Stromtank........
- Thread starter Porsche
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I use the Stromtank S2500 quantum for all my gear except the amplifier.
Very pleased with the improvement.
i also find I can listen at slightly lower volumes.
Very pleased with the improvement.
i also find I can listen at slightly lower volumes.
The amps are plugged into the wall thru a 20 amp outlet.
In general, most feel the 2500 doesn’t have enough power to allow amps to maximize dynamics.
My server, disc player, DAC and TV are powered by the Stromtank.
In general, most feel the 2500 doesn’t have enough power to allow amps to maximize dynamics.
My server, disc player, DAC and TV are powered by the Stromtank.
In my point of view, Stromtank is a over-price product, you get a better music density, more details but with the trade-off cost of power swing, dynamic constrast and lively performance. The sound become softer, more calm down and relaxed, but loss the feeling of exciting let you gone with the music.
Some kind of problem related with the build quality, with a high price tag it should be better
+ The internal cable inside Stromtank is not an audiophile grade just like a popular electric cable
+ The grounding bus bar inside is too small and not good enough for a good earth ground path
+ The chassis is not thick and solid enough
Even I tested the 2500 quantum for only my MSB Digital Powerbase, it got the same result.
One of my friend who have an extreme power soultion with Stromtank but still have a slightly dynamic trade-off
+ S1000 for the CD source
+ S2500 quantum for preamp
+ 2 x S5000 HP for each poweramp (left & right)
+ Earth grounding enhancement for each unit
Please try it with home demo and listen it in your system before you decide to buy.
Some kind of problem related with the build quality, with a high price tag it should be better
+ The internal cable inside Stromtank is not an audiophile grade just like a popular electric cable
+ The grounding bus bar inside is too small and not good enough for a good earth ground path
+ The chassis is not thick and solid enough
Even I tested the 2500 quantum for only my MSB Digital Powerbase, it got the same result.
One of my friend who have an extreme power soultion with Stromtank but still have a slightly dynamic trade-off
+ S1000 for the CD source
+ S2500 quantum for preamp
+ 2 x S5000 HP for each poweramp (left & right)
+ Earth grounding enhancement for each unit
Please try it with home demo and listen it in your system before you decide to buy.
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Not sure why it lost you the dynamic. But it’s perfect here. Lots of dynamic with s2500 in my system. Only sources and pre are connected to it.
Thank you for this report. I remember being very interested in the Stromtank when it first came out.
Would you please describe for us in detail the sonic nature of the "improvement" you are experiencing?
Dear Sir,
Thank you for sharing your experiences. When you are talking about losing dynamics, are you comparing this in terms of having the components plugged into the wall or to other audiophile power concoctions (Shunyata, synergistic, ansoyuz, audio quest, etc.)?
Maybe these audio companies are "adding" stuff to goose the dynamics to please audiophiles?
As far as all of this audiophile stuff, it all exists to make money. But I don't think anyone knows what the "truth" is, how it will work in ones system, match anyone's taste, or match the taste of the audiophile herd to raise the particular brand over the others.
But your observations are very interesting
I don't see any issue with build quality. The real meat and potato is going to be the output inverter. Is it a stock unit packaged in a nice box with a couple lithium battery. Or something better. My experience tells me they found a good inverter. Its almost impossible to get a plant to make anything on small scale. But I don't know.
I know 3 people with Stromtank. All use it on the front end and like it. Non use it with an amplifier .
I wonder how it differes from a PS Audio P20 or other battey unit. The technology has been around for a long time.
For comparison, I looked around and talked with a bunch of inverter manufacturers and battery packers. A smoking good inverter with high peak power and low distortion is about $4k to $5k. Think twice the power of a Stromtank S5000. Each LIFeP04 battery that is equivalent in size to a S5000 is about $4500. The output of the inverter would go to a Torus RM40. You now have the equivalent power of 2 x S5000 for about $18k in parts.
FWIW, this is basically how Equitech handles power distribution in area with fluctuating voltage. In other words, what I described above has been used in thousands of homes with great success. Equitech specifies an industrial all in one box UPS, but the concept is the same. I too sought out UPS for audio use. But to me, they all used a lead acid battery, were very large and very expensive. Maybe $30k for the UPS. And every battery has a sound. Lead acid is slow. Lithium is supposed to be pretty good.
More and more people are using something like a Tesla powerwall and going direct to the rack or to a Torus wall mount, then the room. Tie that Tesla to some solar and you now get fed and local rebates for the gear. There are options.
It's a comparison between MSB Digital PowerBase > QB8 > Main Wall Duplex Socket vs MSB Digital PowerBase > Stromtank > Main Wall Duplex Socket.
I've already take a long time to looking for a power condition solution, I had a lot of expectation how Stromtank will improve my overall system before I tried it but it's not work in my case.
Currently I'm going to go with Telos Monster Power Station after having experienced their Grounding Monster.
Yes you're right, for a AC-DC-AC solution the inverter is very important thing. But for the audio, AC current is not enough esspecially for hiend audio, you need to play with some enhancement solution for a better signal ground, chassis ground, earth ground.
For the build quality at their price tag, please compare it with the build quality from Taiko Audio and let see how the Taiko Battery Power Supply will be.
