I bought some Wima caps long ago when this thread first started didn't have time to put them in until a month ago. I used a second system to test Wima out. I replaced some Jupiter copper foils, V Caps, Jantzen Alumens, Miflex Copper. I put them in a Bruce Moore Preamp, LSA Statement towers with outboard crossover and Usher Tiny Dancers. I let Wima run for a month or so hoping they would become the cap you say they are, that never happened. They are just as much of a tone control as the boutique caps. Wima's dull the sound which is controlling the tone. I found them to sound just what they are cheap compared to boutique caps. I had some Solens laying around so I flipped them in. Some areas the Wima sounded better compared to the Solens some the Solens sounded better than Wima. In no place did the Wima sound better than Jupiter or V Cap. With Wima the natural sparkle and air is lost which becomes muted. If air and sparkle is colored I prefer colored. I mean no disrespect but I find the exact opposite of your findings.
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I wouldn't take it too serious everything is colored. Playing drums, the guy in the booth loves a certain sound, he wants a heavy wallet thrown on snare. That trick has been used a lot, that's what we are listing to a wallet on a drum head with our fancy stereo's and boutique caps. Playing with caps can make you forget about listening to music. Now we are listening to caps. That's why I like my main system I haven't touched or changed anything in 6 years, I know I can make it sound better but I don't. It's has First gen Joseph Audio Persepectives, I don't even know what caps are in there and won't look in there either, they play the same enjoyable reliable music year after year. Let it be. There is something to that. It can be more important than improving the sound. I'm still amazed how the boutique caps can change a system in a very positive way. For others less expensive caps sound better. I owned a Don Allen Preamp he used non boutique caps for the sound all for $800. I have always regretted selling that amp it smoked my BAT vk5i SE with 8 amprex white label. It could play with $5000 and up amps loaded with cheap caps, so who knows what's best. |
Hi raul, you helped me pick the Jantzen alumen z's a while back. Have you changed your mind. I think it my be hard to find a boutique cap without a little flavor. Please understand I'm not very experienced with all caps out there only what I have used. I tried the Jantzen z's in a 2.5 crossover calling for 2 caps in the tweeter section. I ran across a couple used Clarity CMR and bought it for the hell of it to try in same crossover using a combination of CMR and Z's. I really like this combo. I did bypass it with a copper foil Jupiter and Miflex. I did prefer the Miflex so I settled on CMR, Z and Miflex combo. I did use the path resistors with nice results. I have used Duelund as bypass in Preamp as bypass with nice results also but not speakers.Parts Connextion is now having there 25% sale now. Good luck on your search please let us know if you find something better than Z's because I really like that cap.
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Like I said before I am new with modding with film caps but here is my caps I have tried, Jantzen alumen Z, Audyn copper max, Miflex copper foil, vcap, Sonicap platinum, Duelund, Jupiter copper, mundorf supreme silver gold, clarity cap CMR. The 2 that weren't for me were Vcap and mundorf. Jupiter is not neutral either but is a very nice cap. I liked the Miflex better than Audyn copper max. Between the Jupiter and Miflex the bass is bigger and tighter than Jupiter, Jupiter is a little smoother and colored than Miflex. The most neutral was the Jantzen Z and CMR. With Z being a little more neutral and CMR being a little more transparent. I have external crossover point to point and could flip caps pretty fast to see what they were doing. The Miflex bypass did make nice addition without feeling it threw off phase or lost a lot neutralality of Z or CMR's. I noticed your system is solid state mine is tube Preamp, tube CD player, solid state and tube phono pre's, solid state amps and tube amps so apples and oranges. |
I used vcap TFTF in a tube Preamp as signal cap, it was nice but did not sound natural to me. It is a neutral cap but came across as sterile after spending time with it, sounded great at beginning after break in but that wore off. I use the Duelund silver as bypass in Preamp. Sonicap platinum bypass in a set of speakers. |
The first speakers I used to experiment with caps came with auricaps LSA statements towers with ribbon tweeters. I first tried to keep auricap family so I moved up to the Auricap XO in the tweeter the XO's are better, more refined better stage and not as tipped up. I do prefer the Jantzen Z's and CMR' that are in them now. The XO's are very nice can't go wrong with those either.
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Please let us know what you thought of Audyn ref. I am interested in changing bass caps in a pair of speakers. I never looked at the Audyn ref before only copper max and there large values are to rich for my blood. Parts conextion 25% off sale puts the CMR and Audyn ref at the same price in same values.
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Breaking in a cap is not really on my fun list. I have alumen z/CMR in crossover, you prefer the cheap Wilma? Looked them up they are pretty cheap. How long was break in? Sometimes the new sonics can become wrong after newness wears off. |
I may try. You sparked my interest, I found a supplier, he's emailing me availability on mkp 10, there hard to find in USA. Only from what I googled wima may be tipped up/ cleaner from Alumen z. I find the z more on the warm side of the CRM. This may be why you like the wima. The CRM is more neutral than Z for me, I find CMR/Z combine well together. Funny you mentioned tambourines the CMR reproduces that cheap tin metal sound very well and sometimes I use tambourines to judge a cap, tambourine is hard to do correct. Playing drums since a little kid I have problem buying hand hammered Turkish ride cymbals and metal snare drums and also use that to judge caps. Metal snares aren't muddy like a wooden snare. The CMR is good at that but it's not perfect but I find it neutral and fairly true to live music. The Duelund silver bypass goes well with it. One of the best things I found to reproduce that metal crunch sound is a DIY 6 gauge solid core silver wire with neodymium magnets with the RCA center pin punched out and silver wire is connected directly from amp to Preamp with no interference, copper or aluminum braid is return. It does slightly roll of highs but I fix that with a acoustic zen ref 2.
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Main speakers are older Joseph audio perspective not current perspective 2. I have not altered those yet and don't know if I ever will. The speakers I have been playing with caps are LSA Statements floorstanders. LSA had 3 versions standard, signature and statement, the statement has ribbon tweeters. I've owned these LSA's for 15 or more years and always enjoyed them. After adding new caps they are now much better speakers. I also have some Usher tiny dancer and some GR Research hot rodded monitors which are the speakers that got me interested in changing caps. I've not had any fatiguing issues with Z's even with ribbon tweeter.
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Talked to mouser few days ago only cap they have 6.8 which is for bass driver and mid driver in 2.5 crossover. Tweeter caps for me are 8.2 and 4.7 and 1.5 for rear firing tweeter. Maybe I'll replace 6.8 for the hell of it just to see only cost a few bucks, honestly would be surprised if it sounded better than Clarity cap.
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Just back from holidays, I'm going to contact mouser again and see if the have my values, other company wanted me to buy 100's at a time, I'm just curios if Wima can compete for other projects against boutique caps, sure would save me a lot of money.
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