Russian FT3 Teflon Capacitor
I must first thank an Audio Circle member Gary (“GBB”) for loaning me the FT3 and K72 caps. Otherwise, I would have had to buy on eBay and wait a month for delivery. The FT3 is a great cap sonically, but its sheer size and weight can present a challenge in cramped spaces. Its lack of traditional leadouts also forces one to make his own; I had to solder some leftover leads as seen in the photo above.
This cap is exceedingly smooth, smooth, yet resolved like only teflon caps are. This evenness and lack of glare, grain, or bite can be disadvantageous for FT3, especially in quick cap-rolling A-B comparisons, where a cap with a more insistent personality will attract more attention and spotlight. However, after living with this cap for a long time, one has to marvel at its consistently musically-revealing nature and tonality. It doesn’t wear its detail resolution on its sleeve, yet when one chooses to listen for it, the extension in both directions are impressive as well as actual detail. Its trick is having equal resolution from top-to-bottom, so the whole is well, wholesome. It conveys music in a flowing, suave tonality and is the crooner of the cap crowd.
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Russian K72 Teflon Capacitor
Probably the most hyped AND maligned cap out there. Some praise it while others despise it and write it off completely. It is my understanding that FT3 and K72 caps are internally the same. Here is an internal picture of K72, courtesy of the internet.
FT3 uses aluminum casing and thin tabs as leadouts while K72 uses thicker steel casing with solid poles as leadouts. FT3 is glass-encapsulated while K72 is hermetically sealed, and due to the thick steel case, K72 is even heavier than FT3.
One huge caveat to comparing K72 and FT3 is that the largest value of K72 available seems to be 0.056uF, while FT3 is predominantly available in 0.1 and 0.22uF. My loaned K72 was the customary 0.056uF and FT3 0.22uF, and yes, the larger cap is “supposed” to be more bassy. Lo and behold, FT3 does seem to be a little richer in the bass region; however, it was not a huge difference, and there is no way to tell how much of this is due to the uF difference or just the way these caps sound. This cannot be answered today b/c K72 does not come in 0.1 or 0.22uF and FT3 does not come in 0.056uF.
These caps do sound similar, but after doing A-B-A-B comparisons using music with and without bass, I can say they do have differences. K72 adds a pinch of spice and “kick” to the proceedings. Middle midrange to somewhere in upper midrange seems to sound bit more obviously “detailed” with K72; this leads to a little more tension in the listener’s shoulders when playing poorly-recorded material, i.e. the vast majority of today’s compressed and hotly EQ’d modern fare. Some may even call it extra grain, glaze, or hardness compared to FT3’s relative softer rendering. However, with clean recordings, I can see some people even preferring K72 for its more assertive, forward stance. Combining that little highlighting with a bit tighter control, K72 comes across as hair more dynamic and fun. Which Teflon cap should you purchase? Well, both are cheap enough that I think you should try both, but do consider if you wish for a little more smoothness vs. forwardness from current setup.
P.S. When you tap the stiff steel case of K72, you can hear and feel a hollow “ping” resonance. I tried applying a strip of EAR Isodamp material, covering about 1/3 of the surface area, which attenuated the sparkle and “detail” just a tad. I’m not saying one is better than the other, but depending on your tastes, a bit of damping may have a role.
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Are You a Contender?
So, are these Russian teflon caps as “good” as the V Caps, Sonicap Teflons? Well, I know some say no, but I don’t know how to answer that.
In direct comparisons, VCap teflon does come across as having the highest highs and the most linear response across the range. It paints the sonic scape with the finer brush, and its sonic signature reminds me of my beloved Sylvania 5751 triple mica black plate tubes for you tube people. On the other hand, the FT3 and especially K72 have a more forward, bolder midrange presentation, albeit with a bit less refinement and a bit bolder lower midrange/upper bass range. I enjoy listening to deep male vocals a bit more through the Russian caps while VCaps absolutely rule with high-pitched female vocals and instruments that live in the same range and above, resolving them with the finest of the surgical scalpel yet without any harshness.
I really don’t feel all these caps should be given concrete rankings, like number 1, 2, 3, etc. Let’s just say music can sound glorious with most good caps mentioned in this article, often coming down to tweaking tubes, interconnects, power cords, etc.
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Linear Mode
