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Thread: Capacitors

  1. #76
    Forum Regular hermanv's Avatar
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    Dayton caps are so so in my opinion. I would buy Reliable caps from Michael Percy, multi-foil PPFX or better if you can afford them. They are large, generally higher voltage caps are supposed to sound better than the lower voltage models even in the same type. I have used several models of Reliable caps and find they sound very good. Higher cost models tend to sound a little better.

    http://www.percyaudio.com/Catalog.pdf
    See page 5.

    See also these capacitor comparison sites:

    http://www.humblehomemadehifi.com/Cap.html

    http://www.altavistaaudio.com/caps.html

    http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=54218.0
    Herman;

    My stuff:
    Olive Musica/transport and server
    Mark Levinson No.360S D to A
    Passive pre (homemade; Shallco, Vishay, Cardas wire/connectors)
    Cardas Golden Presence IC
    Pass Labs X250
    Martin Logan ReQuests.

  2. #77
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    Ya know the one thing I could never figure is why a capacitor with the same uf but higher voltage sounds better than one with a lower voltage ?

    The Reliable capacitors are of good quality as I've used some in the past.Better quality caps do indeed help. I can vouch for the ppfx from Reliable also.
    Nad c270 amp
    Yamaha ax 700 integrated amp


    Onkyo p304 preamp
    Adcom gfp 555 preamp
    Polk Monitor 30 speakers 2 pairs
    Polk Monitor 40 speakers
    Z-Audio Lambda headphone amp
    Little Dot MK III tube headphone amp/preamp

    Sennheiser px100 headphones
    Tara Labs prism 33i interconnects
    Various Cable Pro cables

  3. #78
    Forum Regular hermanv's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by twc644
    Ya know the one thing I could never figure is why a capacitor with the same uf but higher voltage sounds better than one with a lower voltage ?

    The Reliable capacitors are of good quality as I've used some in the past.Better quality caps do indeed help. I can vouch for the ppfx from Reliable also.
    The higher voltage caps have a thicker dielectric. Why that sounds better I don't know. From my understanding of "break in" the thicker dielectric should need more time.
    Herman;

    My stuff:
    Olive Musica/transport and server
    Mark Levinson No.360S D to A
    Passive pre (homemade; Shallco, Vishay, Cardas wire/connectors)
    Cardas Golden Presence IC
    Pass Labs X250
    Martin Logan ReQuests.

  4. #79
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    Hmmm..you made a valid point and food for thought.
    Nad c270 amp
    Yamaha ax 700 integrated amp


    Onkyo p304 preamp
    Adcom gfp 555 preamp
    Polk Monitor 30 speakers 2 pairs
    Polk Monitor 40 speakers
    Z-Audio Lambda headphone amp
    Little Dot MK III tube headphone amp/preamp

    Sennheiser px100 headphones
    Tara Labs prism 33i interconnects
    Various Cable Pro cables

  5. #80
    Rayray the SBS Registered Member
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    Hi There,

    I am a newcomer to the audiophile world, just getting started purchasing a components and speakers a few months ago. I have been pretty happy with the monitors mentioned in this post as a set of surrounds, but I am considering upgrading the capacitors after reading this. After doing some research, I am considering putting in some claritycap SA's or a Claritycap SA/Jantzen superior mix. Your thoughts? And Also, I am a novice when it comes to circuits and soldering, the other reason I was thinking of using the Monitor 40's as they are an inexpensive test bed. And after hearing the other poster's results, It's got me wanting to try. How would I remove the solder from the previous caps? Could I just trim off the cap at the base of the capacitor, leave the wire from it exposed, and solder the new one on there? or is there a preferred method? does anyone know of a DIY tutorial with pictures I could reference to get the procedures down? Your help is appreciated, Thanks!!

  6. #81
    Forum Regular hermanv's Avatar
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    Desoldering covers a fair amount of experience and knowledge.

    There are two good ways of removing solder. 1. Is the use of a desolder braid and 2. Is the use of a suction device. Braid absorbs solder with a capillary action works ell but the braid is used up in the process. Suction devices vary from a surgical rubber bulb on a hollow solder tip to a spring loaded "solder sucker". Even motorized pumps are available.

    Sometimes you can heat existing solder and pull or unwrap a component lead (never pull on the body of a component, use needle nose to pull on the lead)

    All the techniques need some experience to be at their best.

