How To Choose Nichicon Audio Capacitors. Are They Worth It? 

Chairs are fine, but true audiophiles listen while doing handstands.

Focus on the PSU smoothing caps, thats where the major performance boost is, go for larger values as you can (up to 150,000uF), good values is around 20,000uF-which exceeds some audiophile amps, hell Musical Fidelity £1000 amps only have a 6800uf on each rail.

Ok .01 mylar at what voltage?

My pleasure!

My pleasure. So glad you found the video helpful.

Love a good capacitor.

You’re welcome. Hope you found the video useful and thanks for stopping by.

I’d definitely be interested in finding out the results of that listening test, so let me know how it goes. Of course, the results will only be as good as the test-setup to make sure all the levels are perfectly matched, etc. As I’m sure you know, even a tiny difference in levels is enough for one piece of equipment to sound “better” than another. I’ve got some newly acquired antique Macintosh gear that I’ll recap with Nichicon audio-grades. As you said, they look classy. And even though some of the marketing claims are questionable, they’re kind of a no-brainer for high-end classic gear where money is no object. Thanks for watching and your great comment!

@@FluxCondenser It should be easy enough to setup both pre-amps identically as they have digital menu driven UIs and will be configured exactly the same. I hadn't given it much thought beyond that, but I guess I should measure & compare the output voltages prior to the test. The third unit will likely get the same treatment but with ELNA Simlic capacitors. It seemed like a rare opportunity to blind test cap upgrades in identical $5K pre-amps like this, so I too am very interested in the results. No idea if he will be able to hear a difference, prefer the old 'familiar' sounding caps, or be able to hear details in the audio he's never heard before.... It'll be interesting for sure. I'll let you know how it goes.

@@johnfranks what's the result? did he realize a big difference in the sound?

Have you gotten a result yet? We're getting excited here.

Heyy results?

Glad it was helpful, Francisco.

Thanks, Phil. Glad to have you with us.

Glad you found the video useful. We’ll just have to agree to disagree on “if it can’t be measured, it can’t be heard...” I strongly stand by that statement and no well done double-blind study has ever shown it not to be true.

@@FluxCondenser Fair enough. Cheers.

@@FluxCondenser Agreed if it can be heard it can be measured, that said standard measurements do not tell all. Excess noise production is the cause of audible differences and typically not measured.

@@FluxCondenser I must have missed those, please give links to appropriate videos. Excess noise/current noise is a precise term, are you sure that you are differentiating excess noise ?.

The terms Excess noise and Current noise are newer terms and they’re not something I’m all that familiar with. My apologies as I thought you were speaking of excess noise and current noise in a general sense and not the precise terms as you mentioned.

My pleasure.

Thanks for your input, Faisal. I agree, the Nichicon audio caps are good quality, and look great.

halo , faisal can i know which parts to recap replace to get better sound ? tq

n where to buy this parts ? tq

I buy my components through Mouser.

For my guitar pedals, I have bought whatever Nichicon that was available that had the correct specs. It doesn’t make a noticeable difference in sound but for psychological reasons I like using that brand. It’s kind of like a cosmetic thing.

I’ve had good luck buying kits just to have some on hand, but often I’ll have to order individual as there’s no way kits can supply 100% of your needs. Still, if you’re tackling lots of projects it’s good to have lots of components in stock provided it’s cost efficient for you and you can afford the luxury.

Thanks, David. If you’re uncertain what’s causing the difference in sound, I would try to isolate that first. You mention room modes, so start there. You could try swapping the speakers to see if they retain the same sound in different positions. Or, temporarily place them close together in the center of the room and listen closely to determine if they sound different. If they do indeed sound different, isolate which driver(s) are contributing to the difference and make certain all drivers are actually functioning. With three-way speakers, for example, a speaker with a burnt-out tweeter or midrange can be somewhat difficult to immediately detect in a stereo system. If the sound is different left from right, but it doesn’t follow the speakers, you could have another problem in the system. Perhaps a cable, amp, preamp, etc. Finally, if you find there are differences in sound between the speakers, and all the drivers are working, you could indeed have a problem with the crossover(s). You may not need to do a complete recap to fix this, though, and the problem may not even be a capacitor. Additionally, even if all drivers are functioning, one of them may still be damaged which is contributing to the sound differences. Inspect the drivers carefully. As you can see, diagnosing this issue could be complex, and I can’t recommend a blanket recap of the crossovers as the definite solution. If these were much older speakers I would recommend the recap, but 25 year-old Nichicons aren’t typically a problem. That said, again, there’s still a small possibility one or more have developed a problem.

