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Thor ta-1000 pre cap replacement -- advice

I am a new owner of a Thor TA-1000 preamp. What a fantastic piece of equipment. In my system it has a bit of a hard, tinny treble... just a bit. I want to try replacing caps with something warmer and wondered which caps should i replace? I see two small Hovland Musicaps and two small Multicaps. Then "beneath" the board (looking from the bottom of the unit here).... there are four big black caps... Solens i think. Which caps might be the place to start in order to warm the treble?

Before anyone asks, yes i am certain the treble issue stems from the thor. I have played w cables and tubes and will continue to do so but it needs something a bit more dramatic. I am willing to lose some detail to get rid of the issue.

Rest of system: sota star sapphire, grado reference sonata1, cec transport, audio note 3.1 sig dac, vtl mb-185 sig monoblocks, quad esl-63, vandersteen 2wq subs.

Thanks for thoughts!
montaldo
13 responses Add your response
grannyring's avatar
grannyring
6,479 posts
 

It is a wonderful preamp and still a great value used. I know it sounds beautiful with the AN caps and am happy for you. Amazing how changing caps can change the sound of gear to be subjectively more enjoyable!

montaldo OP
201 posts
 

Always good to listen to Grannyring! It's been a while but I think he helped me when I was looking at caps for my Thor years ago. I am one of those guys who absolutely loved the audio note copper mylar caps with it. But I am someone who loves organic rich textured sound, not the last word in extension or incisiveness. Enjoy the Thor... what a great preamp.

augwest's avatar
augwest
43 posts
 

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT - because there is SO little available on the wonderful-but-obscure Thor TA-1000 "donut" preamps I have posted photos of the Vcap upgrades to mine. Four photos of the board are now shown on my System page called Heavenly Match. I make NO representation that this is the only (or even correct) way to do it, but I *sure* do like what I hear! And I’m not a total hack as I have a PhD in Electrical Engineering (unlike Ted D. and a few others I could name :o)

I’ll go back and see if I can add a photo of the Khozmo volume control as that was also a big improvement over stock.

 

grannyring's avatar
grannyring
6,479 posts
 

If the AN caps end up sounding a tad too warm and or tame, then your best bet are the Vcap Odams. I upgraded two Thor preamps like yours over the years and the Odams are a great match for this unit. They are also smaller in size and fit well.

I did use the AN copper foil caps once in the Thor and changed them out in the end. Nice warmth and body for sure. In the end I found them a tad dull or dark in the upper mids and highs. Bass is also more rounded and less articulate than the Odams.

Its all about system synergy and your sonic preferences in the end.  Your system and ears may prefer the warmth and slight darkness on top of the AN caps. If not, you have a great option! 

bigkidz
3,381 posts
 

only a few options of v-caps left.  Copper or ODAM  the Odam have worked very well in upgrades/modifications we have performed.

audionutcom
4 posts
 

hi, augwest, what kind of v- caps did you install?

augwest's avatar
augwest
43 posts
 
The Vcaps brought a new level of clarity with no apparent trade-off (coloration) - it improved imaging width and depth, "layering" (that tube thing), and generally made live music sound more dynamic and plausible.
pennsy
152 posts
 
Capacitors can be like delusional attorneys! Projecting importance with relative obscurity! 
montaldo OP
201 posts
 
Sorry your response ended up in my Gmail "promotions" folder. I thought the cap change to audionotes was all upside. I hoped to get rid of some hardness in the treble and it did. But it also added more body and dimension across the spectrum, and I feel like I heard more resolution in the treble bit less. More listenable and less fatiguing, but no loss of information. If anything, the opposite. More organic.


bjp691
3 posts
 
augwest - what sonic changes did the capacitor change bring to the T-1000? I’m an original owner T-1000 (upgraded to MkII by Paul Marks) and wondering what my options are for possible sonic improvements.
montaldo OP
201 posts
 
I replaced two more caps, beyond the coupling caps with audio note mylar copper caps. Still breaking in and making tube and cable changes too so I may never be able to.attribute changes to the caps. But things are heading a good direction. Thanks for the input.
augwest's avatar
augwest
43 posts
 
I had all of my TA-1000 capacitors replaced with Vcaps.  Expensive but definitely worth it.  Be forewarned that they will require something like 200 hours of use before they sound their best.  I can send photos if you can figure out how to get your email address to me.

montaldo OP
201 posts
 
Correction... the big caps below the board are actually the electrolytics and I think they are Panasonic. So I'm focused on the Hovlands and Multicaps. Does anyone know which ones are the output caps?
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