Rant
why oh why didn't I use a better soldering iron? Why am I an Audio neurotic? What am I talking about??? taking a f...ing x'over out to change the caps from Clarity SA to Jantzen Superior S. The maker of these speakers made a dog's diner: the leads were too short and everything dangling (no circuit board) and held together with tape and just barely room to push things back in place. And yes Dorethy, I have at least one bad soldering joint and have to do it again (when I'm calmer)
Breath! backtrack: I got both the caps and the Isotek cd today. First of all (thanks to 6Moons) this is a winner. Before I got down to the dirty, I ran it (the Isotek cd) thru a few times (hour or so since eveything is already burned in) The effect was immediate and obvious...(this is probably due to the demag. function) transients were handled better and a certain tendancy to shout at certain midrange frequancy and amplitute, disappeared. I had put this down to the speakers being pushed too hard (small drivers) but no...Even though the caps are supposed to be pre-aged, I gave them a dose as well.
For those of you interested in such things (caps) the improvement from a pedestrian to a hi-end part is blissfully obvious. It's like I have new speakers. Better, more "seated" bass, much more air at the top, dynamics swing easily, a certain dryness has been replaced with a more liquid sound. The sound-stage is better organized, more realistic, especially at the back where it was slightly out of focus and not as dimensionally convincing. Everything has more body and colour and form. Voila. I heartily recomment these Jantzen's as being a very good cap.; not ridiculously expensive and very even-handed.