Paul, the original caps in the Marshall JTM45 were made by a company called Iskra in the Czech Republic. The slang term for them are “Mustard caps” because of the epoxy coating that was that pale yellow mustard colour. They were polyester & foil caps and imported into Western Europe & the U.K. by the Phillips Corp. They were great sounding caps, but the major reason everyone loves them is the warmth harmonics & clarity they have when the amp is overdriven. The Valve compliment of the amp was usually 3 Mullard (or Brimar) ECC83’s, a pair of M.O.Valve KT66’s and a Mullard GZ34 rectifier.
If I may, as a guitarist who has modified a few amps I'd suggest that Mallory 150s would be a safe choice especially if you're building a JTM-45. (Btw the JTM 45 is a classic Guitar amp built by Marshall back in 1963 and it's a popular amp among guitarists & amp builders)
Marshall JTM 45 - colloquially termed as "Bluesbreakers" and the first amp used by Eric Clapton during his first ever gig with Cream. These amps use KT88 output tubes.
Hi, for that amp build you should use Mullard 'mustard caps', you can still find them used, or NOS. For a cap that's still made, apart from audiophile things, the go to is the Sprague 225P. You should make sure to use certain electrolytic caps in the PSU and cathode bypass positions. There is nothing made today that's quite like vintage parts, but again, a Sprague electrolytic capacitor called TVA Atom is the closest sounding. As far as I know the 225P and Atom are still made, simply to supply the boutique amp market.
@@laurentzduba1298 The JTM45 was a legendary amp, as you say, but the output valves are KT66. It's something like a British 6L6, but with a, erm, more British tone. The Marshall Major used KT88s: Ritchie Blackmore sound, but, believe me, to get a pair of KT88s to break up like he does will strip the wallpaper not just off your walls, but your neighbours too.
The guy that gave me a thumbs up knows that most of the massive guitar sounds we hear on our favourite rock tracks is actually a 6V6 or EL84 based combo. Very often, a single 6V6 in a little vintage box you could take to a gig on a bicycle. Saying that, old school bands like Judas Priest would rehearse and record with a mental Marshall backline.
@@andygrove285 seeking out an overpriced NOS capacitors is a waste of money. Its all snake oil. Modern new capacitors like Mallory and Nichicon have better specs and are less expensive.
Hi Paul, thanks for the video! Maybe you should mention that a lot of the gear that people can afford, even pro gear like recording interfaces, actually use electrolytic coupling caps. It's just how it is due to cost and size constraints. It doesn't mean your box will sound bad, though.
can you connect your speaker to compare with cheap mundorf 47uf Mcap tin cap(white.color) vs 47uf Mcap Alum vs 47uf Mcap supreme silver oil vs 47uf Mcap Supreme silver/gold/oil EVO. Does it sound different ! Live Video have ? 😍😍. ( can u do a video with that can ? It will be very Fun to try )......."/
can you connect your speaker to compare with cheap mundorf 47uf Mcap tin cap(white.color) vs 47uf Mcap Alum vs 47uf Mcap supreme silver oil vs 47uf Mcap Supreme silver/gold/oil EVO. Does it sound different ! Live Video have ? 😍😍. ( can u do a video with that can ? It will be very Fun to try )......."/
For guitar amps, Jupiter Vintage Tone are my favorite. Even in non Fender based circuits. The tolerance is out of this world too. If it says 0.1uf, it reads 0.1uf.
I used Jupiter yellows in a couple Ac-4 clones just for the signal path because Sozo is out of stock everywhere. They sound GREAT! Very impressed. Definitely a difference between them and Mallory or Orange drops. If I built amps for a living,I don’t think I’d use them to build a thousand amps or anything. Not unless there were a thousand orders that already paid their bill.
They are great, but HUGE in size. Sozos which are basically the modern take on Mustard caps have been doing it since back in 2003 are slightly smaller and just as great sounding. Now the Jupiter RED caps are very interesting; supposedly they imitate the old Astron Fender caps, but they have a unique tone all themselves. Relaxed and fuzzy, but a funny, quirky 'honk' somewhere in the midrange. Kills for older Tweed amps are Vox types without negative feedback.
Any tube-based guitar amps provide 3...5% distortion even in the "clean" regime, and it is what we like...:) But the distortion provided by caps is not the same as tube or output transformer distortion, so avoid ceramic caps, they provide sharp distortion, and they are even microphonic ! The right idea is to shunt the higher capacitance caps with smaller capacitance quality caps (especially in the high-end audio circuits for cleaner upper frequencies). Shunting with quality caps is the right idea for all the electrolytic caps in the signal and powering circuits. There is a longer talk about capacitor leaking, inductance, and different phasing affects.
