The Surprising Truth About Old Capacitors

Flux Condenser Vintage Audio Electronics

Подписаться 16 тыс.

Просмотров 20 тыс.

50% 1

Do all old capacitors need to be replaced? Just a quick video to report on something surprising some of you may find useful or interesting. Today I was working on an old Dynaco PAS-3X preamp I’m restoring. It’s in pretty good shape, but apparently got plenty of use as all the 12AX7 tubes tested as barely breathing. The preamp dates back to 1971, so at almost 50 years old, I assumed that along with the tubes, all the coupling capacitors would need to be replaced as well.
I started, by making a quick drawing of the two PC boards showing the positions, alignment and values of the caps I planned to replace. For fun, I tested the first one I removed for leakage, and was amazed to find that it tested perfectly. I then tested it for capacitance and again, it was spot on. I removed five more capacitors from the boards and every single one tested perfectly.
At that point, I determined that all of the capacitors on the board I had planned to replace were not of the paper variety, but of a newer mylar style similar to today’s modern capacitors.
I scrapped all plans of replacing them and decided to reinstall the ones I removed, and not bother testing the rest. If there are any problems once the restoration is complete, I’ll troubleshoot components on an individual basis instead of doing a blanket replacement.
Speaking of blankets, I’d hate to make a blanket statement that all capacitors that look like these are reliable and don’t need to be replaced. I did a little research on these Black Cat caps made by Cornell Dublier and I couldn’t find any consistent information about how they’re made. They appear to be mylar, but that doesn’t mean all Black Cats are. They may be, but again, I’ve read too much conflicting information to be absolutely certain.
Black Beauties are another type of capacitor made by Sprague which seem to bring similar confusion.
The point of this video, really, is that you should test capacitors before blindly replacing them, even if you’ve read otherwise.
The exception would be capacitors that are clearly made from paper, such as these much older wax/paper caps. If you see these, you really are going to be better off just replacing them and any tests you do will very likely show they’re leaky or out of spec.
Ceramic caps are generally fine, but if your device isn’t working correctly, a ceramic cap will occasionally be to blame so don’t be surprised if you run across a bad one.
And of course, electrolytic caps should always be tested as there’s a higher likelihood of failure there. All of the electrolytics in the PAS-3X will be replaced along with the selenium rectifier.
I’d also caution you to not buy or use capacitors because of some supposed sonic benefit. Some people pay ridiculous money for capacitors, even crappy old wax/paper ones, because they mistakenly believe they’ll make things sound more transparent or pure. That’s just baloney. If two capacitors measure the same, they’ll sound the same.
Don’t be fooled into buying New Old Stock capacitors because someone told you they possess some magic antique sound. If you have old capacitors that test as new, use them. If they test poorly, replace them. And when buying capacitors, get new ones of a high quality from a reputable manufacturer and seller.
Capacitors don’t possess magic sound qualities, but there are genuine differences in tolerance, build quality, temperature ratings, voltage ratings and longevity. If any of these things cause a capacitor to be out of spec for the circuit, unpleasant audible problems can be created.
Time for me to get back to restoring the PAS-3X. Look for a video in the future where I’ll show its restoration in complete detail. The PAS-3X will be part of a 60s/70s Hi-Fi I’m putting together which will include a Dynaco ST-70 I built, a Dynaco FM-3 tuner I’m going to build, this modified Thorens turntable, and a pair of Dynaco A25 speakers. All of which will also be featured on my channel.
#capacitor #radiorepair #radio #electronicsrepair #stereorepair

Опубликовано:

2 окт 2024

Ссылка:

Скачать:

Готовим ссылку...

Добавить в:

Мой плейлист

Посмотреть позже

Комментарии : 90

@Technical_Audio 9 месяцев назад

“If two capacitors measure the same, they’ll sound the same.” You really shouldn’t throw out an absolute statement like that which negates and even insults many audiophiles’ experiences. But I’ll play that game with you. All those Mylar caps should be replaced with polypropylene caps. Measure the same? Maybe on the instruments you have on hand, but with lab grade equipment polypropylene measures better in terms of dielectric absorption (as well as a couple of other parameters) which causes subtle smearing in the sound. You don’t hear it? Fine. Doesn’t mean that others can’t. You don’t have to spend big bucks on polypropylene though, in my opinion. Use CDE Orange Drop 716P or Illinois polypropylene caps.

