Q: Should I use an AC adapter or batteries for the best sound with my pedals?
A: There are advantages and disadvantages to each.
- If your pedals are mounted to a pedalboard, changing batteries is a tremendous pain.
- In certain cases, AC power supplies can add noise to the signal.
- A pedal’s sound may change as a battery loses power.
- You generally have to remember to unplug the guitar cord from a battery-powered pedal’s input or the battery will go dead.
- Some AC power supplies provide options for tweaking voltages for more flexibility.
- Over time, batteries can get expensive — and they’re not particularly ecologically friendly.
Our advice is to try both and see what sounds best. Most guitarists with more than a few stompboxes find that an AC power supply is more convenient and consistent.