[Jap]

I asked this question within a thread on the Amplifier forum, but, on second thought, realized it may well deserve its own thread:

I am wondering: is there a discernable performance difference between the Premium Grade Black Gate Capacitors over the Premium VK Black Gate Capacitors or the Premium FK/K Black Gate Capacitors or the Standard Type Black Gate Capacitors? To see what BG capacitors I am discussing here, refer to http://www.angela.com/catalog/capaci...lack_Gate.html.

I have a builder that will be installing FK's in my amp, but, before he does, I would like to know if I can use something which is clearly better. Thanks in advance for any assistance.

 

[Jap]

[size=small]Inquiring minds still wants to know: hasn't anyone any idea how the WKZ Premium Grade Black Gate Capacitors fare performance-wise versus the VK et al?[/size]

 

[Pars]

I'm not much of a Black Gate affectianato, but it kinda depends on how and where you are using them. The WKZ, if memory serves me, are the high voltage, relatively high capacitance caps more destined for something like a tube preamp/amp PSU section, etc. I'm sure they work fine for that purpose, even with the somewhat insane prices (100uf/500V for a mere $100 or so). The VKs come in a wide voltage range (up to 350V), and I'm sure also perform quite well (have one in the basement destined for my tube preamp... haven't gotten around to putting it in yet).

The Black Gate nonpolarized seem to be popular with some people even using them in place of film caps and claiming they are better.

From my experience, just plopping in a bunch of boutique caps doesn't necessarily improve performance, but will certainly have an impact on your wallet. I'm sure that if you clarify exactly what you are using these for, someone with more experience might be able to help you more than me.

 

[Jap]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pars I'm not much of a Black Gate affectianato, but ....

[size=small]
Nevermind! I googled the various BG capacitor series and saw what were their respective intended uses. [size=xx-small]If I had spent some time with this earlier, I would have saved a lot of time![/size] I'll have my builder go with the FK's as he originally planned. Thanks for trying to assist me.

[/size]

 

[Edwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pars The Black Gate nonpolarized seem to be popular with some people even using them in place of film caps and claiming they are better.

Well, for one thing, the NX/N series are a helluva lot smaller in size than film caps of the same value.

-Ed

 

[John Stimson]

What about tantalum or multilayer ceramic capacitors? Black Gate capacitors are still electrolytics, right? And if you believe Horowitz & Hill, the electrical properties of electrolytics is awful, while those of tantalum or ceramic capacitors is merely poor.

What is it that makes Black Gate capacitors better than other electrolytic capacitors (either in terms of internal dynamics or in terms of empirical measurements)?