@gattigail 3 года назад

Liked your video. I have a Carver M500t Power amplifier. Its from 1980 with all the original parts. So that makes it 40 years old. I asked a buddy and resident expert from the Carver club I belong to at The CarverSite to give my Carver amp a "check-up". He checked all the original caps throughout the amplifier and they all checked within spec. He also checked all the performance specs of the amp and all was in spec or better. The tech advised no need to change caps. The only thing he changed was the speaker binding posts which he upgraded to newer modern type.

@FluxCondenser 3 года назад

Thanks for sharing your experience. Much appreciated.

@ElPasoTubeAmps 4 года назад

I completely agree with you. As you well know, there is a mentality in the audiophile world that every time a tech takes the bottom of of the amplifier and looks at the capacitors , they need replacing. Maybe those horrible carbon composition resistors too... As for sound of the ultra expensive capacitors... I have come to the conclusion that we have basically decided, with few exceptions, how equipment is going to sound even before we hear it. Reality from test equipment and our brain often times do not agree. All I can say is if a fellow spends $300 on new fancy capacitors, it Will sound better. Same for tubes with gold lettering.

@FluxCondenser 4 года назад

Sometimes I think I’m alone in the struggle against unsubstantiated audio claims, so I appreciate the moral support. Thanks for stopping by, ElPaso TA. Big fan of your channel.

@Yooyangs 3 года назад

@@FluxCondenser Balanced audio technology VK-75SE and VK30 preamp.... class A tube amp, tube preamp. Caps are Nippon Chemi-con... about 20 years old... should I replace them? No swelling, no leakage, no audio hum, pops or other nasties that caps going downhill cause. I talked with the designer and he recommended swapping them out with Mundorf silver/gold. This can be a substantial price as BAT gear is extremely expensive.

@taineasy 3 месяца назад

My brother and I purchased new Pioneer receivers at the same time back in the 70's. I got an SX-950 and my brother went for the big SX-1250. Five years ago I got mine rebuilt and he left his alone. We are both in agreement that the rebuilt 950 now sounds much, much better than his 1250. I feel more confident than he does that mine will last another 30-40 years.

@6AM_YT 2 года назад

I have found that capacitors sound different. The idea that "if they test the same they sound the same" would mean that tubes, regardless of brand, sound the same as long as they test the same. I assume you believe that's false, but maybe not. Regardless, in my experience, anything that has audio signal passing through it has the potential to change the sound characteristics. Tubes, wire, caps, whatever. It might be to a small, or meaningless degree, but the human ear is an amazing device.

@FluxCondenser 2 года назад

It depends what you test for. A simple pass/fail test for tubes won’t tell much about how it will sound in a circuit. Extensive tests for emissivity and gain, however will. The same goes for capacitors. A simple capacitance test won’t tell you much about how a capacitor will sound. Leakage, ESR and tangent of loss tests, however will. If two capacitors sound differently, they’re going to test differently in some way. Simple physics. If one denies that, then one subscribes to magical thinking. You may as well believe in elves, fairies and Santa Claus in that case. Further, the human ear is incredibly fallible and as it’s connected to our brain it’s subject to psychological influences. This is well documented. If one “thinks” or expects to hear a difference, one often will, whether those differences are real or not. Time and time again, such claims, when put to the test by double-blind testing are shown to be nothing more than wishful, magical thinking.

$@luminousfractal420$

@luminousfractal420 6 месяцев назад

you cant lab test what the brain does. it works the same as our vision where we only recieve about 5% of the photons that make up our images. the rest is created by the brain with its algorithms and fractal networks, were only just able to measure this. sound is the same, were making 8k audio out of 240p footage, our brains fill in the gaps and match those micro patterns to material resonances in the real world, giving us our 3d audio image. its almost like an analouge to digital conversion where every micro sound is amplified and compared to the rest to give a fuller picture and then reconverted into a mix of balanced waveforms in our brains, where things match re-enforces the signals, where we chop it to bits with circuitry... doesnt play well with our brains, all those micro details are turned to mush, what we get out of it could be wonderful or horrible deoending on our lifes experience of sound, we have the basics in common but life likes to evolve and optimise. we all hear differently even if our ears afe perfectly the same. some of us will hear blended peaks, others will hear them extended. were all unique, as are our amps. theres good reason for it. keeps us safe from tigers and snakes. until we full understand the brains networks and tap difectly into them with no need for further evolution... caps and cables will all sound different. $10k cables... can sound the same as a coathanger, depending on how good your brain is at handling that info. if your brain is epic at sound recreation, you could go all coathangers. if your brain is nittpicky about what sound goes where (like mine) you have to make adjustments. for me i hate digital audio, cant stand it, even down to no music sounds good after about 1984 where the studios all went digital.

