Power Sources - Mains power vs battery

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Mains power vs battery

Printed From: Graham Slee Hifi System Components
Category: And the rest
Forum Name: Power Sources
Forum Description: Where the power comes from has always been a hot topic - even more so now with new World legislation
URL: https://www.hifisystemcomponents.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2998
Printed Date: 26 Mar 2026 at 10:54pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.01 - http://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: Mains power vs battery

Posted By: Drewan77
Subject: Mains power vs battery
Date Posted: 07 Aug 2016 at 6:24pm

I have recently returned from a lengthy trip overseas and it just so happened that our street had a power outage last night whilst I was listening intently to a vinyl LP.

Since last winter, my house has been mostly powered by a 4Kw solar array, including battery storage which provides electricity for evenings & through the night in the sunnier months.

When the mains fails, power trips automatically to the batteries if a charge remains & because yesterday was a very sunny day, this happened almost immediately because the batteries were over 75% charged at 8:15pm (there was a slight delay between both sources & the LP slowed to stop, then sped up again)

The interesting thing is that the music sounded exactly the same, regardless of the source. I don't know if this is because maybe all power normally passes through the inverter in the garage or whether this 'proves' that the quality of the mains actually has relatively little or even no effect on a hifi system. It certainly doesn't appear so in my case.

Maybe someone with more knowledge of these things (Chris Firth?) could comment.

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Older than I once was, younger than I'll be
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Andrew

Replies:

Posted By: ServerBaboon
Date Posted: 07 Aug 2016 at 7:44pm

Doesn't the quality of the mains get better at night anyway as the usage from industry tails of?

I certainly feel that the system sounds better at night, however I suppose that could also be the wine.

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Steve

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Various bits of GSP Kit ..well two so far, unless you count the cables that is.

Posted By: Chris Firth
Date Posted: 07 Aug 2016 at 7:49pm

With your power being mainly from your inverter you're less likely to pick up as much RF as a normal (non panel/inverter) mains installation would.
You'll have the cheap & nasty smps on devices in your house to contend with, but generally not your neighbourhood's devices.