Kimber vs Jensen coupling caps in Cary amps

You're kidding right?

No kidding! As far as I remember, there was a thread in Audio Asylum/Tweaks/DIY that Kimbers are very detailed, etc. Also, I substituted the stock Audio 1 caps in my other amp (Cary SLI-80) for Jensens and I thought they were bright. I hope a substantial burn-in period, as well as cables and tubes replacement will cure this problem.

Man, if you can hear the difference that a single capacitor makes in your amp, you are truly blessed with golden ears.

Transl--which caps did you install? It reads that you installed Audio 1 caps in place of Jensens.

And...you installed caps that are 'bright' and hope to use new tubes and interconnect cables as tone controls? If those caps are too bright after a week or 3, get 'em out of there!!!!!!!!!
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I have alot of experience with this. Caps make a huge difference in sound. I put Jensen copper in foil caps in my 805C, 300SE and now my SLM200's The caps actually take a long time to break in. But when they do, you will hear it. About 100 hours is right. This is not hype, it is very easy to hear in a very resolving system. I do not like the sound of the kimber caps. For preamps, I would not recommend the Jensens. I put them in my SLP98 preamp and it just didnt do it for me. In there, I spent the bucks and put in REL Teflons. They made a great preamp into one of the best i have heard.
I have experimented with caps for over 15 years now, it is not hype. dont ask me to explain why, i cant. But it is real to me and others that I have helped.

It's just my bad English - I installed the Jensens in place of Audio 1, and such mod was approved by Cary. They really tend to be bright but, at the same time, they are much more airy and transparent and have a deeper soundstage.
Using tubes as tone controls? This is what tube rolling is all about. When I replaced the Kenrad 6SN7/VT-231 tubes by Sylvania VT-231, the sound became more transparent and 50% of brightness disappeared.

Linnlp12,If you don't mind would you tell where do you shop for the caps?

Yes, the difference in capacitors is clearly audible. You should think about the power supply caps if yours has electrolytics.
These power supply caps will transform your preamp if you have the room.

A few links to suppliers of other caps:

http://www.diyhifisupply.com

http://www.diycable.com/main/default.php?cPath=35&Cid=47a6afe7f07f8631553191c625665e2b

http://www.percyaudio.com/Catalog.pdf

http://www.partsconnexion.com/catalog/CapacitorsFilm.html

Henry, if Michael Percy sells it, that's where I buy it. http://www.percyaudio.com/Catalog.pdf

Herman, I agree about the ASC 'propylenes in powersupplies. I've replaced the 2nd-pole caps in my ASL 805 DTs with 2 40uFs in parallel (instead of 2 270uF 'lytics in series); the amp sounds audibly cleaner...less gritty. Percy sells them in 20uF and 40uf. If one can get by with 600V. caps, I use Solen 630s (usually the 47uFs), bypassed with '1.22'uF NorthCreek Harmonys. http://www.northcreekmusic.com/Zen.html

A couple pics are here http://community.webshots.com/album/287782641gYWTlA .

Transl, do you have a schematic diagram of that Carey you could e-mail to me, pls?
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Oh yeah, while you're at it get rid of the electrolytic cathode bypass caps too and replace with film caps. They are just as much a part of the signal path as the coupling caps.

Bottom line: electrolytics sound like crap no matter where they are. The exception is the expensive Black Gates, but they only sound their best when charged up all the time so the amp must be left on all the time, not practical with a tube amp.

Why not those?

"Why not those?" what?
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Whenever I post something happens and it cuts off the first part of my sentence. Why not oil caps? Cary recommends them.

The Jensen oil-caps are superb, and I like them better than most other caps. However, you should seriously consider adding bypass caps - the Chris VenHaus V-cap Teflon caps. This will really open-up the soundfield and extend it.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio
Manufacturer/modder

I did NOT have the change in sound that I was looking for by adding Jensen Copper bypass caps to my Cary SLP-2002. Now, a year later, got the nerve up and installed MIT RTX Polystyrene Bypass caps. After burn-in, I am quite satisfied with the increased speed/dynamics/bandwidth/resolution/neutrality. All without the added brightness that so bothered me with the Jensens.
YMMV

Where did you pick up your MIT's?

reb1208 - I have used RTX's for years. The V-Caps are better. They are the only bypass cap that I have found that is totally transparent and blends perfectly with the bypassed caps.

Bio- I purchased the MIT RTX from Michael Percy.

Audioengr- I have no doubt the teflon caps are superior. However for the value that I selected (.47uf) the price is obviously prohibitive. I am using them to bypass a 5.0 MIT PPMFX and the two together blend incredibly well. Sure I could use a smaller value V-Cap and save on the cost. But I don't care for the sound of very small bypass caps on a much larger cap. Can't imagine that the V-Cap would be any different. Surely it will be too fast for the larger cap.
I'll stick with the .47 RTX.

Some time ago I installed 0.22 uf V-caps in my Cary SLI-80 integrated. My first impression was, as compared to jensens copper-oil caps, that the V-caps didn't have such air and sounded mechanical. Yes, they removed some midrange veil but were still warm at the same time. After approx. 100 hours, things improved dramatically, but a somewhat dark character remains.

This is one of those questions where there is no right answer. Since coup. caps are a must in tube products, using them is something like a tone control. The only way to know for sure is to try them, let them break in, and see if u like them. If you dont try something else. I find the Kimbers perform well especially when price is a consideration. G. Garfield

Coupling caps are not a must in tube amps. All of my amp stages are transformer coupled and the only caps are oil/film caps in the power supplies.

Transl, is anything touching the v-cap capacitor such as self stick tape or sticky putty. I have found that teflon capacitors (perhaps others) can take on the dielectric signature of something touching the outer case.

Hi
I installed .22uf Rel Teflon's in my Cary Sli 80, replacing the Audio 1's. Thay take a long time to break in, but the difference was astounding! Everything opened up. I lifted a heavy veil from to to bottom.

Reb: The V-caps are located free in space (no tapes) and don't touch anything.

I replaced the Kimbers with Jensen, they were better, more soft sounding though.. however Mundorf Silver/oils are superior to the Jensens in all applications I have used either. Only reason I even started in with the jensens is they were available to me before I ever knew about the mundorfs.