[regal]

Those things are rediculously expensive,  sorry just had to get that out of my system

 

[Jon L]

Quote:

Those things are rediculously expensive,  sorry just had to get that out of my system

Yup.  Good news is there are tons of nice capacitors that are relatively cheap.  BTW, what the heck are you doing awake at this hour?!
 
Also, I would be remiss if I didn't mention how the addition of Stax Omega II to my stable has expanded my evaluative capacity. 
 

 

[Jon L]

 
AmpOhm Aluminum Foil Paper In Wax Capacitor
 

 
 
Jupiter beewax capacitors have impressed me positively in the past, leading the way for the comeback of beewax capacitors in modern times.  However, Jupiters were notoriously susceptible to heat, and if they were installed near hot resistors or tubes, they were prone to failures.  As I have written before, they have recently come out with a “High Temperature”(HT) version, and they are designed to be much more resistant to heat. 
 
I was somewhat surprised to see that AmpOhm also made paper-in-wax capacitors, and at $12.75, they were much cheaper than Jupiters, which are around $35.  I was hoping to find another great budget capacitor, so in they went after the usual burn-in.
 
The overall sound of AmpOhm paper-in-wax was even and pleasant, with no part of the spectrum jumping out and biting off your ears.  This is a great capacitor for tweaking an overly-bright or analytical system to more forgiving side, allowing one to enjoy a larger portion of poorly-recorded albums.  The flipside was that great recordings could not reach the heights that tweaked Teflon caps can achieve; there just seemed to be a finite limit on how much resolution and transparency was available.  It’s not really fair to compare any cap’s resolution to teflons, but that’s how it goes around here.
 
Just to make sure my ears had not gone sour, I popped in my old Jupiter beewax caps, and yes, I still liked them very much.  At almost triple the AmpOhm’s price, Jupiters had a more forward, detailed stance with more “obvious” high treble twinkle and midbass energy.  Still not in teflon territory in resolution, but this didn’t detract me from enjoying the music.  For headphone fans, Jupiters really reminded me of Grado headphones, especially the new PS1000, in presentation while AmpOhm reminded me somewhat of Sennheiser HD6xx series powered by a polite headamp.  Still, if you want a forgiving paper-in-wax cap that costs much less than Jupiter, AmpOhm is the only game in town, and it’s built like a tank just like the paper-in-oil caps, not feeling like a soft candlestick like Jupiter caps, the older version anyway.    
 
 
 

 

[emersonwikog]

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It's quite useful, Thanks for the posting, If only had got it earlier!

 

[Jon L]

 
ClarityCap MR Polypropylene Capacitor
 

 
Claritycap line of capacitors has a large following and has a reputation for great sound at bargain prices, with the SA, PX, and ESA lines selling in $3-8 range at the popular 0.22 uF range, for example.  My previous impression of ClarityCap SA, at a few dollars, was that of a pleasant, rounded sound lacking in ultimate resolution. The MR series costs 10 times as much as the SA yet still comes in at a low price compared to the exotic competition.   
 
According to the website, the ClairyCap MR “is manufactured in such a way to substantially reduce the negative effects of resonance on sonic quality which is inherent in a wound component. This results in a sonic characteristic which is difficult to equal. Manufactured from metallised polypropylene film the component is housed in a coloured acrylic tube and encapsulated in an epoxy resin to assist in the overall sonic performance.”
 
Whatever they did performed some major transformation to the sound, as the MR sounds nothing like SA, sounding far more extended, neutral, dynamic, and yes, resolved.  As far as frequency extension, there is nothing to fault here, as both top and bottom go as high and low as can be desired; however, what’s even more impressive is how all the ranges in between seem coherent, finely-textured, and natural, with nothing sticking out like a sore thumb.  I kept thinking how smooth everything sounds while presenting a high degree of detail resolution across the frequency range, as good as a polypropylene cap gets including the exotic ones from Mundorf, etc.
 
Another benefit of this smooth precision seems to be outstanding imaging and separation within the soundstage, which is filled with air and “space”.  No smudging and blending together of instruments into blobs, which can happen with less precise caps.  These characteristics enable the MR to sound like the proverbial “no cap” better than most, if not all, polypropylene caps I have tested.  In fact, the MR sounds less colored than quite a few exotics, including some teflons, PIO’s, polystyrene, etc.  There is a downside to this neutrality, however, as the MR may not be the cap to shave off some rough edges from a bright source, plump up the low-midrange of that lean amp, or add extra “wetness” to that dry solid-state system.  But if your system is reasonably neutral and resolute and if you don’t want to “hear the cap” at a reasonable price, then the ClarityCap MR just may be the cap you have been waiting for. 

 

[Mad Max]

 

[Salectric]

I have a couple questions for Jon L. about the CuTF caps. 
 
First, how long did they take to fully break in?  And did they go through a "lean bass" phase during the break in?  With the regular TFTF V-Caps, I noticed that the bass was great to begin with, but entered a lean phase after maybe 75-100 hours and the bass did not come in fully until around the 450 hours mark. 
 
Second, after the CuTF caps are fully broken in, do they have as much bass weight as the regular V-Caps or do they sound somewhat lean?
 
I am asking these questions because I have a set of new amps with CuTF couplers.  The bass was great initially (consistent with your comment about "robust body"), but the sound became significantly leaner around 300 hours (later than regular V-Caps).  The amps now have about 475 hours and the tonal balance hasn't changed that I can tell since the 300 mark.  I am just wondering if this is the way it will be, or whether I can look forward to some changes.
 