@justsumguy2u 5 месяцев назад

As someone who has been restoring tube-based equipment for about 40 years, I would recommend replacing all of them. Why? Because the average person doesn't have a decent capacitor checker, and they're not going to know the difference between paper and mylar capacitors just by looking at them. Not only that, but capacitors are cheap. Nobody needs silly $40 caps, orange drops will work just fine

@Nathan-ko8um 17 дней назад

I pulled some of those 'black cat pkm' out of something recently that, while i dont have a setup to measure hv leakage, measured way off for capacitance according to my fluke meter. something like .60+ instead of .47

@qua7771 2 года назад

Interesting how vintage electronics components had interesting names, and an exotic look, especially since they would go unseen for most of their useful life.

@WalterKnox Год назад

So I had no idea that "black beauty" capacitors were actually officially called black beauty. I thought that was just what people called them.

@6StringPassion. 2 года назад

So this NOS 1964 Heathkit AA-21D I am about to assemble has silver mica, ceramic disk and electrolytic caps in the kit. I assume I should just replace the electrolytic caps outright. What do you think about the ceramic disk and silver mica? Should I keep those? Or maybe replace those with a different type of cap like poly? LOL - I am a complete noob with this! Thanks for any guidance you can offer.

@beslemeto 6 месяцев назад

Capacitors change the sound.Not much,but they change it for sure!

@DeadKoby 3 года назад

The smart thing to do is #1 test a sample of some of the caps in question......... then make the decision as to whether or not to replace them. 70's era, and some 60's era stuff does indeed have mylar types that look "questionable"...... and one going BANG in the circuit isn't much fun either. My current project is a 1969 Jukebox, and there's lots of film caps in there. I'm just going after the electrolytic ones.

@WingStop-zv1sk 9 месяцев назад

You do get less distortion between a film and a Electrolytic and it's noticeable you don't need expensive either it matters on material not brand name

@6StringPassion. 2 года назад

I am trying to replace old ceramic disc caps that have values like .005ufd but I can't figure out what "ufd" equates to in today's nomenclature. Would that be the same as 5pf, 50pf, 500pf, 5000pf?

@FluxCondenser 2 года назад

.005 ufd means .005 microfarad which converts to 5 nanofarad. You can use a handy online calculator like this one: www.easycalculation.com/unit-conversion/picofarad-pF-microfarad-µF.html

@daveedwards5951 2 года назад

Some 1950's caps are still fine. Yet some early 90's 'lytics are all bad (mother boards, dvd players etc. ) If a tube amp has glowing red plates, you can be assured you need to blanket through and change out coupling caps.

@FluxCondenser 2 года назад

Yes, the plague of some Chinese capacitors from the early 90s wreaked a lot of havoc.

@jkvintageanalog8489 3 года назад

not all black cats are mylar but i have found alot of older film caps that are very good. I have found some that actually test better than new one vitamin q caps and old good all film caps that test amazing i have found pyramid caps that are film and very good and even black beautys with red or orange writting are great caps they too are film i have never found a bumblebee cap worth a crap

@FluxCondenser 3 года назад

Just goes to show, you never know what’s really inside until you test, so don’t go by appearances alone. Thanks for sharing your experience with bumblebees. For what it’s worth, Paul from Mr. Carlson’s Lab has stated that he believes the Spragues with red text tend to be reliable (only showing perhaps a small amount of leakage) while the ones with yellow text are unreliable.

