Battery powered audio

[JJB70]

Apologies if this has been discussed before, but one aspect of modern audio design I'm not such a fan of is the use of sealed batteries in headphones, DACs, headphone amplifiers etc. I know smartphones, tablets and many other devices have used sealed batteries for a lot of years now, and that if the battery needs replacing you can send the device to a service centre for a battery change. However, I think there is a difference between audio equipment and many of those other devices, a good pair of headphones doesn't generally stop being a good pair of headphones. I have a pair of Sennheiser HD580 Ovation II headphones which are well over 20 years old, which still sound excellent and which show no signs of dying (I've only replaced the ear pads once). I have a pair of Sony WH-1000XM2 noise cancelling headphones which are about a year old and retain quite significantly less charge than when they were new (admittedly I use them a lot because I commute in/out of London each day and fly a lot) and a friend has just received a quote to exchange the battery for a Chord Mojo which is so high he's basically shelved it and is looking for a replacement DAC/amp. In the case of smart phones the contract model means that customers tend to renew the things fairly regularly anyway, and tablets tend to replaced as they start to fall out of the envelope of desired functionality, but in the case of headphones or a DAC/amp I really wouldn't expect to have to replace them for an awful lot longer. I was arguing with a friend who was deriding the latest PSB noise cancelling headphones on account of them using two AAA rechargeable batteries, he thought that was terribly backwards and makes them look like some half baked amateurish effort, my counter argument was that if I was to be in the market for a new pair of wireless noise cancelling headphones it is a feature that might swing me to the PSBs.

 

[Wombat]

This thread shows where to buy much cheaper batteries for DIY Chord install.

https://www.computeraudiophile.com/...8-months-battery-warranty-defects-liability /

 

[Sal1950]

I'm a old school guy and keep a land line phone because I prefer using them for phone calls when I can. I've replaced the phones a few times over the years and now always look for the handsets that run on rechargeable AAA's. Some use those little proprietary battery packs that are expensive and don't seem to last as lone as the rechargeable AAA's

 

[Don Hills]

I was very annoyed when my much-repaired Blackbox (Phitek) noise cancelling phones finally disintegrated after almost 10 years of daily service. They ran off a single AAA alkaline cell which gave about 40 hours running time. Sadly, they don't make them like that any more...

 

[Timbo2]

I try to avoid batteries that aren’t replaceable for similar reasons. Part of the reason for the issue is design and cost. Folks don’t want to have have a compartment that has a removable battery pack.

I was pleasantly surprised my FiiO E07K uses an off the shelf battery. Unfortunately it was soldered to the board in a bad spot without completely disassembling it to reach. I had to splice the new pack in. I still got over 5 years from the old one. I replaced it more based on age. My O2 uses an off the shelf rechargeable 9V x 2.

The battery issue is part of the reason I have problems paying over $100US for a portable DAC.

 

[Sal1950]

I have a battery powered audio system. It requires 4 different voltage to operate, +90, +67.5, +22.5 and -4.5 volts for the various stages.
What a PITA to keep all those batteries set up and in good condition. .
Seriously I built a AC supply for it from kit many years ago but can you imagine having all those stinky batteries in the house for a operating system. Talk about a difficult "Wife Acceptance Factor", OMG

 

[JJB70]

This thread shows where to buy much cheaper batteries for DIY Chord install.

https://www.computeraudiophile.com/forums/topic/37976-chord-mojo-fails-after-18-months-battery-warranty-defects-liability /

Thanks for that, I'll pass it on! Although in my friends case I think the damage has been done with respect to Chord and he is unlikely to consider buying anything else from them for a long time as a result of his experience. I must admit, when I see the rate that my Sony headphones are losing charge and my friends experience with Chord it does make me very reluctant to spend a lot of anything which does not have a user replaceable battery or which uses a proprietary type. The Sony headphones are excellent, sound is just OK but noise cancelling is outstanding but I reckon within a year they'll need a new battery for my use profile and I am worried that it won't be cheap.

 

[Don Hills]

I have a battery powered audio system. It requires 4 different voltage to operate, +90, +67.5, +22.5 and -4.5 volts for the various stages.
What a PITA to keep all those batteries set up and in good condition. .
...

Don't forget the 2 volt lead-acid accumulator for the filaments...