Capacitor

I’ve only ever used TFTF on tubed components so I never got to the point where they sounded sterile. While I’ve never compared the TFTFs directly with CuTFs I get the impression the CuTFs are a touch warmer. 

In my pre and power amps all the signal path caps are VCaps, two ODAMs and four CuTFs. Overall my sound is a little less warm than before but given I replaced the OEM caps with both CuTFs and ODAMs I can speak only for the blend of the two and not CuTFs and ODAMs individually. 

What’s most noticeable is detail - it’s off the charts. I cannot recall TFTFs being so transparent. Anybody on a budget should go ODAM. 

Did I mention how detailed they are?

What do you guys recommend for input caps (the literal first component on the circuit) on a power amp?

I have a high bandwidth, high slew rate, neutrally voiced power amp. I did some mods recently and changed the stock input caps to Audience XO. Now these sound very pleasant. They have what I would call tone, a very very nice tone you could listen to all day. But the highs have been rolled off and detail slightly obscured compared to the stock input caps. Not what I was really going for.

I can see the Audience XO would work perfectly on other types of amps (a huge upgrade for the price actually) but it curtails the strengths of this particular high bandwidth amp design.

So what to do? The V-Cap CuTF’s are too expensive at $700 for a pair. But the ODAM’s are $165 for a pair, much more reasonable.

But do I even need input caps anyway, wouldn’t jumping them with bare solid core hookup wire be even more resolving?

But on the other hand doesn’t the input cap protect your speakers from blowing tweeters with passed through DC and various pops and crackles?

Just replaced the stock Gen 1 Sonicap 3.3 mF bypassed with Platinum Sonicap 0.01 mF coupling caps in Dodd Battery Powered preamp with V-Cap ODAM 1mF (100KOhm amp input impedance) bypassed with V-Cap CuTF 0.01mF caps.  Wow!  Giant killer preamp is now kill anything preamp!  Also using LiFePO4 batteries and Victron 24V 5amp charger on preamp...getting 40 hour run time :)

Really think anyone contemplating new preamp purchase should consider coupling cap upgrade as well...

@agisthos I wouldn't change cap coupled to direct coupled, designed that way for reason, although equipment feeding amp may have variable dc offset which could alleviate need for cap coupling.

 

Audience auricap  is only mediocre cap, much better out there. I'd be surprised if you could physically fit vast majority of top tier caps, Vcap ODAM perfect for this use.

@sns A later update of the amp, with an almost identical circuit, did leave out the input caps. It never went into production though.

Regarding cap size, yes the Audience barely fits as it is. So the ODAM would be a good fit unlike most of the others.