[aos]

Actually I do use MillMax sockets, low or ultralow profile - that's not the problem, I never ever wore one out. It's the SOIC to DIP adapter, if I wasn't clear. Pins on those things get easily loose and yes sometimes even fall out! Jbelin could testify since the AD8620 I sent him was in one of such sockets that I had to repair (I had no others at that time). Looking at that thing really adds a meaning to the term "opamp wars". Opamps also generaly tolerate a lot of plugin/plugout but you have to be careful as well as adjust the gap because eventually it loses the tension.

PPA DAC was designed just to ppl's liking, there are no capacitors even in feedback path. Only for bypassing and in the passive analog filter. I routinely use LM6172 there and it hasn't oscillated even though it has no compensation cap (I tried to lay out that section of PCB as high-speed, following National Semi demo PCBs, perhaps I even suceeded this time). I have to say that I usually follow his advice becuase so far it always led to good sound.

Also, as I mentioned, I want a cap, to protect me from my own stupidity. People who are careful, patient and not stupid probably don't need one.

 

[PinkFloyd]

I'm lost

I originally asked "what's your favourite coupling cap
What type of cap do you think sounds best and why?"

any comments?

 

[Prune]

PinkFloyd, in the end everyone has their own preference. Some swear by Jensens, some use Auricaps, some Black Gates, MIT RTX, Hovland, AudioNote, etc.; in the end, you need to listen for yourself and find out what sounds good to you, or whether you can even hear a difference.
Personally I doubt I can hear a difference, but in the one place I have signal path capacitors, they are Auricaps (great reviews and cheaper than the competition).

 

[PinkFloyd]

I favour polyprops but I thought I'd put it to a poll

 

[Prune]

Now I have a capacitor question. In the CS43122 datasheet there's an analog filter at the outputs, consisting of 300R in series with the non-inverted and inverted outputs, then 2200pF in between (actually I used 1000pF to lessen the attenuation at 18kHz, which is as far as I can hear).

What's the best type of capacitor to use here, where very low ESR at high frequencies is needed? Right now I'm using ceramic, and the upgrade options for such a small value of 1000pF seem to be either silver mica or polystyrene (vacuum capacitors are physically too large for me here).

 

[PinkFloyd]

Quote:

Originally posted by Prune Now I have a capacitor question. In the CS43122 datasheet there's an analog filter at the outputs, consisting of 300R in series with the non-inverted and inverted outputs, then 2200pF in between (actually I used 1000pF to lessen the attenuation at 18kHz, which is as far as I can hear). What's the best type of capacitor to use here, where very low ESR at high frequencies is needed? Right now I'm using ceramic, and the upgrade options for such a small value of 1000pF seem to be either silver mica or polystyrene (vacuum capacitors are physically too large for me here).

Good Question I'd tend to go with the polystyrene ............ the purist would opt for ceramic but I definitely favour polystyrene in that app.

Pinkie.

 

[JohnFerrier]

Quote:

Originally posted by ppl I am done with this thred as it is turned totaly non productive.

Hey, I like the part about Tori Amos...wait a minute...I brought that up. Okay, I'll go back to my own bees wax now...(and there's 'nother cap type for ya...paper and bees wax...see Percy Audio : ).


JF

 

[Prune]

BTW for polystyrene users, in case it wasn't mentioned here, it's pretty easy to melt them while soldering...
Quote:

and there's 'nother cap type for ya...paper and bees wax...see Percy Audio

Tell me now, that some audiophilia does not border on fetishism!

I'd rather spend my money on
this, at least it's worth the price

 

[aos]

Why not use polypropylene caps? For just a few nF you can get them anywhere, including Digikey. These are not metallized, just plain polypropylene. Or get Silver Mica which is a bit costly.

 

[JohnFerrier]

I recommend that PinkFloyd purchase an assortment of capacitors and conduct his own test in the target circuitry. The person he needs to satisfy is himself.

One thing I wonder though is where do people get teflon caps? I hear mention of them, but don't see them for sale anywhere.


JF

 

[aos]

Multicap has a series of teflon caps (TFX?). You should be able to get them from parts connexion. Be prepared to pay through the nose!

 

[Prune]

If you want Teflon, check out RelCap - TFT at partsconnexion. At $180 for 1uF I don't think it's reasonable unless you have some kind of extreme system.

aos, silver mica is not expensive. Parts connexion has 1000pF for $1.50. I wonder how silver mica compares to polystyrene (I've gotten polystyrene really cheap from Main Electronics right here in Vancouver).

 

[rickcr42]

Quote:

I guess I don't know if this is strictly true. If I Google, I can find DC coupled recording equipment...

nope ,they lie man

i have the schematics for most of the listed equipment and i can tell you right now there are caps involved at some point

and even if there were not ,the condenser mics MUST use cap coupling if they use (and they do) phantom power !

there is no way around the DC bias voltage riding on the signal if it is not blocked by a capacitor

Back on topic-

teflon caps are the most "no cap" sounding cap out there I have used personally but hell yes they are expensive mothers and way overkill in most applications when it comes down to sound/cost ratio

I mean , spend ten bucks on the jfets and then three hundred on the caps ?

I DON"T THINK SO !

not me anyway, my wife would have grounds for divorce :

"your honor sir , i can PROVE my husband is a whacko.........."

and whips out the receipts !

But if you absolutely need teflon then the best place to find 'em cheap is military surplus outlets

I personally use polypropylene and poleyester mixed from various companies according to need

And I mostly try to avoid using the same manufacturers cap to avoid tagging the entire device with a sonic signature which when all the caps are the same ,say wima polys for example (which i really really really hate with a passion btw) will put the sonic "stamp" of the cap on the overall sound

mixing input / output coupling caps and power supply caps can go a long way towards a basically nuetral sound

And yes , a cap can pass a square wave but not all circuits can !

question is ,do we need or want to ?

I like to use circuits that are inherently stable open loop and then bandwidth limit the whole deal

radical for some , smart for others

we all make our own choices and somehow arrive at the same destination

 

[aos]

No, Mica is not really "expensive" (by the way you can get it in Lee's electronics, just next to Main electronics) but it does cost 10x as much as an equivalent polypropylene. The bigger problem for me is that it's considerably larger than polypropylene for the same capacity.

 

[minya]

I like capacitors that are big.

- Chris