Orgy of Capacitors: The Cap Thread

[Jon L]

Originally Posted by qusp

PCX have a 20% sale on now too, so can get cheaper (just after I ordered ) at this price they are actually cheaper than VCAP teflon in those values. now if I bought the DC version they would be about $400 each and larger too,

Well, try them and let us know how they sound. Maybe some of us will get to order them during the sale

[Face]

Originally Posted by Jon L

Well, try them and let us know how they sound. Maybe some of us will get to order them during the sale

Since their capacitors are usually made to order, I doubt he would receive them before the sale is over. So you better order now, I just did.

[qusp]

hmmmm, well maybe, maybe not, some amps have input caps for DC filtering dont they?? so the act of separating the caps from the source and amp, would make it kind of ambiguous which one it is part of, would it not??

Originally Posted by JonL

Well, try them and let us know how they sound. Maybe some of us will get to order them during the sale

Ha bloody ha Jon hehe

will do, wont be for a little while as I have plenty on my plate before I take on that dock; I will be putting my Dremel to use to make a nice custom enclosure for them. I figure this dock will be the last incarnation of my personal ipod docks, so I want to make something special for it and I have a lot of work on that I have to finish before I even start. Besides, hammond doesnt make one that suits the size and I want to take full advantage of the size/shape and make a more compact dock than what I have been using. I'm torn between burning these in while i'm doing that, or wait and listen to them evolve. i'm thinking the latter, so will be able to give a more complete report on them. might even do something in a wood front/back panel. or a copper front/back panel. what can I plate copper with to stop the patina?? or maybe the patina would look nice if I look after it hmmm... decisions, decisions. either way will probably be at least a month before I have anything to say on the matter depending on delivery time, unless I jerry-rig something to have a quick listen before I house them. will see how things pan out, but i'll definitely keep you guys in the loop.

[hukkfinn]

Hi,
I have a Conrad Johnson PV12 tube preamp. It's been heavily modded, but it still has the CJ label polypropylene 2.0uF output caps.

My problem and my goal:
No matter what tubes I try, it currently sounds too detailed, a little bleached out, and light in its loafers. The highs are slightly artificial (similar to when you use all-silver interconnects, and they sort of shout, "silver! silver! look how clean it sounds! silver!" I am missing that real, rich, ooey-gooey, natural, human sound.
I want my preamp to have a warmer sound, more rich, more bass heft/ weight/ PUNCH, and more midbass impact.

(Of course, I want my stereo to sound AWEsome, so I want midrange layering and some sparkle up top, the usual. If I didn't care about mids and highs I might try the Cardas caps, because I hear they are super warm and rich, but supposedly this is at the expense of mids and highs.)

Having read your excellent thread, I am leaning toward trying:
AmpOhm Aluminum PIO
Auricap

Do either of these seem like the right path based on my sonic goals?
Thanks so much for any views,
Hukk

[Jon L]

Originally Posted by hukkfinn

Having read your excellent thread, I am leaning toward trying:
AmpOhm Aluminum PIO
Auricap

I know the sound of PV12; I wonder if your modifycations have tuned it too analytical. You're on the right track with the caps. You can also add:

Audiocap Theta
Jensen copper PIO
vitamin Q PIO

But you should try tube-rolling first. Depending on what tubes you are using in the linestage (12AU7), RCA black plate 5963 (12AU7), Amperex 7316, Mullard ECC82, etc may do the trick. Don't forget the tube dampers, i.e. Herbie's.

[Jon L]

ERO KP1832 Polypropylene Film and Foil Capacitor



This "KP" series capacitor is a genuine film and foil capacitor, unlike the metallized polypropylene "MKP" capacitors. It's difficult to find a consistent source for these NOS capacitors, but they often turn up on eBay in small uF values and have long been considered excellent-sounding in DIY circles.

Due to their small values, they are mostly used as bypass capacitors, and this is how I have tested them as well. So far, my favorite bypass capacitor has been the Russian FT-1 teflons, which simply shines when bypassing certain capacitors, e.g. Russian "nude" K72 teflons or Audiocap Theta. However, there are other capacitors that sound too different from FT-1 as to end up sounding incoherent when thus bypassed.

This is where a nice polypropylene film and foil capacitor like KP1832 can come in handy. It lacks that slightly artificial glint metallized poly caps can impart while still extending the upper frequency and air. Its sound is quite natural and not showy at all, which may not give an ear-grabbing, exciting presentation, but it certainly does its job.