@@FluxCondenser Thanks very much for the highly descriptive response. I will certainly try and narrow it down. I do know that all drivers sound like there are working, but as you say one or more could still have some type of deficiency, even though emitting sound. Thanks again!

Always happy to help, David. Good luck figuring this out.

Thanks a lot!

It’s a good question, but Nichicon doesn’t claim that some capacitor series possess better construction. And whether they use a different dielectric (again, no claims are made) is of no matter if that doesn’t contribute to better performance. The true quality ratings that should be used to compare Nichicon capacitors to one another are voltage rating, temperature rating and ESR or tangent of loss which I cover in the video. These three variables tell you everything you need to know about their comparative longevity and suitability. Thanks for the great question.

Good thoughts but at the end of the day those aspects should also show up on the datasheet. Even the physical construction should show some measurable benefit such as service life or with a military or automotive grade from better vibration resistance, etc.

Never buy mundorf.they are alla out of specs!!!

Thanks, Subramoniam. Yes, you’re absolutely correct. The tangent-of-loss is the difference in degrees between the cap voltage/current phase angle to a theoretically perfect 90 degrees. It should be stated in degrees, not percentage. If I made that mistake in the video my apologies. Thanks again for pointing that out.

@@FluxCondenser ratio of ESR to Capacitive impedance.(Sorry, I mentioned it as overall impedance in my comment). Tangent being ratio wouldn't have a unit. But the loss angle yes in degrees

So much about capacitors is ridiculous! But when there’s an opportunity to exploit people, there’s always someone ready to do it.

Not sure about what? Be specific.

halo , fren can i know which parts capacitor to replace to get better sound quality ? tq

@@kevinchew2594 Hi, Mostly the big puffer caps affect the sound. Super Through KG is the best for this purpose in power amp.

Kevin, test the capacitors and replace ones that are out of spec. Electrolytics are typically the most likely type to fail. A bad filter cap can increase noise. A coupling capacitor will be in the audio signal. Bypass capacitors are less likely to affect sound, but a bad one can still cause issues. It’s not advisable to simply replace a capacitor in search of better sound quality as two capacitors that measure the same for capacitance, leakage and loss will sound the same, regardless of brand or silly marketing claims.

@@kevinchew2594 check the circuit diagram and change the electrolytic capacitors that do not go to ground. The ones that effect the sound the most are the filter or smoothing capacitors

I would avoid NICHCON and NICHINCON brands and stick with Nichicon.

I can’t make a blanket statement that one brand is better than the other. In my opinion, caps sound the same if they test the same. Compare the price and tangent of loss between brands for the caps you need. Focus on getting the correct uF, voltage rating, temp rating, size and terminal type. Once your comparison is apples:apples, choose the cap with the lowest tangent of loss and/or the best price, depending on what’s of more importance for the given application. Don’t fall for marketing claims which dishonestly make claims about sound quality.

They are both top quality. For the audio path I use Elna Silmic II and power supply NIchicon and Rubycon

NO silver foil.................foil nevertheless ! Real silver foil capacitors are in another price range...............and sound different.........

I appreciate your opinion, but based on my listening experience it’s not one that I share. Without a double-blind study with instantaneous switching between two different components exactly matched for level, observations about sound differences are largely influenced by our psychology. The human ear and brain are notoriously bad at remembering what something sounds like, so without the instantaneous double-blind switching, humans are likely to apply our prejudices when deciding when one component sounds better. Very few high fidelity manufacturers (including Nichicon) subject their components to such analysis because frankly, it would almost always prove their marketing hype to be baloney.

