Capacitor log Mundorf Silver in Oil


I wished I could find a log with information on caps. I have found many saying tremendous improvement etc. but not a detailed account of what the changes have been. I have had the same speakers for many years so am very familiar with them. (25+ years) The speakers are a set of Klipsch Lascala's. They have Alnico magnets in the mids and ceramic woofers and tweeters. The front end is Linn LP12 and Linn pre amp and amp. The speaker wire is 12 gauge and new wire.

I LOVE these speakers around 1 year ago they started to sound like garbage. As many have said they are VERY sensitive to the components before them. They are also showing what I think is the effect of worn out caps.

There are many out here on these boards I know of that are using the Klipsch (heritage) with cheaper Japanese electronics because the speakers are cheap! (for what they can do) One thing I would recommend is give these speakers the best quality musical sources you can afford. There is a LOT to get out of these speakers. My other speakers are Linn speakers at around 4k new with Linn tri-wire (I think about 1k for that) and the Klipsch DESTROY them in my mind. If you like "live feel" there is nothing like them. In fact it shocks me how little speakers have improved in 30 years (or 60 years in the Khorns instance)

In fact I question Linn's theory (that they have proved many times) that the source is the most important in the Hi-Fi chain. Linn's theory is top notch source with lessor rest of gear including speakers trumps expensive speakers with lessor source. I think is right if all things are equal but Klipsch heritage are NOT equal! They make a sound and feel that most either LOVE or hate. (I am in the LOVE camp and other speakers are boring to me)

So here goes and I hope this helps guys looking at caps in the future. Keep in mind Klipsch (heritage Khorns Belle's and Lascala's especially) are likely to show the effects of crossover changes more then most.

1 The caps are 30 years old and
2 the speakers being horn driven make changes 10x times more apparent.

Someone once told me find speakers and components you like THEN start to tweak if needed. Don't tweak something you not in love with. Makes sense to me.

So sound
Record is Let it Be (Beatles)
The voices are hard almost sounds like a worn out stylus.
Treble is very hard. I Me Mine has hard sounding guitars. Symbals sound awful. Everything has a digital vs. analog comparison x50! Paul's voice not as bad as John's and George's. Voices will crack.

different lp
Trumpets sound awful. Tambourine terrible. Bass is not great seems shy (compared to normal) but the bad caps draw soooooo much attention to the broken up mid range and hard highs that are not bright if anything it seems the highs are not working up to snuff. I have went many times to speaker to make sure tweeters are even working.

All in all they sound like crap except these Klipsch have such fantastic dynamics that even when not right they are exciting!

Makes me wonder about the people who do not like them if they are hearing worn out caps and cheap electronics? Then I can see why they do not like them! If I did not know better from 25+ years of ownership that would make sense.

For the new crossover I have chosen Mundorf Silver in Oil from what I have read and can afford. I want a warm not overly detailed sound as Klipsch already has lots of detail and does not need to be "livened up" they need lush smooth sounding caps. Hope I have made the right choice?

When the crossover is in I will do a initial impression on same lp's. Right now it goes from really bad (on what may be worn vinyl) to not as bad but NOT great on great vinyl. (I know the quality of the vinyl because tested on other speakers Linn)

The new caps are Mundorf Silver in Oil and new copper foil inductors are coming. I will at the same time be rewiring the speakers to 12 guage from the lamp cord that PWK put in. PWK was a master at getting very good sound often with crap by today's standards components.

The choice of speakers would be a toss up now depending on what I am listening to. Klipsch vastly more dynamic but if the breaking up of the sound becomes to much to effect enjoyment the Linn would be a better choice on that Lp. If I could I would switch a button back and forth between speakers depending on song and how bad the break-up sound was bothering me.

volleyguy
I now have about five hours on Claritycap MR in Merlin mid/woofer section, replacing stock cryoed Hovland. This covers 2200hz down to low 30s in one driver. This was a big step up-- and a reminder that midrange and LF is where the music lives. The stage opened wide and deep, dynamics are full of energy with underlying calm, and instruments and voices sound more natural.

Having already completed coupling cap upgrades in phono section, line stage, Merlin BBAM equalizer, and amp(using V-Cap TFTF and Mundorf Silver/Gold in about equal measure), I'm coming around to Duelund's viewpoint that the speaker crossover is perhaps the most important target for a signal cap upgrade.
That is great to hear Dave on the crossover being the most important (single cap) upgrade. I am quite excited to see what you will think of Duelund caps there. I think it is a fundemental change as opposed to incremental upgrade. The sound changes to real instruements that is hard to comprehend. That change has convinced me on Steen's findings on no plastic.

My system makes extremely real sounds but could benefit from from quieter (but even more real sounding) caps in the amp. I expect to be over the moon after that change. It is that "underlying calm" that I hope comes from coupling cap upgrade to Duelund.
“My system makes extremely real sounds but could benefit from quieter (but even more real sounding) caps in the amp.”

Volleyguy, there is no doubt in my mind that once you upgrade the caps on your amp with Duelund caps the sound quality will be way beyond your expectation. You will defiantly get a quieter background and if you use the CAST you will get more natural sound..

Cheers,
Thanks Fas948 that is what I would expect but have never done an amp upgrade. Heck until I read Steen's paper on what matters in a system I would always have just bought new gear. After the cap (Duelund VSF and CAST) upgrade in the speaker not only the best money I spent I now understand why guys mod gear.

I did want to ask you did you come from plastic caps in the amp before? If that was the case I can easily imagine the change as it would be a fundemental change from no plastic as well as quality change.

Until I rebuilt my speakers I was on the upgrade itis that companies have you on. That is when I found Arthur's site and he said there had not been any real big improvements in amps in 40 years and if a company told there was they were lying. Then finding out from Frederik that even Steen used vintage caps until he made his own convinced me we were not really on the right track.
Vintage Mica caps? Steen talked about these being very good sounding. Anyone ever heard them? Wikipedia says they were manually intensive and high cost.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_mica_capacitor

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_(component)