Author Topic: Capacitors  (Read 41069 times)

Offline BobM

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Re: Capacitors
« Reply #15 on: December 09, 2012, 05:08:47 PM »
Don't forget V-CAP OIMP's if you are considering Dueland Alexander PIO's. They only come in larger values though starting at 1.0UF.

Then there's the DIY favorite Obbligato's. They are hard to find now since they went belly up a year or two ago.

For a cheap alternative it is impossible to beat the Russian K40-Y's, but they are only available in smaller values up to 1.0uF.

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Offline Response Audio

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Re: Capacitors
« Reply #16 on: December 09, 2012, 05:35:05 PM »
I didn't think about the OIMP as their voltage ratings are not high enough in the values I require.
I still have some 2.2uF Obbligato caps but never used them in our preamps.
another capacitor I really liked that went belly up were the AmpOhm units available from The Tube Store.
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Offline rpf

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Re: Capacitors
« Reply #17 on: December 09, 2012, 07:10:49 PM »
Okay, so here are my capacitor experiences (in two parts), fwiw.

I used to have a Modwright LS36.5 that was filled with Modwright teflon caps. It sounded good with a CJ MV60SE but lacked the harmonic richness I wanted.
Having the upgrade bug, I swapped the latter for a pair of Dodd Mono 50s which came with 6 Sonicap II coupling caps. I found the combination un-involving so I had Gary put in Sonicap Platinums. Hated the result. Overly smooth, "slippery" sound with no texture or harmonic richness.

Swapped out the Platinums for AudioCap PCUs and it was much better. The PCUs were even more resolving while having more texture, dimensionality, harmonic richness and bass. Still didn't have as much of these items as I wanted and realized it was the teflon caps in the Modwright. I should mention however, that my speakers are very revealing (even with AudioCap Thetas in the crossovers) and with warm speakers teflon might work well.

 
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Offline rpf

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Re: Capacitors
« Reply #18 on: December 09, 2012, 07:49:02 PM »
Part 2.

I bought a Rogue Cronus, later upgraded to Magnum. The coupling cap in the former were cheap Mcaps. In the latter Mcap Supremes (IIRC) that are better. The latter were also bypassed with polypropylene caps. After listening for a good while I removed the bypass caps and found the sound more coherent and just as extended in the treble. Previously the treble was a little bit ahead (time-wise) of the mid-range. Unfortunately there is no room in the amp to upgrade the coupling caps to anything better.

I also bought a Havana DAC and changed the output coupling caps to Jupiter HTs. These made a big difference from the stock proprietary caps in resolution, transparency, bass response, tonal accuracy and harmonic richness. In that form both I and a friend thought it was clearly better than the stock Eastern Electric Minimax DAC.

However after said friend modded his EE, it surpassed the Havana so I bought one and had him do the same mods, including changing the output coupling caps to Auricaps. This produced a sound that was more resolving, very neutral, and very well balanced.

Again, given my speakers I wanted more richness, so I asked Scott Gramlich to change the Auricaps out for Jupiter HTs. The latter are huge (as all first class caps are) and required running the wires out of the chassis to a project box velcroed to the top of the unit. The difference is tremendous. All of the virtues listed above are apparent along with a much greater soundstage depth, more prominent inner lines and more clarity to the layers of images.

The two things that stand out the most for me with these caps, however, is their tonal accuracy and even frequency balance. Unfortunately, I can't afford Duelands but I'm extremely pleased with the HTs.
« Last Edit: December 09, 2012, 07:50:33 PM by rpf »
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DaveC

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Re: Capacitors
« Reply #19 on: January 01, 2013, 07:07:50 PM »
The RelCap PCUs are very, very good in my amp. They absolutely blew away some cheap Solen MKPs and were a little better than Feastrex's new Urushi caps, which I'd highly recommend for the price. The PCUs are about 2x the price of the Urushis. I had Mundorf SIO in the circuit at one point and I think both the PCUs and the Urushis are a little better. Never tried Vcaps or Duelunds, they are a lot of cash.

Offline BobM

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Re: Capacitors
« Reply #20 on: January 02, 2013, 06:08:03 AM »
Well I did a little experiment over the last month or two. I installed some Multicap .22uF bypasses into my amp, right to the transistors, in an attempt to open up the top end a bit. Yes, it worked but it wound up sounding just a bit hard.