@iRepairElectronics 5 лет назад

Congrats on the dynaco procurement. I used to have a pair of st70’s back in the 80,s. They can keep you war on a cold winter night too. By 1971, most of the bypass caps were being made to withstand moisture getting in , and were generally manufactured better. The sprauge black beauties have been known to be a problem. Test them with a high voltage tester for leakage. Definitely change the electrolytics. Don’t forget the resistors, they will fall out of spec too. Try to match pair your output tubes as closely as possible watch your bias pots make sure they are clean. Enjoy.

@FluxCondenser 5 лет назад

Thanks. I had hoped to find a Dynaco preamp in unbuilt form, but that proved hard to come by. The ST-70 I built turned out beautifully. Sounds great and quiet noise floor. Dead simple to set the bias. No wonder it’s been such a popular amp over the decades.

@midmodaudio6576 3 года назад

Thanks for another great video. I too have a complete Dynaco system, ST70, PAS3, FM3, A25 as well as several SS components. I've restored my ST70 and PAS3 but would love to see your work on the FM3.

@FluxCondenser 3 года назад

Thank you! Sounds like you’ve got a lot of experience with Dynaco. I really wish I had made videos of my ST70 and FM3 builds and my PAS3 and A25 restorations. I built them about two years ago and at the time I hadn’t really figured out how to properly “film” on the bench and was getting a little overwhelmed by the video-making process. I just wanted to build them and have fun, not worry about documenting everything, too. I did take quite a few photos, though. Now that I’m getting the hang of this video-making thing, I can’t imagine not doing a video for almost any project. I’m actually now enjoying the video-making process as much as the projects I document. It’s funny you should mention the FM3 as lately I’ve been thinking I have enough photos to at least put together a somewhat decent presentation using those. I have a couple pieces of McIntosh gear I restored as well which could get a similar treatment. Stay tuned!

@ChildrenOfDesire Год назад

"If two capacitors measure the same, they'll sound the same. Don't be fooled into buying new old stock capacitors" BOOM, tell it to them!

@WingStop-zv1sk 9 месяцев назад

You don't need fancy or brand name you need good material The change in capacitance with applied voltage is known as the capacitor's voltage coefficient, and it can be the dominant source of distortion in the low-frequency spectrum where capacitor impedance is relatively high. Furthermore, as the signal amplitude increases, greater distortion occurs.

@pala23mj 5 месяцев назад

What will a bad cap sound like? I have an Dynaco ST-35 that’s been sounding like it’s clipping and full of distortion. Cheers

@MrTubeamps 3 года назад

Great video, thanks for sharing it. Black Cats have always been somewhat enigmatic to me. I've worked on scores of Stereo 70 (and other Dynaco) driver boards. In some instances a board would be loaded with out of spec leaky black cats, in other cases all of them would be relatively okay. That said, the older the amp, the more likely the Black Cats would be bad. I'm don't think repopulating your PAS3 board with the original caps was the best move though. Even with extreme care, those old phenolic boards will only tolerate so many reworks before the traces give out. And at 50 years old it's just a matter of time before those old black cats begin to fail. Decent coupling caps are fairly inexpensive. You don't need to spend ridiculous amounts of money on the audiophile grade caps some companies are selling. I've found Sprague Orange drops deliver a very good bang for the buck and they last a very long time.

@FluxCondenser 3 года назад

Thanks, glad you enjoyed the video. Much like with Sprague Black Beauties, CD Black Cats (to my understanding) come in different varieties. With the Spragues, the ones with red markings are film while the yellow ones are paper/foil. And accordingly, the red ones are often just fine, while the yellows are typically leaky. This is based on advice from the master himself: Mr. Carlson. The Black Cats in this Dynaco appear to also be of the film variety, and as such, should remain reliable for years to come. They’re still “purring” along beautifully, so I have no intention to replace them and expect they’ll perform well for decades to come. Of course, this is all personal choice and I tend to err on the side of caution with capacitors. In this case, though, I’m confident in my decision to leave the Black Cats be.

@zulumax1 2 года назад

@@FluxCondenser Mr. Carlson is amazing, I have the Heathkit IG-18 like you do, but I want to build his capacitor tester, measures down into the giga-ohms with low voltage.