This is my first post on this forum.  It looks like a great place.
 
Dave

 

[Jon L]

Quote:

I have a couple questions for Jon L. about the CuTF caps. 
 
First, how long did they take to fully break in?  And did they go through a "lean bass" phase during the break in?  With the regular TFTF V-Caps, I noticed that the bass was great to begin with, but entered a lean phase after maybe 75-100 hours and the bass did not come in fully until around the 450 hours mark. 
 
Second, after the CuTF caps are fully broken in, do they have as much bass weight as the regular V-Caps or do they sound somewhat lean?
 
I am asking these questions because I have a set of new amps with CuTF couplers.  The bass was great initially (consistent with your comment about "robust body"), but the sound became significantly leaner around 300 hours (later than regular V-Caps).  The amps now have about 475 hours and the tonal balance hasn't changed that I can tell since the 300 mark.  I am just wondering if this is the way it will be, or whether I can look forward to some changes.
 
This is my first post on this forum.  It looks like a great place.
 
Dave

None of the VCap teflons, tin or copper, can be described as "bassy" caps, but that's because there is no bass slop or muddyness to give the impression of more bass quantity.  I wouldn't say CuTFnecessarily has more bass quantity than tin, but the tonality from top to bottom is warmer and richer.  At any rate, it shouldn't sound leaner than tin teflon after eventual break-in, to which I cannot give an exact number of hours.  Unless you compared the Cu and Tin of same value in same amp, it's going to be hard to really compare bass.  Also, make sure the uF value is adequate (hopefully by a big margin) in your application in order to avoid early bass rolloff.
 

 

[Salectric]

Thanks for the reply.
 
Dave

 

[zibra]

hello
I want to buy best quality/price caps for DAC tube output. I was told that obbligato caps are very nice. What else can I look for? I need great imaging and holographic soundstage most. Any recommendation for best bang for buck caps?

 

[Dynobot]

Excellent video concerning caps by Sonic State ...ClarityCaps
 
http://www.sonicstate.com/news/2008/05/27/aes08-if-the-cap-fits-it-must-sound-better/

 

[earwaxxer]

I have been "cap rolling" now for a bit. Kind of addictive, but fun! I hacked out the crossovers and wires in my Maggie MMG's. I have used -. 1st was - Jantzen Superior Z - 15uF, then Obbilgato premium 22uF, now AmpOhm paper in oil, aluminum foil - with most recent addition! - Mundorf silver/oil 2.2uf as bypass. Note - two ampohm 10uf plus mundorf in paralell. Many months to years in between each. What I have been most surprised with is the addition of the Mundorfs. I had them kicking around and thought to add as a bypass although it did add 2.2uf.
 
For sure there was progress realized in the above experiment, with each step. What I would do now. Go directly to the Mundorf silver/oil and dont look back! I can say I really like the AmpOhm, and even more with the Mundorf in the circuit. The Obbilgato is not in the same league IMO. The Obbligato tends to muddy things up a bit. Thats where that "analog" impression comes from. I also used the Mundorf silver/oil in my t-amp with very good results. I was going to do a second amp, thats where I came up with the "spare" pair of 2.2's.

 

[Pricklely Peete]

For those considering replacement mains filter caps (polarized electrolytic types) I have been majorly impressed by Mundorf AG or AG+ M'Lytics (compared to Nichicon KG Type II's and a number of others like Nichicon FG/FW/HE/ Panny FM etc).
 
 
Also for lower V applications ( < 160V) the Vishay-Roderstein MKP-1837 metalized poly box caps are really quite amazing bypass caps...not as good as Teflon or the best PIO types but surprisingly good for the low cost. A .1uf 160V type can be had for 2 dollars ea. The Mundorf caps are not cheap but well worth the cost ....they are as close to the venerable the BG WK series as I've heard (for PSU filtering duties) yet. The new Mundorf AG+ series looks to be a major improvement over the AG series.
 
 
 
Peete.

 

[colinharding]

You guys need to try some more vintage caps!! That's where I've found all of the good stuff anyway.  My favorite new caps are the hovland musicaps for sure, nice heavy musical and weighty sound.  I really am not a fan of the "audiophile" thin and extended yet "detailed" sound so many companies are tailoring to today.  The best caps of all time IMHO have to be the old Aerovox oil and paper, incredibly open but without any piercing highs.  Make sure you get the vintage though as their newer caps are not as good by any means. I have also tried the audio note silver caps, and man are those expensive!  $1000 bucks for a .1mf at 600vdc but I may be wrong.  They are quite nice, as should be expected from the price, but don't match the Aerovox in terms of weight and musicality.  Greenies are also nice and are right below my Aerovox choice, the "Budroc" ceramic version would be right below those but are a bit tight for my taste.  Most Cornell Dubiliers are very nice though.  Sprague is always a great choice.  The end all be all are Western Electric caps but good luck trying to get your hands on a decently priced pair.  A lot of you seem to really like the Mundorf but I just don't hear it for whatever reason.  I had a lot of old Hafler equipment (pre 80's were there best products) that had Mundorf that were actually made in Germany that sounded great!  I believe they are all made in China now, but I may be dreaming that up haha.  Anyway, just thought I'd throw in my two cents.

 

[flu_fighter]

I have a question for Jon L regarding the K75-10 bypassed with the Vcaps teflon caps. How is the PRAT for this particular combination?