So I took advantage of the Partsconnexion Christmas sale and got some .047uF Dueland Alexanders. These were as physically large as I could fit in the amp. I broke them in for a few hundred hours then removed the Multicaps and put in the Duelands. Took a little while for these to settle in but I can now say that that hardness is gone. They have a spaciousness to them that sounds so totally natural and not at all disconnected, like you can get with some bypasses.

I'm pretty happy. Just wish they weren't so damned expensive or so physically large.
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Offline rollo

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Re: Capacitors
« Reply #21 on: January 02, 2013, 09:05:48 AM »
   Ordered Deulund Cast 1.0 for the Arion amps which will be replacing the Cardas output cap.
    The Loesch & Weisner preamp has several MIT Multicaps. They will be replaced with Cast as well.
    Size will be an issue but dam we we will make em fit. Velcro can be your best friend.
    Question ? What is a good method of securing caps ? Ties ? Hot glue, Velcro, other ?



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Offline BobM

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Re: Capacitors
« Reply #22 on: January 02, 2013, 01:04:45 PM »
Ties are always preferred, but you might have to make a hole in a board to do that, so watch out for other traces. It is always good to hot glue it also for vibration control.

Hot glue by itself works for small parts, but be wary of heavy and large ones, especially if they are suspended. Too easy to break loose and fall.

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Offline _Scotty_

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Re: Capacitors
« Reply #23 on: January 02, 2013, 05:40:13 PM »
I have used Permatex Black Silicone RTV to attach electrolytic power supply capacitors to the floor of chassis with good results. The bond is very strong and vibration resistant. It must set undisturbed for 24 hrs in order for the part to be reliably attached. Another strong contender is 3M Very High Bond Conformable Acrylic Foam Tape Adhesive. If the part will not be replaced or removed then this type of adhesive is a good choice.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dtools&field-keywords=3m+VHB+high+bond+tape+adhesive
http://www.amazon.com/CS-Hyde-Conformable-Double-Sided-Adhesive/dp/B004V40K92/ref=sr_1_2?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1357176842&sr=1-2&keywords=3m+VHB+high+bond+tape+adhesive
Hot melt glue depending its composition can let go if it encounters shock especially if the ambient temperature is also well below room temperature. This can happen if you ship the component when its cold outside and it sits in an unheated Fedex or UPS truck for a while. It can also happen if you schlep components around in the wintertime from one place to another as audiophiles are wont to do.
Scotty

Offline TooManyToys

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Re: Capacitors
« Reply #24 on: January 03, 2013, 06:50:06 AM »
Standard RTV releases acetic acid during cure, the strong smell. Not good for electronics. Google RTV acetic acid and you'll find multiple references. Dow Corning 738 or 748 are two good examples of silicones made for electronics that won't cause issues down the road. If you can't find them local, McMaster.com can be a source for a tube.
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Offline rollo

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Re: Capacitors
« Reply #25 on: January 03, 2013, 07:10:13 AM »
  Thanks Scotty, Bob and TMT. Double stick tape appears to be a VG solution for this project.
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Offline _Scotty_

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Re: Capacitors
« Reply #26 on: January 03, 2013, 07:29:51 AM »
All I can say in response is that I have been using Permatex Black RTV Silicone for this purpose since 1994 with no problems. SOP is to use it in an open chassis that is in a well ventilated area, once the silicone has cured no more acetic acid vapors are emitted.  Dow Corning 738 or 748 may also be good candidates for this type of application, but I have no personal experience with their bond strength characteristics.
Dow Corning 748 has a Shore A of 35 while the Permatex has a Shore A of 18, elongation is the same for both products at 350%.
Scotty

Offline BobM

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Re: Capacitors
« Reply #27 on: January 03, 2013, 08:51:28 AM »
 Thanks Scotty, Bob and TMT. Double stick tape appears to be a VG solution for this project.

If you are going to use double stick, then try and find a foamed tape and not just the thin plastic scotch tape type. Both will hold it, probably, but neither will give you a firm bond to the chassis/board.

I'd be more inclined to use Silicon and let it set properly.
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Offline TooManyToys

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Re: Capacitors
« Reply #28 on: January 03, 2013, 09:34:09 AM »
Well we did on some very expensive vehicle test instrumentation and it took a while to figure out what my other facility was doing, which is why I bring it up whenever I see someone using RTV with electronics.

It's also required when .......  :duh why bother.
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Offline _Scotty_

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Re: Capacitors
« Reply #29 on: January 03, 2013, 06:31:26 PM »
Charles, be advised that the 3M VHB tape adhesive is basically permanent and it may be nearly impossible to remove the part so attached from a crowded circuit board.
Scotty