    The problem is severe enough that applying it to inexpensive products will produce results below the cost and effort.
    Herman;

    My stuff:
    Olive Musica/transport and server
    Mark Levinson No.360S D to A
    Passive pre (homemade; Shallco, Vishay, Cardas wire/connectors)
    Cardas Golden Presence IC
    Pass Labs X250
    Martin Logan ReQuests.

  7. #82
    Rayray the SBS Registered Member
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    Thank you for your response! which would you recommend as a better method? or is this just something I will have to experiment with and gain experience in?

  8. #83
    Forum Regular hermanv's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by gomer3325
    Thank you for your response! which would you recommend as a better method? or is this just something I will have to experiment with and gain experience in?
    The braid is the easiest to learn, and results are visible.
    Herman;

    My stuff:
    Olive Musica/transport and server
    Mark Levinson No.360S D to A
    Passive pre (homemade; Shallco, Vishay, Cardas wire/connectors)
    Cardas Golden Presence IC
    Pass Labs X250
    Martin Logan ReQuests.

  9. #84
    Rayray the SBS Registered Member
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    Okay, I will look into that. Probably going to get shelved for a minute as I have to go to Louisiana on business for the next month. Can't carry them in my luggage, lol!

  10. #85
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    Well,here it is 4 years later since starting this thread and wondering if anyone else has modded their speaker crossovers and noticed any improvements.Would like to hear any opinions.I finally finished recapping my nad c-270 amp(main power supply caps)before they explode which has happened on several occasions since NAD used crappy capacitors and I've had this amp since 2000 . I aquired a Yamaha ax 700 integrated amp and completely recapped it as well since it's 27 years old and friggin love it's sound.Really has authoritive bass response that puts my NAD amp to shame.Let me hear from you guys to hear what'cha done. Luvtolisten are you still around bud ?
    Nad c270 amp
    Yamaha ax 700 integrated amp


    Onkyo p304 preamp
    Adcom gfp 555 preamp
    Polk Monitor 30 speakers 2 pairs
    Polk Monitor 40 speakers
    Z-Audio Lambda headphone amp
    Little Dot MK III tube headphone amp/preamp

    Sennheiser px100 headphones
    Tara Labs prism 33i interconnects
    Various Cable Pro cables

  11. #86
    Audio casualty StevenSurprenant's Avatar
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    Well, when I first built my speakers I was using an electronic crossover and bi-amping. I got tired of the complexity so I decided to build a passive crossover. The first cap I used on the tweeter was the one that came with it ( I have no idea what brand it was). It was a step down in clarity from the bi-amp set up. I then used what was reviewed as a very good audiophile capacitor (I forgot the brand and am too lazy to find it in my parts bin) which resulted in a marked improvement that equaled the bi-amp set up. Finally I bought Mundorf silver/oil which was a vast improvement over the previous cap and the bi-amp set up. I guess that goes to show you that electronic crossovers and bi-amping doesn't always equal the highest quality.

    As for what improved with the Mundorf... everything! To make a long story short, I haven't given any more thought about upgrading the cap since I put it in. It was expensive, but was worth every penny and I wouldn't think about using anything else, not now, not ever.

    As for the coils I use a mix of foil and wire. I'm not sure one is better than the other. I think the foil looks better.

    I use a simple 6db slope crossover. I tried several other configurations and slopes and in the end the simplest sounded the best to me.

    I realize that you were talking about recapping electronics, but I haven't had to do that. I bought my t-amp with upgraded input caps and have considered taking it a notch up to better caps, but am unsure if it would improve the sound, or for that matter which caps to use in an upgrade.

    I have recently switched over to battery power for my amp which has made a substantial improvement in the sound.

    Anyway, like you, I have come to realize what a decent capacitor can do. I noticed that you mentioned bass and that is important, but for me it's all about clarity, micro-details, air, and soundstaging. That is what I hear as the greatest improvements in the sound.

    I hope this thread continues and others here tell us their stories.

