标签: ultracapacitor

Red Wine Audio, a battery-powered audio equipment company, displayed an unusual modular integrated amplifier at the recent New York Audio Show. No, I'm not talking about the change in brand from the usual Red Wine Audio to Vinnie Rossie (the founder). Instead of a battery, the amplifier uses ultracapacitors. Yes, you read that right! The amp has 18 ultracapacitors in two banks, reports the Stereophile magazine. The report says the capacitors were developed for use in automotive regenerative braking systems. The two banks allow for one to charge while the other is discharging—the switching, I understand from other reports, is seamlessly implemented. So what's the benefit? Really fast charging and really long battery life—rechargeable batteries offer limited charge-discharge cycles. Clever design. Oh, I almost forgot to explain how the Vinnie Rossie Lio is modular. Like many of the company's products, you can customise it with your choice of modules: a DAC-preamp, a phono preamp, an integrated amplifier, a headphone amplifier, etc. Red Wine Audio's home page at http://redwineaudio.com/ says the product will be released this month. --Vivek Nanda