@Technical_Audio Год назад

I agree. I tend to err on the side of replacing all these caps while the unit is on the bench and opened up anyway. The cost is minimal. Illinois Capacitors (“IC”) makes some cheap polypropylene caps with copper leads. It won’t be long before the old ones do start to leak and the ESR will climb too. If a leaky coupling cap causes DC current through the volume pot the scratchy noise when turning the pot can be very loud and potentially tweeter killing. Ask me how I know…

@edwardallan197 Месяц назад

Fascinating........❤

@stevehead365 Год назад

If you are listening to your amp with knackered old paper caps and swap them for polypropylene caps then the amp will sound different, it will sound how it is supposed to sound. And you will no longer be able to warm your hands on the red-plating output tubes.

@hairlab9646 Год назад

Thanks for the vid. I recently demanded 6 caps back from a tech after learning he was selling them for $37 a piece on Reverb. Somewhat chagrined, he tested all the caps in front of me. They tested almost perfectly. One of the new caps he had blanket replaced was 9% "off." To be fair, there was no sonic difference between the replaced old caps and the new-- It just ticked me off that someone would replace good caps apparently because people are dumb enough to shell out 40 bucks to "improve" their Gibsons.

@adamkwalczyk Год назад

This intro got my left sock lost, but that's alright because then it tickled my ear.

@qwertykeyboard5901 4 года назад

That intro is creepy asf

@FluxCondenser 4 года назад

qwerty keyboard Ha! It was certainly “interesting.” I’ve got a different intro on my newest videos.

@Roflcopter4b 4 года назад

I assume you mean polypropylene when you say mylar? I was under the general impression that they were more stable or something appropriately vague like that.

@FluxCondenser 4 года назад

No, my research tells me that Black Cat capacitors were made of mylar or paper, not polypropylene. Mylars are also known as polyesters, so it’s easy to understand why they’d be confused with polypropylenes. Polypropylene capacitors are different than mylar/polyester and can generally operate over a wider temperature range.

@garymattischannel6207 10 месяцев назад

I look for leaks in the black caps etc.., i have seen oil leak out of them.

@zulumax1 2 года назад

I have a Dynaco factory assembled PAS-3 that was stamped tested 501 APR - 7 1966. I had all the Dynaco catalogs, I scanned them, then sold them on eBay 10 years ago. I am not sure of the production dates, nor am I familiar with what the "X" stands for. I used to have the early PAS-2 back in the 70's, that is the same with different knobs and facia. All the label on the back says is "Dyna PAS", and a factory assembled sticker with serial number.

@FluxCondenser 2 года назад

I believe the X version has the upgraded tone control section.

@swinde 2 года назад

@@FluxCondenser The PAS-3x was designed to be compatible with the company's new solid state amplifier the ST-120. I am not sure whether it was a build option or just a better impedance match that worked for both Dynaco's tube and transistor amps.

@joeypolanco8754 4 года назад

Thank you

@donaldfilbert4832 3 года назад

Hmmmm. The PAS-3X doesn't look that different (inside or out) than the PAS-3; which I bought & built in 1963.

@FluxCondenser 3 года назад

Yes, the 3 and 3X are very similar. The only difference I believe is in the tone control section where the 3X controls essentially “defeat” the tone circuit in their center positions. Do you still own the preamp? How well did it perform?

@donaldfilbert4832 3 года назад

@@FluxCondenser No. Sad to say - I sold it in 1975. I needed money to go back to school and finish my EE degree. Otherwise - I would never have sold it. It performed flawlessly !! {:>}

@hallieboy 3 года назад

Mr. Carlson wouldn't like this!

@FluxCondenser 3 года назад

Ha! Actually, he’s also demonstrated on his channel that these old Mylar caps (such as the Sprague’s with the red print) very rarely go bad.

@QuadMochaMatti 6 месяцев назад

Mr. Carlson is annoyingly smug and smarmy.

@hallieboy 6 месяцев назад

@@QuadMochaMatti I couldn't agree more!!

@CzornyLisek 4 года назад

I mean in pro audio old gear quite often is waaaaaay out of spec and thats what give its own character. Especially when it comes to microphones. And as such it can make it much more expensive as same thing but new ;p

@FluxCondenser 4 года назад

Although many believe that aging components add character to the sound of audio equipment, one should be cautious about equating vintage audio with vintage wines. Failing capacitors can blow transformers, tubes, resistors, diodes, etc. They will increase distortion and noise. Rarely, if ever, do failing components increase even-order distortions which are generally considered more pleasant sounding.

