Batteries vs. wall power

[Nubus]

Do batteries sound better to you? I have this strange feeling like they do to me. I can't tell if I'm imagining things or what.

[Bellringer]

I've read interviews with some guitarists who swear by batteries. Eric Johnson even has specific battery choices for different pedals. Myself, I can hear some slight differences, (especially as the battery begins to drain) but it doesn't change the sound enough for me to worry about batteries failing during shows and recordings. Wall warts and power conditioners!

[dagosto]

From what I've heard it doesn't really matter if it is a digital pedal. They will work the same on a wallwart as an alkaline battery. When we get into the realm of analog pedals though there is a difference. A low current draw pedal such as a fuzz or distortion will work better with a heavy duty battery than an alkaline or wallwart. I'm not totally sure but I believe that this has to do with the steadier DC voltage provided at lower current draws. I've never really done a ardcore comparison but there is practical electrical reasoning behind it.

[Whoopysnorp]

Batteries can definitely sound better in some pedals. My Boss Auto Wah has a tendency to produce a fair amount of hum when using it with an AC adapter. However, I hate buying batteries, and for most pedals, AC works fine for me.

[dagosto]

I hear that power blocks like the Dunlop DC Brick can help with tone and hum.

[smopo24]

i don't understand how someone can hear the difference in battery brands; some guitar players say that duracell sounds better than energizer. is this even possible, or are some guitarists just fooling themselves?

[Nubus]

I don't know if it sounded better, but for what it's worth I got a cheap battery from a dollar store in Japan. Thing lasted almost a year, way longer than any battery I ever had before.

[Whoopysnorp]

Originally Posted by smopo24

i don't understand how someone can hear the difference in battery brands; some guitar players say that duracell sounds better than energizer. is this even possible, or are some guitarists just fooling themselves?

I have a hard time believing it, but maybe it'd be theoretically possible for the out-there wackos like Eric Johnson to hear that kind of thing. I heard some anecdote about Eric Johnson going into a guitar shop and plugging into an old Marshall plexi, playing it for a while with a kind of concerned expression, then opening it up and flipping a fuse around the other way. I guess it was pointing the wrong direction and he could hear the difference.

Or he's just crazy and OCD and he wouldn't be able to tell in a double-blind test; take your pick.

[smopo24]

Originally Posted by Whoopysnorp

I have a hard time believing it, but maybe it'd be theoretically possible for the out-there wackos like Eric Johnson to hear that kind of thing. I heard some anecdote about Eric Johnson going into a guitar shop and plugging into an old Marshall plexi, playing it for a while with a kind of concerned expression, then opening it up and flipping a fuse around the other way. I guess it was pointing the wrong direction and he could hear the difference.

Or he's just crazy and OCD and he wouldn't be able to tell in a double-blind test; take your pick.

i vote crazy and ocd. if you take your tone that seriously, you need to stop and remember why you started playing in the first place.

[dolivas]

i tend to use batteries whenever the option is available. However, rather than buy cheapo dollar store batteries I shell out the 8 bucks or 9 bucks (which is still cheaper than 20 bucks for a power supply) for some rechargeable NiMH ones since I have one of those cool "will recharge in 15 minutes" chargers. It really doesn't make a difference in tone, just in reliability.

A battery doesn't have that electric hum or the weird power surges or drops that using a power supply would. All in all using my charger I know I will always have a battery that will pay for itself if I can just recharge it 100 times (at the very very bare minimum of its life) and give me just a steady worry free voltage to power my pedals. Having to lug around a power supply or a voltage brick just seems much more of a hassle to me than leaving a battery in there. If I live the battery in there its pretty easy to notice when the battery is drained out. But to be honest those NiMH batteries Ive been using have lasted forever since I've ever had to recharge them again.