BBE Supa-Charger user reviews ( 9/10) - 6 user reviews

• 07/31/11

  denied's review "Isolated power at a fair price"

  Overall Opinion

  Features:
  
  - 8 outputs total
  
  - Switchable 9, 12v
  
  - Outputs 5 and 6 switchable 9, 16v
  
  - Adjustable input voltage
  
  - 2.1 mm cables. Also comes with 2 2.5mm cables.
  
  - 100 mA per output, outputs 5, 6 pushing 200mA
  
  - Filtered and isolated
  
  - Bright LED
  
  
  
  Usability:
  
  This is one of the only power supplies on the market that can be switched between 120-240 volts, making it perfect for anyone that does international travelling. The option to switch between 9, 12, and 16 v is another major plus. I just wish it could also go up to 18v. 100mA is USUALLY enough. On dirt, wah, compressor pedals it is more than adequate. But for high current pedals like delay, you are limited to outputs 5 and 6, which can be a pain. It doesn’t have the sag pots that the supplies like the PP2+ feature.
  
  The LED is a very bright blue and can light up most of your board depending on where the power supply is placed. I’ve had no reliability issues with it, just be sure to remember what voltage region you’re in, I’ve already blown a few fuses.
  
  
  
  Sound:
  
  A good power supply contributes a pretty huge amount to the silent/quiet operation of your rig. Before investing in the Supa Charger I used standard, non isolated, supplies, and ended up with quite a bit of noise at higher playing volumes. Picking up the isolated power supply made all the difference, ensuring that my board was once again usable. Even with multiple noisy gain pedals stacked, this unit keeps things pretty quiet. No complaints.
  
  
  
  Overall:
  
  Probably the most affordable reliable power supply on the market. Don’t be fooled by power bricks and the like, they are overpriced daisy chains disguised in fancy boxes. A proper isolated, regulated supply will deliver safe and noise free power to your pedals. When these originally came out they were an incredible deal, I think I picked mine up for $80 new. They’ve raised in price as they have in popularity, I believe they are now $150 on musicians friend, but still pretty affordable new. Highly recommended.
  Did you find this review helpful?yesno
• 07/25/11

  Stormleader's review "Great power supply!"

  Overall Opinion

  The BBE Supa Charger is a straight-up copy of the Voodoo Labs Pedal Power II Plus, except that the Supa Charger can deal with either 115 or 230 Volts for input power. Normally I don't like buying Chinese stuff when I can buy American-made, but the Pedal Power II Plus is $170 new. I got the Supa Charger brand-new off of Ebay for $110 shipped. It powers all of my pedals great without any problems, and since it is isolated it obviously killed off the problems I was having with ground loops, so noise free operation all around.
  
  
  
  I like that it is switchable to 12 Volts on most of it's outlets (16 Volts unregulated on the two that don't switch to 12 Volt), but I don't like that it can't switch to 18V, because frankly 18V is more common than 12V. Now, this is something I didn't like about the VDL Pedal Power II Plus, but honestly, couldn't BBE changed it so that it could do 18V? At least that way it wouldn't be such a rip off of the PP2+, heh.
  
  
  
  It's built very well, metal chassis, rubber feet, vents on the side. I bet if you were short on pedalboard space you could stick a pedal or two on top of this without any issues. It also runs fairly cool, which is nice as well. The switchable power is probably nice for those who travel a lot, it's not a must have for me, but it is nice having the option I guess. Oh yeah, the entire unit looks pretty killer as well, props to BBE for that!
  
  
  
  Would I recommend it to others? Only if you can get it for around the price I did ($110). Otherwise, I suggest you shell out the $20 extra to get the Voodoo Labs Pedal Power II Plus. Overall, it does it what it does well without any problems, and has enough outlets to power a decent sized board. Here's a tip: If you need more outlets, you can daisy chain pedals as long as you don't exceed the mA rating per outlet. Just make sure you keep the noisy pedals by themselves, and the pedals in the loop and pedals in front of the amp separate and you should be good.
  Did you find this review helpful?yesno
• 04/11/11

  darkwolf291's review "Great Power Supply"

  Overall Opinion

  This is an isolated, 8 output power supply. It's reliable, can switch between 120 and 240 volts, and is noiseless. Outputs 5 and 6 are switchable to 16 volts, and the rest are switchable between 9 and 12 volts. It uses a standard Kettle lead for it's power cable, and comes with 8 black 2.1 millimeter, 2' cables, and 2 2.5 millimeter 2' red cables. All 8 outputs are regulated, filtered, and isolated, ensuring noiseless power with no ground loops. Outputs 1-4, 7, and 8 can power up to 100mA, and outputs 5 and 6 can handle 200mA. You can daisy chain from one output to power more pedals as long as you keep within the milliamps it can supply. The 9V outputs can be doubled using a voltage doubler cable to give 18 volts.This is a great option for those pedals that either require, or sound better at 18 volts. Since it can switch between 120 and 240 volts, you can use it anywhere in the world without a step-down transformer.This is a great option for those who tour the world, and don't wanna buy another Power supply or a step down transformer. The number of jacks is great for those (like me) with a large pedalboard. The ability to daisy chain off of each output is great, letting you power even MORE pedals. Since each output (excluding the two 200mA) can handle up to 100mA, you can daisy chain quite a few pedals as long as they're not too noisy together. This thing can easily hold it's own against the Voodoo Labs Pedal Power II, and, in some ways (including price), outshines it. The number of outputs, the ability to switch between 9, 12, and even 16 volts on some jacks, and the ability to daisy chain off of each output make this one heck of a great power supply unit for a great price.
  Did you find this review helpful?yesno
• 03/11/11

  MGR/Billy's review "BBE Supa Charger"

  Overall Opinion

  This is the Supa Charger by BBE Sound Inc. it is basically a no bull power supply that up to 8 different pedals.
  
