Indicators of worn/bad capacitors?


I'm sure this topic has been addressed before, but perhaps I can ask again: What indicates capacitors are in need of replacement in a solid state amp? Specifically, my system seems a bit harsh/bright lately.  Nothing else in my system has changed (LRS, VPI HW-19 with Mörch UP-4 arm/Sumiko BP#2, Mytek Brooklyn DAC+, Cambridge CXC CD-2, Classé Audio DR-9 with very few hours on it, various cables). Could that be an indicator of bad capacitors?

 

Thanks in advance,

KAC

kacomess

Showing 1 response by atmasphere

visual clues include swelling, discharge of any substance at the base of the capacitor, heat discolouration and general old age (although old caps can still function OK).

This is only if the capacitor is heating up. If the cap isn't heating about all that might be happening is the total capacitance is lower than expected. That can in turn increase the IMD of the amplifier (which tends to manifest as harshness and possibly also brightness).

You can get a cap checker quite reasonably on Amazon.

You can, but it won't tell you if the cap is failing, unless the value reads significantly off. I've measured plenty of bad caps that the tester said were OK.

If the amplifier is really 35 years old the filter caps probably are suspect. We're talking about the 1980s still- anything made in the 1980s has suspect filter capacitors, and the fact that the amp sat around for a long time doesn't help- that might actually be worse for caps than keeping them charged (they have that in common with batteries; electrolyic capacitors have a chemical element that film caps do not).