Using battery power to go off the City's power grid


I'm using a Bluetti AC200MAX 2,200 watt expandable power station to take my system off the city's power grid.  It runs off a lithium ion phosphate battery with a 4,800 watt pure sine wave inverter. My total system only takes about 450 watts so I have never heard the fan kick on - it is totally silent. The music comes from a completely black background, with a huge soundstage that sounds very natural. I know that Ric Schultz has talked about these types of setups and there is a very expensive Stromtank battery system that is marketed to audiophiles. Anyone else tried this type of setup in their audio system?

Here is a link to a review:

 

128x128sbayne

This thread's contributors are killing me with how this power (Conundrum)? 

 Which most of us here have realized.

How you are approaching it.

I think what caught my eye here at first was the nomenclature and its use in this thread. And beginning with that. "Small detail though it is really". But, I have noticed over the years that this approach? It tends to pigeon-hole those in the process of advancements in this area.  It is a direction that I find, "As I have watched this several times".  It always ends with not much in the way of any "real" substantiative progress which one may then (Pass-on) to the next of us.   

It also has the tendency to be very frustrating for most. With a curve you could plot that I believe would always show that the ones invested most heavily in funds on this. Being those with the highest 'Anger Management" issues by the time they realize they have just wasted all of those capital gains on what becomes another audiophile rant, yelling 'Snake oil"! As they de-volve into,

 Followers of "Bose".

We all know how this horribly, debilitating disease "Audiophilia" ends...

"No-One" ever gets out alive!

So, we are just going to have to make the best of it! Anyway, if you have stuck with me though all of that!

I know a bit about what we call, "Power". Not everything, But a bit. And for a long, long time I have worked on this problem, "As time, and other pursuits have allowed".

Your group seems to be awfully "stuck" on that one object, The "Inverter".

I am not sure why though.

The largest problem I see with this thread though is in its initial posed question. Because I do not think that "And please correct me if I am wrong".  (Which happens with greater and greater frequency these days! I must admit)!

But I do not see or may have missed where much "Or any" research or serious study was done as to the "Why" you would need or want an inverter. And then, assoc. gear and etcetera.

Ok, "I guess I shall (start), as it were, "Here'!

Typically, we humans, live in "homes". "Homes" must have "Power". 

"Yes", as in "legally". (At least here in the USA...). OR, "No legally habitable address"! 

 That power must be, "certified". by a governmentally Regulated, "Utility Co.".

"You may go, "Off-Grid" after it is built. But until you do that?  You have to at some point have at minimum. A "business assoc." with a power utility co. 

And a power bill.

Most will keep this assoc. 

Now, I could begin here and pick just this apart for several hours.

'Yes really"! But I am trying to actually help with this problem, "Power" and boring you to death would be counterproductive. So just a few main points.

Geography. This will actually matter..

For many reasons, but for this conversation?

 It is mainly related to "Geology".

Where this relates to everyone here? "Grounding", Um, which then relates strongly too geology, "I.E.- Strata mineral make-up. heavy metals density per sq. yd., local aquifers available, depth and distancing. and on and on.

 But mainly grounding,

Your power, "Point of demarcation". And where you are located within your, "Local power grid". Also,-the quality of that infrastructure and it's age. And a hundred other things.

Much of this you do not, "You shall think at first" have any control over. 

But you DO!

In fact, the above mentioned, "Schneider Electric". They will help you by monitoring, evaluating, and even documenting irregularities -"ANY" PROBLEMS, In your home OR business electrical system. And they will do this...

FOR FREE! And also generate monthly, quarterly and annual reports for you.

All of which, by the way, are "Legally certified".

That fact "Could" be important to you at some point.

Nope, not kidding, "Call them". They make the majority of home "UPS" systems in the USA, "As far as I know anyway". I own seven or eight from them currently.

Schneider Elec.? It IS -"APC" corp.

Why might you have them do this? "Man-o-man, I feel like I have just begun a novel..."

I need you guy's to think on this next a little bit to understand the full ramifications of it.

When residential electrical installations "As in regulated in any way" began in the early 1900's. The household. single phase voltage was (100V). And all devices designed for use in home was meant for a system providing a nominal, (100V). (+-5%). The 1930's? = (105V). By the 1950's that was up 110V. 1970's = 115V.

In the 1990's it was officially raised again to the current 120V. (Nominal +-5%)

That (+-5%)  value is very important. "Especially" if you are an avid "Audiophile" and can hear differences in your gear. 

Beyond that (+-5%) tolerance? Almost nothing electronic will work as designed. "It simply cannot"! What gear appears to work is being taxed very hard and will fail prematurely. And the internal "clock" or clocking? Will be way off too. A 5% Voltage irregularity typically yields a (8-9%) phasing discrepancy and more.

"Which plays hell on "Imaging and resolution"!

 So unless you live in a basically, "New" home? And have all "Fairly" new audio gear? You may have an electrical "audio" issue. 

 OR, If you say, live in a new home but you are in love with that 1960's class A amp and pre?

But it always sounds horrid regardless of the CD you play or the contemporary source electronics used.

This, "may" be a cause...

 And it is not just audio gear that suffers. If you plug it in? It's going to have an issue. Because engineering parameters are engineering parameters.

How much of an issue? That depends....

But possible to fix. Easy to address at times also. But not always.

I need a break,  But have a bit more to say about this.

 But anyone taking issue with any of this? Please correct me. Like I said...

" I have been wrong before". I will be wrong again.

 And I am always up to learn more!

 

Most electronic equipment is 100% happy from 108-132 because they are designed to. Mass consumer gear will not even blink.  Only poorly designed, poorly tested audiophile gear has issues. And no, there is no research here, just some listening tests that could have been more about the glass in hand than the sound. The rest was too hard to read.

 

ricevs,

Here is an excerpt from your post of 8/5. 

"All inverters put out noise and distortion.....that is why they will all sound different from each other and will benefit from further (pure filtering) . The Stromtank and the Exeltech inverters are rated at less than 2% distortion....most of the others like the Giandel are rated at less than 3% distortion. This is not .0001 percent distortion like a Benchmark amp or Purifi amp measures. Distortion.....means noise.....I would think a larger inverter would sound better......probably lower output impedance and bigger power supply."

It's true you never said the Giandel 5000 sounds better than the 2000, but you said that a larger inverter would sound better due to lower output impedance and bigger power supply.  The safest thing to do is trust your friend's great results with the larger Giandel.  BTW, the Amperetime batteries can't be returned for a refund merely because you don't like the sound of them.  You have to take them to an approved technician who will document that there is a defect.

The Giandel 5000 plus 2 Amperetime batteries and cables is merely a $2800 experiment.  Well worth doing, thanks to your friend's experience.

NO ONE KNOWS ANYTHING. How many brands of power amp are there? They all sound different.....How many brands of inverters are there? They all sound different.

 

If "only" there was some way to "test" inverters in a consistent, repeatable manner and provide some sort of "scorecard" that indicated how well they performed their function 😎