Topic: Rechargeable AA Batteries for Band IEMs

[voltronic]

Glad I came across this. Big fan of LADDAs. Checked online, and as of today, the Schaumburg (IL) Ikea still has these in stock. Won't ship locally, pickup only. $6.99/4 (2450mAh) AAs. Placing an order...

The Fujitsus do look like a great backup plan (though, double the price of the LADDAs). Still, nearly a fin/4 pack less than the Eneloop Pros (which they're also likely a rebrand of). Noted, for future needs...

+1 to all that. I have a decent stock of 2450 mAh LADDAs, but they don't last forever and I don't always feel like trucking out to my nearest IKEA. Saving these Fujitsu's for later.

[aaronji]

You can get an 8 pack of AA Eneloop Pros from B&H for $30. A little more juice (2550 mAh) and only a couple of bucks more than those Fujitsus. With the added bonus of not having to deal with Amazon. Given all of the cash I have put into microphones, recorders, and pre-amps, I don't mind spending a little bit extra for good batteries, cables, SD cards, and other accessories. 

As for Ikea, I would gladly spend twice as much if it meant not having to venture anywhere near that hell on earth!

[Gutbucket]

Good gear + proper routine is the key to failure avoidance.

The Maha C9000 charger (or equivalent) + quality low-self-discharge NiMH AAs (Eneloop or Maha/Powerex) + initial break-in routine, pair-matching based on tested capacity, and a regular refresh/re-analyze maintenance regimen have eliminated all battery failures for me since implementation.  Proper break-in and pair-matching maximize capacity and reliability, while re-analyzing and logging to note capacity decline allows me to catch end of life curve prior to outright failure, at which time I re-purpose them to less critical applications.

I get about 2 years of failure-free critical use out of my NiMH AA's this way and am more confident of avoiding potential battery failure using the method above than I am with disposable alkaline cells. 

[aaronji]

Good gear + proper routine + redundancy is the key to failure avoidance.

At least if possible. I used my MixPre-6 with well-treated Eneloop Pros in the eight battery sled for a lot of shows. I never had a problem, but I was always a little anxious. When I added a USB-C battery into the mix, it relieved all concern. If one craps out, the other will carry the load. Obviously, this isn't always possible, but it is nice when it is. In the same vein, it baffles me that many "prosumer" recorders, like the MixPres and the Zoom F6, don't have redundant storage media. I would love an extra SD slot or built-in storage...