@ernestschultz5065 3 года назад

test caps before replacing them? that's a pretty novel concept!

@FluxCondenser 3 года назад

Ha! I know, right?

@goodun2974 3 года назад

Important to note that there is a big difference between leaving the original 50-year-old coupling caps in a tube preamp, versus leaving them in the output stage of a tube hifi or guitar amp, running at 400 to 500 volts, where a few microvolts of leakage through the caps can totally overpower the bias and send the tubes into thermal runaway, possibly causing a shorted tube, a damaged output transformer, or even a damaged power tranny. I always replace the output coupling caps. Others may be okay to leave in place, but there's no sense in risking blowing up expensive tubes and transformers.

@garygranato9164 4 года назад

"if 2 caps measure the same they will sound the same" i've heard similar statements to this and plenty opposing it, wouldnt it be to

@FluxCondenser 4 года назад

gary granato Looks like you didn’t quite finish your comment, but I’ll attempt to explain. Yes, if two capacitors measure the same, they will sound the same. But don’t forget that the measurements of a capacitor go beyond simply measuring capacitance and whether it’s leaky. Capacitors of the same type and value, for example, can also have different losses (see my video on Nichicon capacitors for more on this) and ESR (equivalent series resistance). I have never seen anyone prove or demonstrate that when two capacitors of the same type measure closely for all these values that there’s any difference in sound, and my experience backs this up. Saying there’s a difference or believing one hears a difference is not proof. Further, if one can’t point to any measurable aspect of a capacitor (or any component) for improving or degrading sound, what possible reason could there be? This is not mysticism, this is audio. If there’s a difference in sound, somewhere along the chain, something measurable is also different.

@garygranato9164 4 года назад

@@FluxCondenser i thought i cancelled the comment. it would have ended with ( wouldnt it be good to make a video proving this, once and for all) !! TBH cant be bothered with the argument anymore re- resistor's/ fuse's/ pot's/ cap's blah blah blah ......... my ears are different to yours and my tastes are different also, so what sounds great to me may sound terrible to you. the argument can never be won, just accept that your wrong :)

@FluxCondenser 4 года назад

gary granato your first instinct to cancel your comment was spot on :)

@garygranato9164 4 года назад

@@FluxCondenser : )

@mat.b. 2 года назад

"If two capacitors measure the same they'll sound the same." What utter bullshit.

@FluxCondenser 2 года назад

A sure sign that someone has nothing useful or convincing to say is when they resort to vulgarities.

@mat.b. 2 года назад

@@FluxCondenser A sure sign that someone has nothing useful to say is when they resort to critiquing language.

@FluxCondenser 2 года назад

Hm, you seem to be just repeating what I’m saying, but in a way that’s absurd and without merit. My “useful things to say” were in the video. Do you have any original thoughts? Any videos on capacitors? Any evidence? Any practical knowledge? I’ve actually tested capacitors rigorously and my thoughts aren’t just opinions. They’re the results of actual evidence.

@zulumax1 2 года назад

@@FluxCondenser There are characteristics that alter the sound that can be measured that you did not mention. Rise time and slew rate differences can effect phase response which are hearing is very sensitive to. Square wave response and viewing the leading edge can show the differences.

@stevelueb7787 3 года назад

I'll give a thunbs up. However, NOT ALL capacitors sound the same. It has nothing to do whether they measure the same or not. It's a mystery. Example, why will my car engine have higher oil pressure if i only fill it with 4 quarts of oil vs 5 quarts? No one knows

@FluxCondenser 3 года назад

Perhaps you meant that in jest, but in case not, here’s my take on that: Just because you say “no one knows” why your oil pressure is lower with four vs. five quarts, doesn’t mean there isn’t a reason it’s happening. Not figuring something out doesn’t make something a magical mystery. It simply means that so far, the people who have attempted to diagnose the issue lack the skills or wherewithal to find the problem. Likewise, just because someone finds that two capacitors measure the same for capacitance, but also sound somewhat different doesn’t mean there’s some type of non-measurable “mystery” occurring. If two capacitors sound different, but have the same capacitance, there will be other measurable differences such as ESR, parallel leakage, tangent of loss, etc. The world is not a magical place. There are “mysteries” we simply haven’t figured out yet and may never figure out, but that doesn’t mean their causes are magical and without scientific reason. Capacitors are simple devices, and the world figured them out decades ago. If two different capacitors cause a circuit to sound differently in the same position, they will measure differently in some respect.

