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what kind of battery do you use?

#5
brianchiu said:
Do they really make a difference? :hmm:
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It makes absolutely no difference.:rollno:

DC power is DC power.
The only difference is going to be how much current the battery can supply, should there be a sudden current transient. The preamp in a bass draws only a couple of milliamps, so just about any 9V battery should have no issue supplying plenty of current if the preamp needs it.

The only other factor is how long the battery lasts before the voltage is too low to use it any longer.
Considering how little current is drawn by a preamp, the battery should last quite a long time before it needs to be replaced, so I wouldn't worry about it.
 
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#6
brianchiu said:
Alkaline? C-Zn? Rechargeable?

energizer? duracell?

Do they really make a difference? :hmm:
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Yes:

Music Man basses F.A.Q. said:
We do not recommend rechargeable batteries for replacement in Music Man instruments for 2 reasons:

1. They do not put out enough voltage (at least 8.4 volts) to properly run the instruments. NiCad and NiMh "9-volt" batteries, even when fully charged, put out a maximum of 7.2 volts.

2. Even if they did work, rechargeable batteries only hold a charge for 1-3 months. Alkaline batteries, when fresh, can go 6 months or longer. We recommend Duracell for a good fit.
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As for brands, I stopped using Duracells because more often than not, my Bongos' battery compartment cannot be closed when using those batteries. Switching to Energizers was the definitive solution to the problem.
 
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#8
brianchiu said:
the reason I asked is because a friend lent me his really THICK power cord(he said it's expensive too) for my Genz Benz and the sound is quite different
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Have you done a blind test, having somebody switching between the two power cords without you knowing which cord is being used and then see if you can tell the difference?

I suspect that something else is responsible for the difference you heard or thought you heard.

True double-blind testing is the definative lab test to determine the difference between any two or more options, and the results are generally very accurate IME.
 
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#9
've read many people saying not to use rechargeables, for the reasons above and for this one:

a rechargeable battery dies quickly, suddenly. a standard 9v will slowly loose current and you can hear it coming in the quality of the bass' output, so you can finish your gig or song. a rechargeable battery will die mid song and you will stop outputting music.
 
#10
Regarding batteries, there are several practical differences between battery types and the generalization that NiCd and NiMh deliver less than 9 volts is true but there are some notable exceptions with 9 volt cell assemblies (built up from elementary cell units) being built with an additional cell or two increasing the net voltage delivered.

The differences are internal resistance (traditional carbon-zinc are pretty high compared with the others), cell chemestry affecting shelf life (lithium and alkaline are probably the best in this regard), total useable capacity (in mAH) and discharge rate. In general, alkaline and lithium are probably the best for active bass electronics since the current draw is so low that a good flat stable shelf life does come into play and capacity is not really an issue so rechargables pose little benefit as it's unlikely that a bass will need more than a few batteries per year and this is not the ideal charge/discharge cycle for any of the rechargable chemistries currently in use.

For wireless applications, the high voltage NiMH are valid option to consider because the discharge rate and capacity come into play, but alkaline and lithium are good choices unless you go through a lot of batteries.
 
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#16
From the Shure web site:

By knowing the current draw of the wireless transmitter along with the capacity of the battery, it is possible to know the life of the battery. It is easy to show that rechargeable 9 volt Ni-Cd and Ni-MH batteries have a much shorter life than standard alkaline types. For this reason, 9 volt Ni-Cd and Ni-MH rechargeables are typically not well suited for wireless transmitter applications. Currently, 9 volt alkaline batteries are the best choice because of their performance for the cost. If an application does require rechargeable batteries, use the 9 volt version of the rechargeable Li+ batteries. For wireless transmitters that use AA batteries, rechargeables and alkalines both perform well.
 

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