  
  
  Voltage is good for any 8 12 and 16 volt pedal. The goal is hum free power and it does a good job.
  
  
  
  I was building a pedalboard for a tour and wanted it to be as simple as possible. The BBE Supa Charger definitely makes life easier. Any plug or jack on your pedal will work. Boss style, 9-volt battery plug, 1/8' cable, 2.5mm barrel with reverse polarity, all of it.
  
  
  
  It does its job, powers everything with no additional outside noise.
  
  
  
  At $150 it is a little pricey, but it does what it should and you are paying for a quality power supply.
  
  
  
  It is somewhat bulky. The footprint will take up a good chunk think about 2 Boss sized pedals. I was able to mount it under my board.
  
  
  
  Well built and noise free. The cables are thick and not the junk you get with some cheaper sets. I\'d imagine this will last me a good couple of years.
  
  
  
  If you are sick of fussing with homemade plugs, wall warts, or a spaghetti looking pedalboard check this out. Great quality and no noise.
  
  
  
  This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com
  Did you find this review helpful?yesno
• 11/30/10

  mooseherman's review "Sweet power supply with hum cancel and voltage switch!"

  Overall Opinion

  This is a power supply for guitar pedals made by BBE. This is a pretty awesome power supply, as it has 8 channels that can be used simultaneously for different pedals. This alone makes it pretty cool. A cool feature of this power supply is that it has a toroid transformer which cancels hum. This is good because often times the primary source of hum comes from the power supply that the pedals use, and not necessarily the pedal itself. There are a lot of instances where the hum can't be cancelled of course, but this power supply will certainly minimize those instances. If you daisy chain a few pedals with the same power supply, that'll give you more options, but keep in mind that you may increase the chance of hum if you do that.
  
  Another cool feature of this power supply is that it can operate at different voltage levels. This is great for players who play overseas and need to switch because of the electrical currents over there. This is a constant problem that occurs quite often over there, as American players have to buy new gear, or buy converters for their old stuff. If you fancy yourself touring overseas anytime soon, and you haven't equipped yourself as far as your pedal board is concerned, this will probably make a great option.
  
  This is probably only for people who've been frustrated with their pedal supplies, or are touring overseas as previously mentioned. Some might complain that there are only 8 inputs, and that they all are for 9V batteries, which might not work for every pedal, but that's a minor complaint as most people will be fine with this. It's actually not that bad in terms of price, especially given the noise cancellation and voltage switching. I would say that supply comes highly recommended overall.
  Did you find this review helpful?yesno

• 11/30/09

  Kolincs's review ( translated ) Improve this translation

  Overall Opinion

  Technically ...
  
  
  
  The BBE Supa Charger is a power supply for effects pedals with:
  
  
  
  - 8 outputs selectable 9V, 12V and 16V * (* on outputs 5 and 6) (so versatile)
  
  - 100 mA for each output 1-4, 7-8, 200 mA for 5 and 6. (That's enough for me!)
  
  - Switch 110-220V (in order to attend to tour the States!).
  
  - 8 cable 2.1mm black
  
  - 2 cables 2.5mm red
  
  - On the branch with a PC type power cord. (So ​​much sound!)
  
  - Each output is isolated. What's the point? Well when you use part of your pedals in the effects loop and another part in front of the amp, it can sometimes create a ground loop that will create noise (it is not systematic but it happens) . BBE Supa Charger with it will not happen.
  
  - This power supply is quite compact and solid (I stayed in my pedalboard).
  
  - There is a small fuse system very useful to prevent burn out the BBE and your other pedals in the event of electrical problems (I come!)
  
  - This is actually a Chinese copy of a model from Voodoo Lab (the standard power supply that is much more expensive).
  
  
  
  <span style="text-decoration: underline;">We can blame him:</span>
  
  No output 18V (but I do not pose a problem for now)
  
  No switch ON / OFF (but I plug in a power strip that has an on / off switch so it's perfect).
  
  
  
  
  
  Performance
  
  
  
  Well it feeds your pedals without creating annoying buzz ... Is silence and I love it.
  
  I feed: Crybaby Wah, Boss DS-1, Proco Rat, Boss Metal Zone, Big Muff, MXR Phase 90, Rocktron Deep Blue Chorus (in the loop of the amp) and Boss DD-6 Delay (in the loop amp). All work perfectly with the BBE Supa Charger.
  
  
  
  <span style="text-decoration: underline;">However,</span> it does not work with my Boss CS-3 Compressor Sustainer-. I do not know if it is specifically this model or is it just my CS-3, fair (must say that I bought used and she seems to have already lived much ...).
  
  
  
  Trivia: When I got the beast, I was so fufu to try that I completely forgot to put in 220V mode (Europe) and I plugged it in 110V (USA). It was a nasty noise and light that boded no good! Fortunately, the fuse system worked perfectly (they probably did it for morons like me ...), the fuse has blown out to protect the BBE and the rest of my hardware, I replaced the fuse, and I finally got to try it!
  
  
  
  
  
  Balance Sheet
  
  
  
  I was using previously a transformer and a garland to power my pedals, and it created a terrible noise.
  
  Upon seeing my collection of pedals grow, I chose to build a pedalboard with a serious food seriously. But necessarily has a serious cost: I paid my BBE Supa Charger 140 euros Thomann. It hurts at first! But after a year of smooth operation and silent, I only want more dutout! Nothing to say.
  Did you find this review helpful?yesno