@zulumax1 2 года назад

@@FluxCondenser Well put sir, I was expecting the usual expectation bias and placebo answer, but you just put into words what my thoughts are exactly. The afore mentioned subconscious anomalies are a reality, but not the only dead-end answer.

@zulumax1 2 года назад

@@FluxCondenser Capacitors are not perfect capacitors, you mentioned series and parallel resistance, or leakage. There is also inductance, very small, parallel and series. Different dielectric materials can have consequential nonlinear effects. There is also microphonics which is problematic for ceramic disk capacitors in audio circuits, piezoelectric effects. Hard to make a blanket statement that capacitors sound the same when there are so many variables that one might be unaware of and not being measured. Blind testing would be more prudent IMHO.

@FluxCondenser 2 года назад

@@zulumax1 yes, and all those variables can be detected with tests. As can the audio output when swapping between components. My point is valid. There are no gains to be made simply by swapping to exotic materials. And if a manufacturer is to make such claims, they should be backed up by some real evidence. They don’t, however, because such claims are pure BS. I agreed, blind testing (if done correctly) would also be helpful, but again, most, if not all claims of sonic superiority would quickly fall apart under such scrutiny.

@zulumax1 2 года назад

@@FluxCondenser I am in the process of recapping a Fisher 500C receiver. I ordered the restuffed electrolytic cans kit from Hayseed Hamfest for $128.95, and ordered the rest of the electrolytic coupling and bypass capacitors from Mouser. Nichicon, nothing fancy. They were all open, and leaking out the seals. The rest of the capacitors such as chocolate drop mylar and film capacitors will remain unmolested. The across the line capacitors will be replaced with vishay XY .01 safety capacitors to make it safer. I am leaving the germanium diodes in with their 3.1 voltage drop, at least for now. Will get a video up soon in the next few days.

@bigbang259 4 месяца назад

have you tried to make a tube amp with paper wax capacitors and compare the sound? The sound is different and there's no capacitor that sound better than those old paper ones. Try it before making conclusion, and give it to listen to someone who has ears. It can be that ppl who used to listen to modern crap lost their ability to hear. Like making an analogy you won't hear and distinguish any difference in Chinese tones, but for someone who grew up hearing tones the difference is so dramatic that different tones means absolutely different words. But if you listen to them you wouldn't notice any difference until you got familiar with those sounds a lot

@FluxCondenser 4 месяца назад

What utter nonsense.

@Bigirondoug Год назад

Great video, but I have to call you out on the sound characteristics of capacitors. Quality and manufacturing play a big part, if you don't believe me just swap out the caps in your crossover (even of the same value) and then convince me there is no audible difference.

@toddtracey6563 2 года назад

Maybe this is true for components, but in speakers, capacitors can and do make a huge difference. I've done it and heard it many times over. You do need to be working with higher quality drivers for best results but to imply that a 3.3uF electrolytic will sound the same as 3.3uF Duellend is just a ridiculous statement.

@FluxCondenser 2 года назад

That’s nonsense.

@toddtracey6563 2 года назад

@@FluxCondenser wow

@francoisdesmeules5785 3 года назад

So all capacitors that measure the same sound the same ? lol. Balloney Kid. just balloney.

@FluxCondenser 3 года назад

Please explain. If it’s not something that can be measured, what exactly WOULD cause capacitors to sound differently?

@daveedwards5951 2 года назад

@@FluxCondenser Many are WAY too sold on the kool-aid, that AC chords, silver solder, high end caps etc. sound better. I've learned about 15 years ago not to join those arguments. It's a waste of time!

@PhuckHue2 4 года назад

my concern would be those crappy carbon comp resistors

@FluxCondenser 4 года назад

No need for concern. Every resistor was tested and none required replacement. That style of resistor is actually very good. Don’t confuse them for the carbon comps with rounded ends which are indeed, prone to failure.