My VTL's have the original VTL input caps; they sound nice, but they are almost 20yrs old. A friend suggested replacing the input caps as the best way to improve their sound. VTL offers the MIT cap upgrade; my friend suggests Sonicaps Platinum. The job will require 16 X 0.47 mF 400V caps, and the Sonicaps Platinum will be too expensive. I appreciate any suggestions...Dynamicaps, MIT RSX, Sonicaps GEN I/II, Mundorf? I favor a smooth, rich, "organic", sound over a harsh, clinical sound. Also, how about suggestions for sourcing the replacement caps? Thanks so much!
Coupling: Smooth + organic: V-Cap Teflons (yes they are that good and if you want a glimpse of that sound on a tight budget try Russian FT3s, which has a similar signature but not quite @ VCaps level) Rich: Russion PIO Organic: Jensen Copper oil open but light-bass: Mundorf silver oil
High Voltage: VALAB 47uF 500V and parallel them to get about half the value you got in the ELNAs in the input and driver stage.
Power supply for output tubes... size consideration and fitting means u need to use the same old large cans, Nichicons and Panasonic need not apply.
Right you are, face. I should have noted that and made the point that differences DO exist and they are not trivial. I'm looking at the Clarity SA for my crossovers....with a .01 bypass on the HF side.
The evaluations at HumbleHomeMadeHiFi are from speaker evaluations, not line level electronics. Check the cap thread in the lab section of Audiocircle instead.
Go with the VTL advice, or keep the old capacitors for replacing them again. Rrog post is wise - putting the wrong (otherwise excellent) capacitor can ruin the sound of your amplifier.
I am assuming that the input caps are in parallel, and was done to decrease the input impedance or tailor the sound. Some would say that could "blur" the sound, others would claim that it would make it "faster". While I have not experienced these issues by paralleling caps, why not install one high quality cap that is the same uf value as the combine total of these input caps. The value needed is determined mostly by the input impedance and needed low freq roll off. Thus the needed value is the combined total of the paralleled original set. I have tube mono's that had input caps. I removed them after determining that the preamp had output caps, thus no need to have additional caps in the signal path!(only have two as of now) I believe the fewer the better not only for overall sound but a much easier time "tuning" the system with only two caps.
Changing capacitors to whatever brand is popular at the time is no guarantee you will end up with good sound. Many vintage components have been ruined by changing the caps to the latest greatest. Then there is the case of the reviewer who had his beloved Audio Research SP-15 recapped by GNSC. He was so disappointed in the sound he sold it at a discount just to be rid of it. If you are not familiar with the SP-15, it was one of Audio Research's top preamps and one of the best phone preamps ever.
As mentioned by Jallen, be careful with PIO caps in a hot tube amp chassis. Most PIOs are rated to 65C(and some optimistically so), as compared to 85C or above for dry constructions. ClarityCap MR has a dry construction and is treated with encapsulation and several other techniques that reduce microphonics for the effect of smoothness & relaxation similar to oil, but without the blurring that typically accompanies oil. The main problem has been unavailability of MR in the .1uf-.68uf range applicable to most tube applications. These small values are now available on an OEM basis and may be forthcoming through the retail channel.
Personally I'm not a big fan of Russian K40Y9 for signal coupling, but I like Russian SSG silver mica for small bypass applications. IMO these are more refined in treble than the Russian FT teflon series. If you can get by with 350Vdc, you might try paralleling a .01uf/350V SSG with your chosen .47uf base cap. The mil spec russians are typically conservatively rated for voltage so you should likely be fine.
Marty, as always, beat me to the punch. When it comes to value for money, go with the surplus Russian military PIO caps.
I first found out about these several years ago from my buddy, who happens to be that anonymous author of the widely quoted Capacitor Shootout. Though the overall grade he awarded them was low, and thus there hasn't been the feeding frenzy on them there would have otherwise been, a careful read shows he found them to be in the top three in some respects. Suffice it to say he's a big enough fan to use them in his own gear; almost exclusively, in fact.
I was recently talking about them with a coworker of mine who emigrated here from the Soviet Union. And, like most of his ilk, he's an audiophile, though not to the silly extremes we go to. According to him, they find it difficult to believe the "high" prices we're willing to pay for them. Until recently, when some there realized they could make a few bucks selling them to us, they literally were thought of as trash, mountains of it. However, he did maintain their build quality to be far in excess of anything that these boutique high-end audio companies could ever dream of.
For coupling caps the v-caps are hard to beat. If you want the best sound, get the Copper V-caps, they are so organic. They do transform the sound of a system. The improvement is not subtle. I hear greater improvements with caps than power cords, interconnects or bolt on upgrades. They are all important, but this one is big. . Look at the review in the Great Capacitor shootout, and in the Chinese hifi journal on the V-cap website. The downside is size, they are big, and expensive. In that quantity, you can get a better deal. If you don't want V-caps, the REL RT polystyrene are great and the Theta RT are also very good. They are not V-caps, but closer than some of the others listed. I would avoid oils as most of the people I know who used them in coupling positions got to clean an oil slick out of their amp....no thanks,....many oil caps don't like heat. They are fabulous in speakers as a Xover cap though. Mundorf Silver/Oil are legendary. If you got the money, get the V-caps if they fit. Otherwise, the Thetas are great (Parts Express) or the REL RT's, a very sweet cap. The Dynamicap is also a good choice. If you can, get 600V if they fit. Best of luck, and use Cardas silver/lead solder. I am green, but lead is so much easier to work with.......
Hello Mr T- Considering the prices of the better caps out there like: V-Cap, Mundorf, Deulund, the Audio Note or Jensen silver foils, and auraTEFLON; (RELATIVELY speaking) they are inexpensive. I'm just assuming the post originator values his music, but doesn't want to break the bank. Personally- I'm going with the V-Cap CuTF, but then- I don't need 16 of them.
From the description you gave of your tastes; a, "paper in oil" cap would probably suit you. Jensen copper foils are inexpensive, and will provide the presentation you're seeking. Click on, "JENSEN", at the bottom of this page: (http://www.partsconnexion.com/t/catalog/CapacitorsFilm.html) Audio Note copper foils aren't much higher in price(bottom of the same page). Here's some info from Audio Note, you might find of interest: (http://www.audionote.co.uk/comp/cap_paper.shtml) Most higher end caps will have the outer foil's lead marked in some way, for proper orientation in the circuit. China/Hong Kong? pffffft!
16 caps would be really expensive to do with V/caps. I'm sure it would sound great but! There are several capacitor write-ups you could look at. Jon L. Enjoy the music and http://www.humblehomemadehifi.com/Cap.html is another good one. For cost and performance I would suggest some Obligatoes from DIY HIFI Supply in Hong Kong or the Sonic Cap Gen I. Opinions will vary greatly on capacitor choices but I have used these two and they are both nice. I'm using Mundorf Silver/Oil now in my amp but that would also be very expensive. "But they are nice"
I just had my Thor Audio TPA 30's( Monos ) done with Vh Audio V/caps ( Cu TF's ) and they sound incredible..Sweet and very 3 dimensional..Also had my Linestage ( Thor T1000mk2 ) done with VH Audio V/caps ( TF TF's ) and the combo is exceptional.
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