12 volt pro audio systems

In a sense this is a contradition in terms. 12V and professional quality audio gear.

Like everything else product development is driven by market demands. There simply are not enough people living off-grid who also demand professionalaudio gear. Even high end car audio gear is nowhere near the quality of professional equipment.

I once had to design for and install Sony sound equipment in an RV bus intended for corporate display. Sony decided to do a road show displaying their equipment. Got $50,000 to spend? That is what it cost a decade ago.

However it was anything but low energy. Yes it can be done but it will not be cheap nor will it be off the shelf. Mind you it may depend on how professional quality is defined. When I worked for the power utility company a client with a recording studio complained about poor quality utility power affecting his recording work.

I have a Phonic 100 watt powered mixer on 2-10″ + horn cabs running off a 12VDC 4-L16 battery bank to a ProSine 1000 Inverter. It is all charged by 366 watts of solar panels, and will run up to 900 watts into other amps/equipment. I use a Zoom H2 stereo recorder which is very low power use.

Something to keep in mind when running directly from batteries. The actual supply voltage will vary from a peak charging voltage to a minimum of a discharged battery. This variation can be plus / minus 25% so be sure your equipment will tolerate such a variation. Much of the automotive 12VDC equipment is designed to work on a nominal 13.6V supply. Variations much above or below this point may result in undesirable performance.

I never understand why people post things like “its not possible”, as if they know all there is to know. That’s the beauty of the internet, you’re always going to find someone who knows something about the topic. Or, at worst, you’ll get silence. But people saying “not possible” just doesn’t make sense to me, its as if they’re saying they know all there is to know about something.

Anyway, I just went through some similar research with record players. Lots of good equipment either uses external 12 volt power supplies, which is pretty obvious, but less obviously it converts the AC signal to 12 volt DC inside. Here’s the thread, pretty interesting:

https://www.vinylengine.com/turntable_forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=52066

If you post to a pro audio group, or to a forum that deals with whatever bit of hardware you’re interested in, maybe you can find similar equipment for your needs.