  12. #87
    Forum Regular luvtolisten's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by twc644 View Post
    Well,here it is 4 years later since starting this thread and wondering if anyone else has modded their speaker crossovers and noticed any improvements.Would like to hear any opinions.I finally finished recapping my nad c-270 amp(main power supply caps)before they explode which has happened on several occasions since NAD used crappy capacitors and I've had this amp since 2000 . I aquired a Yamaha ax 700 integrated amp and completely recapped it as well since it's 27 years old and friggin love it's sound.Really has authoritive bass response that puts my NAD amp to shame.Let me hear from you guys to hear what'cha done. Luvtolisten are you still around bud ?
    Hellooooooooooooooo TW! I'm alive and well, how have you been? I don't get on here as often as I once did, since the new format, Just not used to it yet, and I find it more difficult to find older threads myself. They just don't list as many as they once did.

    I think you created a monster (me) with the recapping. Since we last spoke I've really been bitten by the "vintage bug". I've acquired a lot of nice old speakers (35-40 pair) through garage sales, Craigslist, Good Will etc dirt cheap.. I've learned how to re-foam them as well, so by doing that and re-capping them, I've been having a ball. Some of the vintage speakers I have acquired are (70's to early 90's) are Polk, Wharfedale, Klipsch, Genesis, EPI, Infinity, Radio Shack, ADC, Bose are the ones that come to mind.I did re-cap an old Magnavox console, which wasn't working since I had nothing to lose, (my first bit of electronics re-capping) and brought it back to life. It's not tube, but solid state, probably late 60's or early 70's. It's a nostalgia thing. Also I picked up a Harman Kardon 430, Sony 3500 and a couple more entry level Sonys and a Yamaha from the early to mid 70's. I do like the sound of those older recievers, and they were built so much better than the ones you find in the "big box" stores now. I have a room just dedicated to audio. Nothing great, but a lot of fun. It's fun to swap different speakers in and out. The first thing I did when I got another pair of speakers was re-cap them. I think a lot of people get tired of their older speakers, due to the sound and distortion due to the age of the caps in them. But due to cost, I have been using the Dayton caps from Parts Express. I find they do the job quite well, for the price/performance ratio.

  13. #88
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    Steven,I agree with you completely as it's not just all about bass but soundstaging and air between the instruments.I've been tempted to purchase Mundorf silver/oil but the price has held me back.I second guess myself constantly about them and i'm sure if i'd just man up and pay the price i'd be thankful to myself as I've never tried caps that expensive.Lately,the highest end caps purchased were Jantzen z-silver.

    Luvtolisten...duuuuude good to hear from you ! glad your having a ball with the speaker mods.I still pop the hood on my equipment all the time after perusing service manuals wondering what can I do next.....addiction for me lol ! I just finished changing out several caps on the tone control circuit on my Onkyo p-304 preamp trying desperately to like it.I pretty much re-capped it back in 2008 from front to back with the exception of the tone circuit.Now thats done and I've got Pandora piped thru it.I've tried selling it many times losing out on fees to post it so I decided to just keep it and use it.

    Just last week I replaced the four 10,000uf power supply caps in my NAD C-270 amp.Replaced all the smaller caps about 5 years ago.Bought it back in 2000 and it's been high maintenance ever since.Never sounded all that great and got hot really quick.Some years back I found a service manual for it and adjusted the bias and dc offset.After the cap replacement,bias,and dc offset adjustment it runs just fine now.If anyone owns this particular amp or gets one used I would seriously recommend the owner to do the same as I have to keep it in use for years to come.They really used low grade caps in it and it is a known fact the power supply caps have a tendency to explode.

    I found a thread on another site regarding the Cambridge Audio 640c cd player I own and man these guys were very detailed regarding specific capacitors to change out.They were right as I followed their instructions and man the bass is more pronounced,stereo separation is better,and more detail from music. It's an ideal candidate as this player has not one but two Wolfsen dacs.I'm even happier with it !

    Anyway,really good to hear from ya and Steve thanks for your input also.Hope more chime in with their projects.
    Last edited by twc644; 03-10-2013 at 12:47 PM.
    luvtolisten likes this.
    Nad c270 amp
    Yamaha ax 700 integrated amp


    Onkyo p304 preamp
    Adcom gfp 555 preamp
    Polk Monitor 30 speakers 2 pairs
    Polk Monitor 40 speakers
    Z-Audio Lambda headphone amp
    Little Dot MK III tube headphone amp/preamp

    Sennheiser px100 headphones
    Tara Labs prism 33i interconnects
    Various Cable Pro cables

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