battery Power)
V-Link USB-SPDIF (Originally USB Powered, now battery Power)
Modified Lite Audio DAC-60 (AC)
Dodd Audio Tube Buffer (Battery Power)
Class-D SDS-254 (Battery Power)
Polk Audio LSi9s modded to the hilt by the Ninja
Kinetik HCA 1400 SLA Batter in a Battery Box with 4 outputs and 1 input
Cabling is mostly DIY VH Audio Silver RCAs and then a braided DIY Speaker cable made from Electra Cable Wire
I will discuss future changes later on, but that is the system as it sits now. So, before I was running everything that was battery powered off the battery box with no filtering or cleaning at all. I started with the V-Link powered from the Alix, but now I have a single cable from the battery box to the BB, and then 4 cables going to the various equipment. Initially, while the V-Link was powered by the Alix, there was an improvement with the BB, but not dramatic. The noise floor went down slightly, and instruments seemed a little more separate, but overall it was not much of a change. I was able to truly try all the possibilities as I had all the outputs on my battery box, plus I had an extra SLA battery and charger that I could even put something on a second battery. I figured out that the system sounded it’s best with everything fed through the BatteryBUSS. But, with the Dodd at listening volume and no music, I had an oscillating noise that was audible at about 1-2 feet from the speakers and would not go away. It was quieter when all equipment was running off the BB, but it was there. It was loud enough to hear anywhere in the room with the volume pegged. Moreover, it seemed to be creating an “edge” to the music with was more noticeable on some songs than others. (Everything is flac and cd quality atleast, with some high resolution thrown in) This is the point when I started e-mailing Dave questions. And, that is when he offered to let me try a new cable he has been cooking up. So, I of course bit :icon_twisted:
This cable takes the data from the Alix and routes it to the V-Link, but the power for the V-Link comes from the BatteryBUSS. Literally, from moment one with the cable added I was floored. Here is the actual e-mail I sent to Dave after hearing the cable.
“Before, at listening volume (Dodd Buffer at about 9 o'clock), the digital oscillating noise was noticeable if the music was stopped and I got my ear within about 2 feet from the speaker. When the music was playing, there was an "edge" that I couldn't identify. At full volume and no music, the noise was noticeable anywhere in the room...
Now, the noise is virtually gone. At listening volume, it is not present with my ear against the speaker. At full volume, it is BARELY there, again with my ear against the speaker. The "edge" is gone in music.
Now, the superlatives.
Honestly, I was not prepared for the change that is there. And this is with NO TIME on the cord. The music is just there. It floats in the room with nothing to make you think it came from a computer. The problems I had with the Alix set-up are now gone. This is atleast as big a change as the BatteryBuss itself made. Well, I say that with the qualifier of the V-Link USB power bringing the whole set-up down.”
Truly, everything I hoped this set-up would be, it is. There is no noise. There is only music. The music is there, and it seems ULTRA realistic. This is especially true of good Live recordings. One of my favorite to listen to (as a former drummer) is the 3rd song on the 2nd disk from the Dave Matthews Band album “The Best of What’s Around Volume 1”. The song is “Say Goodbye” and starts with a very fun Drum solo that really highlights the great recording they did of the band. You get to hear where each piece of Carter’s set is on the stage, and it sounds like you are there. Then you have a flute solo which begins. When it is playing you can tell where the flutist is on the stage, and which direction he is facing. Overall, it is a wonderful test/show song. So, before the BatteryBUSS and USB cord, this song was very fun, but it had the small “edge” to it, and the soundstage was compressed. Now the soundstage is well beyond the speakers and is quite large front to back as well. The only way to describe it is to say that it feels like I am there, watching live. Hope that makes sense…
Anyway, the BatteryBUSS is amazing, the new USB cable is amazing, and Dave is an all around great guy 8)
Ted
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Oh thank you for that! :green:
Would have come back to check sooner but responses are a bit slow on this board. I think this will be something I might want to add in Feb. I have my speaker mod very soon, and I just made a deal on Pez's VMPS subs. They will need some work, amp, eq.. But after that.
any chance for a tour?