Quote:
Originally Posted by CBMC
OK, thanks. One more question. Going through the forums I noticed that VodooChile had built a PPA with all black gate capacitors. My question is: Why use electrolytic capacitors instead of film? I always thought that film caps where supposed to sound better?
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I do agree that ordinary electrolytics alone would make lousy bypass caps as compared to film, but I can't deny that the NX caps in l-cancelling pairs is more than adequate to quell oscillation (at least in this particular app, YMMV), and doesn't just 'do the job', the amp sounds better to me than it does with film caps. I don't believe it is the placebo effect either, as I have done cased side-by side comparisons with many people, and every single listener has chosen the blackgate amp.
I did it as much for as an experiment as anything else. The amp does not oscillate, and is extremely fast, and smooth. The bypass caps at the op-amps are the 0.1uF NX Hi-Q non-polars in l-cancelling pairs. In this configuration, the BG bypass caps are not much more than Wimas, although more than Phillips/BC. As for the main power rail caps, yes, the blackgates cost quite a bit. But the whole amp is still a tremendous value, even with the added expense of these caps, relative to buying a commercially manufactured product. So why not, I figured. I love the results, and still saved a good amount of money as compared to buying a commercially available product of similar performance. I cannot say if having l-cancelling blackgate bypasses coupled with Panasonics or Muse or Cerafine would sound better/as well/worse, as I have not tried that configuration.
So, I don't really want to go down this road about what is better, as it's all a matter of preference. For me, if it sounds good- it is good, and it sounds good to me. Everything I have heard or been told about them is excellent, and I would have to concur, having done my own experimentation. To each his own. I'd encourage anyone to try them, rather than disourage them. The economic difference is pretty insignificant in the scope of what you spend on this pastime as a whole.
Edit: WRT what PPL is saying about R8- R8 was not the same on my amp's board as it is now. In otherwords, things could well be different with the current crop of PPA boards. I have not built an all-blackgate amp with the newest version of the board.