Mundorf MKP Audiophiler or ClarityCap ESA ?

I like Clarity ESA more than MKP.

But for me it is about tone, not congestion.

If you have harshness you want to get rid of, MKP is the better cap.

If your tweets are relatively neutral but you want more open, then ESA

I never had this congestion others are mentioning. Did a few Focal mods. A commercial fan of the Mundorf MKP is B&W, famous for also using these micro-motor tweets.

Best,

E

I've heard 1 person really dislike MKP.

I think they are a nice step up from the cheap Solens (not sure about expensive Solens) so some of this may have to do on the tweetr/mid you are using.

Again, it is SOooooo cheap, you should just go ahead and try them out. About $7/cap.

Give them a week or so to break in. If you don't like them, or want to try ESA too, go ahead.

I really think right now both are so inexpensive, you should not listen to me at all, but listen for your own ears. :)

Best,


E

You know, the point I want to make too is, Mundorf MKP's are super cheap, and a big upgrade from electrolytics.

Why don't you go ahead and replace oru caps with Mundorfs, and if you find htem dark, try ESA.

Mundorf MKP : Great low amplitude detail, and ambience/room acoustics but pretty dark. Great choice for harsh tweets.

ESA: Little less room acoustics/low level detail but slightly brighter.

Audio, since I use both Mundorf MKP and ESA that is actually what i’m comparing it to. My comments on CSA were based no the delta between MR and CMR, thinking you’d hear the same steps up. :)

Sorry, I now have double confirmation you were right about what lines were current and I was wrong! :-)

But as their US distributor notes here:

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/clarity-cap-lines/post?postid=1421502#1421502

The ’C’ versions are meaningful steps up, for close to the same money.

You can see why I might have assumed they were discontinuing the older 2 lines, especially since I started to see deep discounts.

Best,

E

OOPS! Sorry about that bit of misinformation. I should ask them. The ESA and MR lines went on sale simultaneously in advance of the release of the CSA and CMR so I erroneously assumed they were being phased out.

My apologies for the incorrect information.

Best,


E

Yes. Just that ESA is being discontinued, so doulbe check with your supplier. :)

My overal comments are that the ESA is darker than the CSA, but not as dark as the MKP.

I should also say, both of these cap lines are on the darker side.

The Mundorf Supreme's are much brigher arier, but add a kind of oily, scintilating color.  It's VERY nice but NOT natural.

The Clarity CMR are as open and airy, but lack the coloration. It's where I go if I can afford in a project.

E

Um, Clarity just released a new version, which replaces ESA, called CSA.

If you want dark, but fabulous low level detail, go with Mundorf MKP.

If you want a brighter, arier cap, CSA.

I can't stress enough though, the MKP has TONS of low level detail and ambience, but it's a better cap when you want to tame the high end. It's also cheap enough playing with it won't break your budget. :)

Best,

E