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nice post! Agree that people who haven’t tried battery on their front end components are fools.
as per post above, it may not work in all situations but worth a try!!!
also for what it’s worth:
Goal Zero Yeti 400 Lithium Portable Power Station Battery power comparo with Goal Zero Yeti 400, PS Audio DirectStream Power Plant 20 (P20) and Stromtank S2500. Review By Tom Lyle
Goal Zero Yeti 400 Lithium Portable Power Station Battery power comparo with Goal Zero Yeti 400, PS Audio DirectStream Power Plant 20 (P20) and Stromtank S2500. Review By Tom Lyle of Enjoy the Music.com
www.enjoythemusic.com
a guy compared a goal zero unit , costing a few hundred bucks, to stromtank. Conclusion: he couldn’t tell any difference ( but not a direct comparison, but still…if it were significant….)
Thanks for posting these interesting photos. But why "audiophile build quality" inside a battery power inverter? Its purpose is simply supplying 50/60 Hz sinusoidal mains. If they fit it with internal materials having a defined sound quality - this just means different high and very high frequency behavior, probably it would have just different performance, not forcefully better.
We had this discussion when Steve posted about his solar mains system . He told us that he could not separate his solar from mains supplied by the electric distributor. I tried getting one his inverters, but the company was not wanting to sell them.
Audiophiles should have their mains properly analyzed before considering any kind of power conditioning. 99% of what we read on the subject is triviality. For example, most of what we read on the sound of batteries is extrapolated from experience using them in preamplfiier and amplifiers DC power supplies - we can't transpose it to mains generators. Should we expect the sound of system based in wind generators depend on wind speed?
I am not a power agnostic, but IMO each audiophile mains system and audio system is particular enough to kill any hope of generalization. Experimentation and basic electrical common sense are the only rules.
@microstrip
I agree in a general sense. I see Stromtank and UPS with isolation transformers and maybe other complete isolation from the grid supplies sort of unique. I see them as excellent solutions for people in an apartment where they can not alter extremely poor power.
I have still seen ground loop issues through a Stromtank unless you unplug it from the wall.
Everyone else, your way better off adressing the infrastructure and at a minimum getting multiple branch circuits to your rack. You can not get bass dynamics with filters or dsp or other means that compares to appropriately sized dedicated circuits.
If you feel you have noise, a large isolation transformer is the best filter I have seen when it comes to amps and subs. Nothing beats them. They will bring a quiet calm as well as better dynamic control on the lower frequency. Bass will be tighter and more defined. If you don't get that, its probably because you starved the isolation transformer of power. All filters and transformers in particular will perform at a much higher level when good power is supplied to the rack.
Mark, if you want to know more about inverters, PM me. I can dig around my notes. I sort of dropped the idea due to expense, and the belief I was not going to beat what I get from the grid. I have some offgrid clients and a website for offgrid living where people have experimented with battery power and inverters. To do it right takes money and space. A integrated battery pack like an Iron Edison unit takes space. The inverter is also going to be about 14 x 18 x 6. And the Torus is about 16 x 16 x 9. You could set up a system as such in a dwelling space where you can't rewire properly. It would charge overnight on a crap 15A circuit and be completly isolated from the grid for 3 or 4 hours when playing. The number of batteries will dictate the time of play. The inverter will have about 30,000 watts peak lower. Thats 125A at 240 volt. Push that into a Torus RM 60 or RM100 and you have a full 60 to 100 amps current. That will drive amps.
I agree in a general sense. I see Stromtank and UPS with isolation transformers and maybe other complete isolation from the grid supplies sort of unique. I see them as excellent solutions for people in an apartment where they can not alter extremely poor power.
I have still seen ground loop issues through a Stromtank unless you unplug it from the wall.
Everyone else, your way better off adressing the infrastructure and at a minimum getting multiple branch circuits to your rack. You can not get bass dynamics with filters or dsp or other means that compares to appropriately sized dedicated circuits.
If you feel you have noise, a large isolation transformer is the best filter I have seen when it comes to amps and subs. Nothing beats them. They will bring a quiet calm as well as better dynamic control on the lower frequency. Bass will be tighter and more defined. If you don't get that, its probably because you starved the isolation transformer of power. All filters and transformers in particular will perform at a much higher level when good power is supplied to the rack.
Mark, if you want to know more about inverters, PM me. I can dig around my notes. I sort of dropped the idea due to expense, and the belief I was not going to beat what I get from the grid. I have some offgrid clients and a website for offgrid living where people have experimented with battery power and inverters. To do it right takes money and space. A integrated battery pack like an Iron Edison unit takes space. The inverter is also going to be about 14 x 18 x 6. And the Torus is about 16 x 16 x 9. You could set up a system as such in a dwelling space where you can't rewire properly. It would charge overnight on a crap 15A circuit and be completly isolated from the grid for 3 or 4 hours when playing. The number of batteries will dictate the time of play. The inverter will have about 30,000 watts peak lower. Thats 125A at 240 volt. Push that into a Torus RM 60 or RM100 and you have a full 60 to 100 amps current. That will drive amps.
Where I live there are a lot of power outages primarily in the summer time. So protecting sensitive equipment like an costly music server from improper shut-down makes a product like Stromtank a worthwhile investment.
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