A good bypass cap applied correctly, with some luck thrown in, does not make the sound brighter like some may think, but it actually makes the lower-treble to upper-midrange area sound even smoother. It's almost as if some of the peakiness in that range moves over to the very high treble, which translates into more ambience and sense of space. I have heard similar effects with speakers when adding in a good supertweeter, not turned up too high of course.

An example of a good capacitor that benefits from a bypass capacitor like this is the Jupiter Beewax capacitor. This is a capacitor I have always liked due to its natural tone and plenty of lively treble presentation. When compared to good teflon, it does seem a bit less ruler-flat through the upper ranges with some of the very top-end ambience muted. Bypassing the Jupiter capacitor with ERO KP1832 resulted in a more linear and smooth sound with better ambience and air, making a good capacitor even better. KP1832 is so promising as bypass, I hope to try them as coupling capacitors, but larger values do not seem easy to come by unfortunately.

[Jon L]

AmpOhm Copper Foil Paper-In-Oil Capacitor



The AmpOhm line of oil capacitors has been a great find for current-production, modern, oil capacitors that sound excellent at reasonable prices. The build quality is quite superb for the prices, and there have been no long-term-listening surprises or letdowns, either.

So when the copper foil version of the AmpOhm PIO's became available, I had to give it a good listen and compare to the other versions. After the obligatory burn-in period, I directly compared the copper version with the tin foil version, changing back-and-forth.

I would say the difference in character between copper and tin is larger than between tin and aluminum, yet all three versions share similar presentations, which is no doubt due to the exactly identical construction except for the foil material. All share a well-balanced clarity with great detail resolution, at least for PIO's, and above all, music is well-served. This does not make it any easier to describe precisely how the copper and tin sound different, but I do have a few observations.

With the copper, there is a little more attention-grabbing presence or copper-glow, mainly in the midrange, which can be described as slightly rounder yet with a fraction more detailing of the texture. Both female and male voices step forward half a step closer while the high and low frequencies remain similar to the tin foil version. This "mien," if you will, is mildly reminiscent of the Jensen copper PIO, yet the AmpOhm copper seems to have better clarity and extension at both ends of the spectrum.

However, it is difficult to say whether the copper version is conclusively "better" than the other versions because they are sufficiently different that one can work better than the other in a given system configuration. While the tin foil version is a little less attention-grabbing, in certain situations, it's slightly more self-effacing demeanor may go a long way. Fortunately, all these versions are well-priced that one can try them all and choose the most synergistic part for his musical tastes.

[nonstop]

Hello, I'm new. I am looking for information to these caps

[errnst]

nice thread just what i was looking for

[qusp]

well this week i have received some the Duelunds I ordered. bought 2 x 2.2uf, 2 x 2.7uf and 2 x 3.9uf VSF copper foil. so I will begin posting impressions over the coming weeks. 2 of these and 2 mundorf SIO are going into my buffalo, and the other 4 are going into 2 ipod docks.

these are simply the most amazingly built caps I think i've ever seen. they resemble a cross between a very expensive chocolate bar and an ancient gold leaf book; the type that would contain spells.

pics online and even these dont do them justice. they are truly a work of art; if they sound even half as good as they look i'll be a happy man. the way the foil catches the light through the organic resin is enchanting. cant wait to put them to use. the ones in the buffalo wont be installed for a few weeks yet, because my kit is still on its way, but I will have some initial impressions of them in my dock (makeshift enclosure) before then; after I let them settle in for a while. the whole look and feel just exudes nature, you can smell the oil and resin when you open the packet or put them up to your nose.

[frozenice]

Oooh, Black Magic Spells and Chocolate. Me like.

[Face]

My entire kitchen smelled of oil and resin when I received my 60uf VSF's.

[qusp]

Originally Posted by Face

My entire kitchen smelled of oil and resin when I received my 60uf VSF's.

I can imagine; even with jusrt a total of 17.6uf it was pretty heady. man that 60uf must've been heavy!! even just the 2.2uf is really heavy for its size

[Jon L]

Originally Posted by nonstop

Hello, I'm new. I am looking for information to these caps

Those appear to be silver mica capacitors made by German manufacturer Jahre, which has a good reputation.

[Von Soundcard]

Hello Jon, can you say what are the differences between an "entry" PiO from Ampohm - the Ampohm PiO Aluminium Foil - and the Obbligato Oil caps ?

(BTW, does Obbligato have more than one range of oil caps ?)