You couldn’t be more wrong or make a more senseless comment about the subject. Perceived texture sometimes called tone? Give me a break. You’re simply out of your depth of knowledge and suffering from the Dunning-Kruger effect.

ESR was mentioned. As stated in the video, tangent of loss is a measurement of a capacitor’s efficiency which is affected by ESR, ripple current and heat loss. Tangent of loss was the basis for qualitative comparisons for this video and is prominently used by Nichicon to do the same. ESR and other leakage tests are more valuable for testing capacitors which have been in service for a while to detect drops in performance. You seem to imply that temperature concerns were not addressed. The temperature rating of the capacitors was mentioned many times and each spreadsheet specifically denotes which caps are 105C rated. You mention turning ones attention to capacitors which block DC. But all capacitors block non-pulsing DC regardless of application, not just those in a power supply. You also state that the purpose of capacitors in a power supply is to block DC. This is incorrect. The purpose of a filter cap is actually to create clean DC. It does this by smoothing the pulsing DC so that it is no longer pulsing. Higher capacitance capacitors are used in power supplies because they hold a greater charge and therefore release energy more slowly which has a smoothing effect on ripple. You suggest that a different type of electrolytic capacitor is used in a power supply and that they have an entirely different set of specs, but again that’s incorrect. The only difference really is that power supply caps tend to have greater capacitance. You mention switching attention to different specifications when comparing a capacitor for a power supply. This isn’t the case. As with any cap, choose the correct farad, voltage and temperature rating while being mindful of the tangent of loss and the physical requirements of the component which were also addressed in the video (size, terminal type, etc.). This is true of any capacitor for any application. You also suggest putting capacitors under a PC board while also seeming concerned about heat issues. A capacitor which generates heat must be on the top of a board where it has the greatest ventilation. Heat rises, of course, so putting it “under” something is never a good idea. As far as replacing electrolytics with film caps, that’s not generally likely as those have much less capability for capacitance compared to electrolytics. It’s the unique tootsie-roll design and electrolytic solution which allows them to have greater capacitance in a smaller package compared to other capacitors. This is the main reason electrolytics are selected. This is discussed further in my other videos about capacitors. Additionally, as the title suggests, this guide is not about capacitor applications in general. It’s a comparison of Nichicon’s electrolytic audio capacitors series. To learn more about how capacitors work, what voltage specs to choose and installation tips, please see my many other videos which discuss these topics in more detail.

@@FluxCondenser Thank you for your time writing this reply. I'm learning so much from you. Your work is really appreciated

A little follow up, after taking a closer at the schematics of my amp i found out that none of the electrolytic caps where even used in the signal path. All of them where either in the power supply or things like protection circuits. My advice would be to just take a look at what the capacitors are used for and then choose one made for that purpose. I found out that using caps made for power supplies have way higher ripple current than these nichicon audio caps for example.

Agree with you..........

If you’re looking for a channel that eschews science in favor of magical thinking, look elsewhere.

​@@FluxCondenser The question is, what is "science"? Science used to mean an open-minded search for the unknown, for curiousity and inquisitive mind. For searching for truth. Now it hss become academics defending their turf against new ideas, violently defending old dogmas and harassing those questioning them. This is academic science today, and perhaps audio science too. That why is the rate of innovation has slowed radically.

@@TameElof Science follows the scientific method. Vigorous testing following accepted procedures must be in place. Results are allowed to be peer-reviewed. In the case of audio components, double-blind tests with statistically relevant sample groups must be used to rule out psychological preconceptions. Science IS under attack these days and must be defended.

& we still can't duplicate thier ancient technology, B.S. & sports cars go faster because of what type of window washing fluid it uses. I was going to say paint, but I know where that would go, realtree air fresheners alone add 12-16 hp

@@FluxCondenser Some things we measure doesn't matter. Some things that matter we don't measure. Science has been under attack for a long time. Once it meant finding truth, questioning. Now it means (according to your definition) defending existing theories. A final word, phenomenons may exist even if you can't explain them or even observe them. Some day you may be able to. Like electricity 300 years ago.