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Possibly Dumb Question re:Battery as a power supply

I have bought a new Clearaudio Performance DC Wood turntable.  I plan to drive to the dealer in Atlanta and pick it up next Wednesday.  I have seen the wall wart power supply which comes with the TT, and it is not a pretty sight.  Clearaudio sells an upgraded 12V battery and charger supply for "only" $1,200.00.  I don't wish to present myself as a parsimonious individual,  but $1,200.00 seems a bit steep to me.  I am wondering what problems would ensue if I bought a moderately sized (say 25 or 30 lbs.) , sealed, lead acid, 12V rechargeable battery; attached the proper wires to connect to the TT, and used it as a power supply.  When the battery runs down I could just take it to my workshop and use my electronic, automatic battery charger I use to recharge car, truck and tractor batteries to bring it back to full power.  As little current as the TT uses this shouldn't be too frequent a chore.  It is just a possibility, but if it is feasible I might try it.  I would really appreciate any and all comments, criticism or warnings.
kingharold

Showing 3 responses by ghdprentice

ghdprentice
6,342 posts
 
Some very good sounding components use battery power. For instance the streamer I use is a Aurender W20SE ($22K) uses a battery to power it. Wall warts typically are well worth replacing. I replaced the internal power supply in my $9K Sim Moon DAC with a dedicated Sim Moon $8K external power supply… it was worth it! 
Typically external power supplies for turntables are highly refined and regulated. But, why not, try it. I bet it sounds better than the wall wart! You could always get a trickle charger to keep the battery up to top performance in between uses… I assume you are not married?
ghdprentice
6,342 posts
 
I would also only use the power supply sold by the company. They would have put a significant effort into making sure it sounds good and perform well. Unless, you are and electrical engineer and reverse engineer it… or actually, I have known many scores of electrical engineers… I would definitely not believe anything they say… unless they worked for the company. Good audio is all about nuance, I wouldn’t take a chance… unless you want to buy and test a bunch of them. 
ghdprentice
6,342 posts
 
My deepest condolences. I can’t imagine how difficult that is for you. I met my partner 35 years ago in graduate school. She had just done a marketing project on high end audio and knew someone that had purchased two Threshold S500 amplifiers! I couldn’t believe she actually ever heard of the company… what was she, one of three in the USA? I had purchased one ($5,000 in 1982), I took out my first bank loan to buy it. She had also just purchased what would be a very respectable budget high end system. Obviously I was enthralled. We have been together ever since. She has understood and at times encouraged my obsession in being an audiophile. However, I  learned about SAF… spousal acceptance factor. One thing most of us can be sure of is that car batteries in the house would not be within the house would ever be a possibility. She must have been an amazing woman. I can’t imagine how I would cope.
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