capacitor dielectric bias


I've seen speaker cables with dielectric bias.
Why not capacitors, too? It'd be like biasing a transistor to reduce switching noise.
is this wacky?
If it's possible I want a a piece of the action, after all it was MY idea!
magfan

Showing 2 responses by atmasphere

Biasing of electrolytics is even more critical than that of film. If not biased, they will distort. This has led to a bad reputation for electrolytics, one not deserved if they are actually treated properly.
Liguy, it is very well known in electrolytics. If an electrolytic is used as a coupling cap, the cap must be biased with a DC voltage that is larger than the AC signal it is being used to couple. Electrolytics *really* don't like being reverse-biased, which would happen on part of the waveform if the first part of this statement is not realized.

Now in crossovers, 'non-polar' electrolytics have been used for years, but that technique produces distortion because of this bias issue. If they are to be used successfully in a crossover, the caps have to be biased with a battery. When this is done they easily operate with the performance of film caps.