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.