The Kingdom of Audiophiledom rests on a paradox. Inanimate audio systems and rooms aim to deliver music that animates our senses and touches our souls. The inherently lifeless exists to bring music to life.
This holistic reality—that systems and rooms function as living organisms where every part is interconnected and interrelated—came home to me when, during one of the first AXPONAs in Chicago, I entered a long, cavernous basement room with several spongy “conference room” walls. “There is no way that any setup can deliver good sound in this room,” self said to self. Yet, the system sounded unbelievably good. Rock-solid bass, enviable transparency, smooth delivery, superb soundstaging, drop-dead beautiful sound. That thoroughly musical presentation compelled me to linger for quite some time.
Before I left, I queried the exhibitors about the one component in the setup that, though conspicuous in its size and design, was unfamiliar to me. Thus did I discover the German-made Stromtank S 5000 power generator (now $50,250), an imposing, 275lb computer-controlled lithium-iron-phosphate battery array behemoth whose 1500VA continuous power capability and 5000Wh (Watt-hour) storage capacity, distributed to six outlets, enables it to power amplifiers and front-end components at once.
I’d long been assured that batteries can deliver the cleanest, most stable power to high-end components, at least until they begin to lose their charge. Had Stromtank developed a practical (if weighty and expensive) solution that might help to connect me (and others) to better sound?
Thus it came to pass
Some seven years later, Alex Wilde of Stromtank America offered me the smaller Stromtank S 1000 audiophile power generator ($15,975) for review. I uttered a silent “Hallelujah!” While the eight Hubbell outlets that transmit the S 1000’s 1000Wh can power front-end components for 5–8 hours, its 450VA continuous output power at 77°F is not sufficient to deliver full power via my D’Agostino Progression M550 monoblocks, which output up to 1100Wpc to the 4 ohm (nominal impedance) Wilson Audio Alexia 2 loudspeakers. Still, I leaped at the opportunity to discover how even partial freedom from current fluctuations and AC-line–induced noise generated by computers, appliances, internet, cell towers, LEDs, sunspots, and/or space aliens might influence my system’s sound.
When the 90lb Stromtank S 1000’s 19″ × 19″ footprint proved too large for my rack, I stuck a 1″-thick piece of plywood between the Stromtank and the floor and placed Nordost Sort Kones between the Stromtank and the wood. Directly behind it, on my rack’s bottom left shelf, sat the AudioQuest Niagara 7000 power conditioner, whose high-current outlets continued to power the D’Agostino monos. The S 1000 powered the D’Agostino Momentum HD preamplifier, the dCS Rossini DAC, Clock, and Transport, and the HDPlex 300 linear power supply, which feeds an EtherRegen and AfterDark clock. The rack also held a darTZeel NHB-18NS preamp, whose rechargeable battery power supply obviated the need to feed it from the Stromtank.
I found myself drawn in an almost religious way to the “Mighty Fortress Is Our God” face of the S 1000, with its huge power meter that changes from blue to green. I paid close attention to its green LED array, which indicates the amount of charge remaining before the unit automatically switches to wall power. I followed directions and put the unit into blue-lit charge-the-battery mode whenever I left the room. Only once during my listening did the S 1000 run out of charge and switch on its own to AC (footnote 2).
Stromtank claims that its deployment of lithium-iron-phosphate batteries (LFP, or LiFePO4) offers maintenance-free “maximum power delivery, maximum lifetime, voltage stability and intrinsic safety.” Smart circuitry ensures that the innately long lifetime of the LFP batteries is realized in practice. Stromtank emphasizes that even during recharging, “you can listen without any interruption. Even when the Stromtank is connected to the grid, current pulses are not taken directly from the grid; they are absorbed by the battery … [with] less interaction between the grid and your audio/video setup.”
During a Zoom chat, Stromtank founder Wolfgang Meletzky (who, incidentally, also founded MBL) explained the product’s genesis and operation. “I saw Tesla and other companies using stronger and better batteries—superior to lead batteries—and decided to build an audiophile power generator driven solely by a lithium-iron-phosphate battery pack and well-shielded in aluminum, that would eliminate all dirt and deliver perfect amplitude on the sine wave and perfect frequency,” he said. “If you move from one house or setup to another, you still have the same power. The Stromtank gives you independence from fluctuations on the grid—even from blackouts.
“Together with the German government’s Fraunhofer Institute, we created a battery-management system to keep all batteries at the same voltage and energy level. When you need a strong pulse for drums or something else, the batteries can supply it very fast. We measure each sound in voltage and current, gauge the charge of each battery, and shift current from the stronger battery to the weaker one, if necessary, so that current charge and energy remain constant, and you can generate a fast pulse.”
Footnote 1: Pronounced, roughly, “Shtrum’tonk.”
Footnote 2: Wolfgang Meletzky sent the following information too late for it to be included in the print version of this review. “There are three service ports located on the back of all Stromtanks. This makes it possible to perform service remotely by our service engineers in Berlin, Germany.
• Service port 1 controls the DC/AC Converter
• Service port 2 controls the battery management system (BMS)
• Service port 3 is for the emergency charger
There are two different service devices. The ‘Service and Diagnostic Systems’ (SDS) known as the ‘white box’ controlling the DC to AC converter over Service port 1 and the ‘Battery Service System’ box (BSS) known as the ‘black box’ controlling the Battery over Service port 2. The service ports can be used for software update, identifying problems or malfunction, changing parameters, performance check , battery check and so on. Most customer questions or problems can be solved remotely. If the customer is not sure if there is a problem or if he has a problem he can call in the service boxes from his dealer and we log in for help.”
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COMPANY INFO
Stromtank
US distributor: Stromtank of America
5855 E Surrey Dr.
Cave Creek, AZ 85331
(480) 575-3069
stromtank.com
ARTICLE CONTENTS
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Specifications
Associated Equipment
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