[Randy]

I was lacking one thing, a CDP I could run off the crappy AC I have here in Wyoming. The RDW 30.2 was a huge step forward, but during bad electrical hours, say from 5 P.M. to midnight, when I'd like to do the majority of my listening, there was still significant degradation in the sound sucking all the life out of it. If only I could find a CDP that runs off batteries, or some kind of battery power for my current player. Then it occurred to me. I already have a CD player that runs on batteries, in fact two of them, gathering dust in a closet. Yes, an old portable CD player, in this case, a Panasonic I used to use in my car. Got an adaptor cord, plugged it in to the pre, and wa la, total freedom from Pacific Power. The little player, running on two AA batteries,sounds better than the $5000 CDP it replaced. Go figure. Shows you what bad electricity does to a system. Destroys it, even with the many power conditioners I've tried over the years.

Thanks to Vinnie for developing the RDW amp. He's a genius.

[winebroker2007]

Randy--

Congratulations on going off-the-grid!  I was lucky enough to get an RWA-modded Olive before Vinnie decided he was too busy to pursue those mods, and I couldn't be happier with it!      Amazing what a lack of AC "muddle" will do for high-end audio...

[Vinnie R.]

Hi Randy,

Thanks for your post and glad you had an open mind and gave your little battery powered Panny portable a try!

I have been enjoying this little guy (powered on 12V SLA battery)
as an off-the-grid source. 

http://aloaudio.com/store/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=53&products_id=151

This is an early Discman - made in Japan and with a metal enclosure (remember those days?) with
16-bit burr-brown dac, NO antiskip, and with a dedicated line out (and headphone out!). 
ALO Audio has a few more of these in stock.  They are new old-stock and very cool sitting on top of
a Sig 30.2 with a short mini-to-RCA cable connecting them. 

Using the 12V SLA instead of the internal 3.7V Li-Ion battery avoids
using the internal dc-dc converters to generate the 5V for the processing chips and the higher voltage
for the opamp output stage.

Not the most refined sounding source, but it has nice dynamics/attack and "boogie factor" and is fun when you just
want to actually make the effort to load and unload CDs 


Hi winebroker2007,

Amazing what a lack of AC "muddle" will do for high-end audio...

That's what I'm talkin' bout! 

Thanks,

Vinnie

[Randy]

Vinnie,
  Thanks. I will check that Sony player out. Hope you can take a few minutes to explain how you hook it up to the SLA battery. Then in your spare time maybe you can invent a CD transport that can be run off a SMART module.

Randy

[Randy]

I now have the Sony portable Vinnie recommended and think it is excellent. Very smooth. The ic that came with it is impressive as well. Custom made by ALO audio, it seems to me to be very similar to the Jena Labs ics they also sell. I may get another one to put between the 30.2 and the preamp. Today I put away two mono amps, a Marantz SA -7 CDP, and a PS audio power conditioner. My equipment rack looks virtually empty, which it is, with the 30.2 and Prometheus TVC the only remaining residents, with the Sony on top in place of the tt.