AmpOhm Polyester In Oil Aluminum Foil Capacitor
It’s always very interesting to compare two essentially identical capacitors that have but one difference. In this case, one is comparing oil-impregnated polyester vs. dry polyester used as dielectric. The dry polyester film AmpOhm, as noted previously, is a very clear, detailed, and “present” capacitor, especially in the midrange; it will light a fire under dull, grey harmonics and shine a floodlight on lifeless contrasts. While quite appealing for good recordings played through meticulate systems, poor digital recordings tend to fare much worse.
The oil-impregnated version does some interesting things. It shaves off just a hair of gruff hardness to turn poor recordings just a bit more palatable while pushing out an ounce more girth and roundness. Recordings and passages that have that “ringing” or resonant quality are turned a little gentler and calmer. Normally, such changes would mean a warmer yet lower-resolution and slower sound signature; however, since the dry polyester capacitor has so much resolution and speed to burn, the oil version still sounds plenty detailed and fast despite a little enriching of the sonic tapestry. There’s no clear “better” or “worse” here, as I can imagine different people preferring one or the other depending on one’s tastes and how the system is voiced. At any rate, polyester film and polyester-in-oil capacitors represent a fascinating genre of capacitors, one that has the potential to offer superior sound quality to garden-variety polypropylene capacitors out there at comparable prices.
It’s always very interesting to compare two essentially identical capacitors that have but one difference. In this case, one is comparing oil-impregnated polyester vs. dry polyester used as dielectric. The dry polyester film AmpOhm, as noted previously, is a very clear, detailed, and “present” capacitor, especially in the midrange; it will light a fire under dull, grey harmonics and shine a floodlight on lifeless contrasts. While quite appealing for good recordings played through meticulate systems, poor digital recordings tend to fare much worse.
The oil-impregnated version does some interesting things. It shaves off just a hair of gruff hardness to turn poor recordings just a bit more palatable while pushing out an ounce more girth and roundness. Recordings and passages that have that “ringing” or resonant quality are turned a little gentler and calmer. Normally, such changes would mean a warmer yet lower-resolution and slower sound signature; however, since the dry polyester capacitor has so much resolution and speed to burn, the oil version still sounds plenty detailed and fast despite a little enriching of the sonic tapestry. There’s no clear “better” or “worse” here, as I can imagine different people preferring one or the other depending on one’s tastes and how the system is voiced. At any rate, polyester film and polyester-in-oil capacitors represent a fascinating genre of capacitors, one that has the potential to offer superior sound quality to garden-variety polypropylene capacitors out there at comparable prices.
