Hovland Musicaps

[musicfile]

Hi Bob
Thanks for adding your 2 cents . I've spoken to you in the past as we have the same pre amp and like you I have installed teflons in my mantissa pre with good effect

On to my amps ...
I currently have k40 PIO in my Dodds coupling positions and they really seem to cut off the high end extremes ! the amp has gone from quite transparent and detailed to the other side of the spectrum a bit too much for my liking

I've spoken to Gary on the cap choices and he did advise to go with Mundorf Silver and gold i'm afraid these may have far too much detail for my system
I took a look at the Clarity cap MR but it's size and values are far too big too install
I stayed away from the SIO as I have been in contact with the Dodd user you're referring to   as well Gary adivses to stay away from the oils in his amps unless you go with the Mundorf top of the line  Silver Gold Oils too much moola at this time

After further searching I think i've decided to go with the following cap mix   Jantzen Superior as my main cap and bypassing it with smaller value Sonicap platinum I have a feeling the two caps will be a good blend and present a well balanced sound without moving too far away from the dodds apparent strengths.

I'm sold on the jantzens for sure now for bypass i'm open to less costly suggestions then the SC Plats

Further opinions appreciated

[musicfile]

Any idea where I can get some Russian Teflons FT1 i'm looking for 0.01 in value ?
I'm thinking these may be a good alternative as bypass of the Jantzens as couplers instead of the more costly Sonicap Platinums

[BobM]

Yes, the Russian teflons are a great bypass cap and a steal at the price. You just need room for them - they're bugger than a roll of lifesavers. Look on e-bay and expect about 3 weeks delivery from the Ukraine. I would personally suggest bypassing your existing PIO's with these before you do anything else. You may get the best of both worlds.

Another alternative is the V-Cap oils, which I think we both have used in one position in the Mantissa to good effect. Nice PIO sound but still extended and open. Just a thought.

[musicfile]

Thanks Bob
The russian teflons may be a bit too big to fit into the dodd chassis ..do you recall the space requirements in the dodds
Would I need a total of 6 one per cap to do both amps ?

[BobM]

The Dodd's did have enough space for the Mundorf's, which are not small. If the PIO's are about the same size then the Russians may indeed be too big to fit in there. You would probably do better with something smaller to give it a shot first, like maybe Sonicraft II's before you spend the bucks on Platinums or V-caps (which also may be too big actually). I would certainly suggest trying 1 per cap and figuring out if it is too much or not, then removing judiciously to get the right balance. It's sometimes a bit of an art to get it right, and takes some trial and error, as you know.

[musicfile]

That's a good idea Bob
Will put in the Jantzens ..not sold on the PIO they really cut off the low and high extremes in this amp
and then get some smaller value Sonicap2 for all 6 caps and have a listen

I just realized the Jantzen Superior are big caps in that they measure 16x43 not sure if these will fit the mundorf are big as well at 19x38  Bob do I have space ??

Cheers
Pat

[BobM]

You'd really have to open it up and look it over. It's been a while since I was in there and my memory isn't shat it used to be. Sorry.

[musicfile]

No problem thanks for all your help guys !