Always looking for the best solution for my endpoints.
My test today is: Anker PowerCore Essential 20000mAh Power Bank connected to a "RPI 4- 2g / running VitOS connected to a USB Schiit Bifrost.
Not sure what the powerbank life will be but I have run it for 2 hours and the Led’s on the charger are still 4 strong.
Anyone else doing this? If so what results do you see?
If not what Power supply do you use ?
I apologize for having what must be unusually undiscerning ears, but I am fully satisfied with the music played by my RPi4 endpoint powered by a lowly Canakit switching power supply.
What’s the hardware config. What is the audio output comprised of:
I run my RPi4 with RoPieee, USB out into a DAC by iFi for the moments when Tidal forces me to listen to MQA encoded stuff. Works fine for me,
So many ways to stream! just amazing how everyone is using the tech.
Thanks for the comments.
Exactly what sonic differences do you hear? Real differences, not those nebulous audiophile terms like “more air” or “greater clarity”. Real things like fingers sliding down guitar strings or longer decay on a cymbal crash. After you’ve identified these real differences please go back to your other power supply and listen again for the same effects. I think that you will be very surprised.
I have a pair of ESS AMT 1 speakers with a Heil motion tweeter. ( see image) They seem to really show me high Hz and in the High Hz range I could hear a hiss before…its just gone with the battery. I agree with you on the nebulous terms. I don’t understand them too.
Listening Test was “TriState Above and Beyond”, For all I care.
I use an Anker 2nd Gen Astro E7, Product Number A1210, 25600mAh, 94.72Wh, 5v, 4A (Max) output. I use it for portability, not SQ. It last for several days if I use it a lot.
Amazing! Neat setup
I used a battery pack for about a year and got fed up with charging it in the end. Heard no difference going back to the pi’s stock PSU. As for adding a linear PSU to a £45 device it’s just daft if you ask me, I found LPSU gives little back for the money spent. But it’s only my opinion.
Tell me more about that endpoint.
What hardware and software are you using.
RPI ? Dac?, OS, Thanks for your comments.
Thanks! So many ways to get the job done. Thanks again
Hope this is working out as expected for you, since that power bank is meant for charging connected devices via charging logic, not really for supplying clean DC voltage - under certain conditions it will even switch to trickle charge mode.
The accumulator in such a power bank works with a different voltage than its 5VDC output, so is generating that with switch mode regulators with a design goal to be efficient, not noise free and extra clean.
That’s a great response and the kind of sonic difference that one can actually hear. No hiss versus hiss makes the battery setup clearly superior.
Wow, its working out right now. Thanks for the tech on the bank design. So the regulators in the Power core still add noise ? Thanks " 2.5 hours into the test now.
I found that lps of sufficient quality, such as Allo Shanti, equalled, or even exceeded, the excellent sound that I experienced with lithium rechargeable batteries (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0129F9BXK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) powering either of my DigiOne rpi HATs using DietPi. The less expensive Allo Nirvana 5v switch mode product was nearly as good.
Before I bought Shanti, those batteries outperformed relatively cheap linear TeraDak and Breeze Audio power supplies as well as the somewhat cleaner iFI iPower SMPS. But charging and swapping was a pain, so I kept looking.
Bingo, This is what I was looking for another configuration. Thanks
If that question is for me, it’s a RPi4 running RoPieeeXL. The DAC is an AudioQuest Dragonfly Cobalt. The case is a SmartiPi Touch 2 with a Raspberry Pi 7 inch Touch Screen Display.
I have another one in a FLIRC case (no screen) feeding a Meridian Prime Headphone Amplifier and Power Supply. I use the stock CanaKit Raspberry Pi 4 Power Supply for it.
Thanks it was for you. One neat endpoint.
Haven’t measured myself or seen measurements of said power bank, so can’t objectively quantify, but these devices sure are not designed for your use case.
This is not to say that it does not work, but it’s likely not better than the wall wart…
Disclosure:
Personally, I’m not buying into fancy power supply mods due to usually rather high noise rejection ratios in standard power supply designs.
