lehmanhill
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2012
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I cant think of any modern PIO caps that would satisfy your 50+ uf / 250V range. Are you sure you need 250v? There might be some Western Electric caps out there that do though. In any case I would go with NOS caps. There is actually a good chance that the motor runs you have in your amp now will out preform the caps your wanting to replace them with.
Although, like you, I am a bit of a skeptical empiricist I do think a grading scheme for caps is useful. Take a look at this extensive comparison of caps for example. Here the mundorf supreme scores a 10. From experience I can tell you that caps like the MBGO or MBGH-1 will far out preform it. I mean leave it in the dust, really a cap like the mundorf supreme does not even interest me anymore. Objectively speaking MBGOs or MBGH-1s are just more transparent, detailed, have better soundsgate, and are smoother Et cetera. I would love to compare some NOS caps to some top of the line modern caps some time like Jupiter or Duelund but they are just prohibitively expensive.
If you have 300 dollars to spend I would encourage experimentation. With that amount of money you can just go and buy some different NOS caps off eBay and experiment. Ultimately it is about finding the best combination of caps. If you do decide to go that route be sure to report back to us.
Jasper,
This post is not intended to contradict your evaluation, but just to note that every system is different and will respond differently to different caps.
I read with interest your evaluation of the MBGO and MBGCH-1. I remembered that I had a pair of MBGO on hand that I had never gotten around to trying. So I decided to try them in a little coupling cap comparison with Mundorf Supreme, Jantzen Superior Z, and Audyn Plus caps (all caps that were sitting in my spares box and of the same 1 uF value).
Overall, my feeling of the character of the MBGOs is very similar to yours. Soundstage is quite good and so is detail and transparency. They are a bit weak in bass, as you describe. The difference for me comes in the mid-range. In my system, the MBGOs are too strong in mids, a little like you turned down the bass and treble controls. The result is that the MBGOs seem a bit thin and shouting which is tiresome for longer listening sessions. In that way, the Jantzen and Audyn Plus have a bit of the same issue to a lesser degree. In contrast, the Mundorf is a bit laid back and seems very neutral in this system.
I'm sure the differences I am hearing are differences between my system and yours. That is to be expected. As others have said, audio is like cooking. You need to combine the right flavors for that particular dish to get good taste. Each dish is a unique combination and there is no right answer. I hope you keep trying things and sharing the results.
In the meantime, I will still order some MBGCH-1s, just to see how their flavor combines in my dish.
Jac