Slightly OT: Can someone explain to me why pedal power bricks are so expensive?

[kit_strong]

Take for example, the recently announced Digitech Hardwire V-10 which carries an MSRP of $299 and puts out a meager 1200mA across 10 connectors.

Why would anyone buy that when for $289 you can get a Grid1 Pedal Jeanie which is a nice board with built in rechargable cells capable of pumping out a whopping 9000mA? Not to mention the added convenience of running unplugged.

And there are quite a few power bricks out there that cost more than the Digitech.

[PrawnHeed]

Some people will pay that much.

I wouldn't.

[PrawnHeed]

Some people will pay that much.

I wouln't.

[kayd_mon]

I've always wondered the same thing, when there's the Visual SOund 1-Spot that does essentially the same thing and costs about the same as a single wall wart.

[jpnyc]

Because the V-10 has ten individual shielded circuits. For musicians who do not ever want to hear a single snap, crackle, pop, or hum coming from the power source, $300 isn

[guitarman3001]

 

Originally Posted by jpnyc

Because the V-10 has ten individual shielded circuits. For musicians who do not ever want to hear a single snap, crackle, pop, or hum coming from the power source, $300 isn

[guitarman3001]

 

Originally Posted by jpnyc

Because the V-10 has ten individual shielded circuits. For musicians who do not ever want to hear a single snap, crackle, pop, or hum coming from the power source, $300 isn

[kayd_mon]

Neither have I. Maybe if you're powering some really old, finnicky pedals have those individual circuits makes a difference, or if you're using some pedals with reverse-polarity, or maybe if you're using a "battery starve" feature like some of those power bricks have, but for the average player - even a gigging musician - a 1-Spot is perfect, and it's actually affordable.

[Presc]

I have a Voodoo PP2+. It's kind of one of those things you buy and forget about, but that's kind of the beauty of it. Ample power supply, noise to a minumum, ability to run on high voltage if needed/desire, and it doesn't lock me into any particular powered board. To me, if you're fairly well set in the rest of your gear, a good power supply is one of those things you plunk down a bit for in the near term and never worry about again. It's certainly one of the last things I'd move towards buying when building out your arsenal though.

[warriorpoet]

Easy answer here. Isolated power is a God-send for those of us who use positive-tip powered pedals, pedals with high power requirements, and frequent establishments with dirty power issues. It's worth peace of mind to just get a good quality power supply rather than fiddle with batteries, finicky pedal interactions and power-starved pedals.

[honeyiscool]

I don't know. When you have enough analog pedals of vintage style design, I feel like you do hear the quality of the power. Essentially, you hear the quality of the power as hiss and noise and stuff like that. Now, my contention is that when you have enough things in true bypass, the right buffers, etc., you only really hear the quality of power supplies when you have multiple effects on, and at that point, do you really care about how pristine your sound is? But if you do, then it might be worth it.

[BydoEmpire]

I forget what I paid for my original Voodoo Labs pedal power - probably around $200 ten+ years ago - but it was totally worth it. I love that thing. Built like a tank, everything runs super quiet, it's really convenient, and super flexible. It's one of those purchases (like maybe a heavy-duty music stand) that was a little bit hard to justify, but I was so glad I sprung for it because I use it every day and it keeps ticking year-in and year-out.

[kit_strong]

I understand the need for isolation and power but that still doesn't explain the cost of some of these units.

If we go back to the Pedal Jeanie it has 10 Isolated outputs, 8 9v 750mA (each) and 2 12V 1500mA. 2 9 Volt outputs alone have more power than the average 250+ power brick and it can run unplugged and comes as part of a rather nice pedal board.

[Canadian Jeff]

I think the cost of multi-pedal power supplies was what finally pushed me all the way into the modeling realm. Buy an amp, buy pedals, buy a board, buy a power supply, buy cables - {censored} it all.

[DeadNight Warrior]

Originally Posted by Presc

I have a Voodoo PP2+. It's kind of one of those things you buy and forget about, but that's kind of the beauty of it. Ample power supply, noise to a minumum, ability to run on high voltage if needed/desire, and it doesn't lock me into any particular powered board. To me, if you're fairly well set in the rest of your gear, a good power supply is one of those things you plunk down a bit for in the near term and never worry about again. It's certainly one of the last things I'd move towards buying when building out your arsenal though.

+1

I bought a PP2+ years ago back when I used to run a more typical tube amp setup with a few pedals. Over the years I moved to a rack set up using racked pedals, a simpler one without, an even simpler floor unit modeller into a poweramp and cab, and these days a full digital and SS rack rig. A few times I've been a bit short on cash and have looked around at what stuff I could consider selling... even if I haven't been using the PP2+, I never have to think about it too hard before deciding to keep it. And a few months later or whatever I'll find I'm using it again. Have never had a problem with it, it's built like a tank, all the different cable and DIP switch options make it pretty flexible.

Am thinking of building a mini rig as a backup/alternative to my rather bulky and heavy rack rig. Just a pedalboard with some drives, FX, EQ etc., into a Magnum 44.. going through the list of what I already have and what I'd need to buy... power supply definitely covered already.

[Ancient Mariner]

If it's made in the USA in small numbers (almost certainly) then that's the justification alone. If it's just another similar product cranked out by a factory in China then one might ask who's making the money.

FWIW I like my cheap Soundlab 450Ma supply. Quiet with all my pedals and supplies enough juice for what I need.