I am writing to inquire about an issue of my Markbass CMD151P Jeff Berlin amplifier. I turned the amp on and practised for about 5-10 minutes. The sound was good, bright, full, nice. After that, the sound started to be weak, volume is little bit down, feeling is hard to play and not responsive. So, I stopped to play and wait for about 5 minutes (wait with turn the amp off or wait without turn the amp off), the sound became full and rich again but only for 2-3 minutes. Then again the same issueis appeared. Even though the offical service in my country (Turkey) couldn't reilize an issue, they accepted to replace my amplifier with a new one. The issuse pursued in the new amp and I decided to change other elemets; my guitar has also replaced other related parts such as socket etc. However, the issue is still exist. I started to belive the issue can be from a specific batch production. I would appeciate if you help me to solve this problem or give technical advice and check procedure that I can apply as an Electronic Technicihan.
I certainly wouldn’t recommend cheaping out on caps, but if you must: you can use cheapies and put smaller value high quality caps in parallel to cut down on cost.
can you connect your speaker to compare with cheap mundorf 47uf Mcap tin cap(white.color) vs 47uf Mcap Alum vs 47uf Mcap supreme silver oil vs 47uf Mcap Supreme silver/gold/oil EVO. Does it sound different ! Live Video have ? 😍😍. ( can u do a video with that can ? It will be very Fun to try )........"/
I've always preferred Orange Drop caps, they are extremely linear to ridiculously high frequencies and have very low impedance. In a guitar amp, I like to under size the coupling caps quite a bit (at least if you're going to overdrive it). small coupling caps will give you a really nice "edgy" distortion... if you like more of a grunge sound, run bigger caps. oh, and disable any feedback circuit the amp may have (those just ruin overdrive distortion IMO)
Thanks Paul - excellent session - clear, stayed on point and I love that you mentioned brand names - - - side note: I so appreciate your work and PS Audio - and congrats on the new version of the AN3's, love the "back wall" adjustment, fantastic engineering.
"Point-to-point construction" refers to making connections one wire or lead at a time, generally without incorporating a circuit board. Old tube radios were made in this way; the "All American Five" radios come to mind.
A JTM45 is a Marshall valve amp .. and this one is a point to point hard wired version ... very nice 👍 as this is only a guitar amplifier I would use metalised polyester types for coupling in the signal lines and high grade electro's for the rest ... As a matter of interest what did Marshall use ?
A lot of audio companies used Wima MKP10 caps which are cheap and sound good. I used to use Wonder caps (7502A)which are still in my equipment but I'm getting a slight occasional noise from a couple of them. Rel caps are quite good and I have used them in the past. Not sure what I'd replace the Wonder caps with today.
Wima caps also have the advantage that since they are generally small, they are less susceptible to vibrations. I have also heard from techs that they are less susceptible to RF noise, but I personally never seen this be an issue in the amps I've worked on.
The DIY world of clone guitar amps (especially Marshall clones) is SATURATED and oozing with more specified knowledge to this question. I think the guy asking the question will find that the changing and tweaking the values of the caps will shape his tone to a ballpark rather than any brand or style first. The size of the caps mentioned by Paul may have a rough time fitting between the turrets and in the chassis altogether. Dial in your desired tone first with less than exotic caps and then fine tune it with $$$$ caps in critical areas last.
Audyn. The cheap ones are very good for crossovers and if you want the best go with 800v audyns. Spending anymore is a waste. I would think if you need a good cap for the tweeter circuit then maybe the mundorf oil and aluminum wont bust the budget.
I might just add here ....when you mentioned that not many valve amps use direct coupling ... in most cases this is very true ... but if you dig out the schematic diagram of the Mullard 5-10 and 5-20 amplifiers you will see a clever arrangement of direct coupling after the first input stage to the phase splitter ....
I need to recap my tube amp and tube DAC. I figure that I need to replace them by the same capacitance value. One answer I can’t find though is about voltage rating. I’d be grateful if someone can weigh in: I can choose a replacement capacitor of the same voltage or higher. Many of the nice capacitors sometimes have a higher voltage rating. Although from an electrical point of view it is safe to use, is there an effect on the audio quality to replace a cap with higher voltage rating? Thank you!
Marshall guitar amp. High end tone film caps are great (Jupiter,Sozo,Synergy,etc..)for a special one off or a couple amps. But if you want to build a lot of amps,Mallory 150’s,Orange drop,etc… I’m just talking about guitar amps ,here,but I’d imagine it’s the same with hi fi.
hello paul. I have a joemeek preamp. capacitors exploded. codes 470uf 100v 1000uf 35v 2200uf 35v What would you recommend as a brand, please? thanks a lot 🙏
Thanks Paul. I've had success with bypassing caps with lower value, high quality caps. If speedy caps "fill-in" for more sluggish higher value caps, what do you think of this approach? (Would also love to hear your opinion on how power cords and power supply filters work).
Yes film and foil,paper and oil is a good capacitor especially in speakers think it's hard these days to get hold of, Russia have a supply glass tube oil capacity. Maybe you can answer me this Paul! the metal film capacitors in Leak amplifiers like tl12, do you know what the construction was or is. It was in his journal about these type of capacities and how he swore by them they were the best at the time and still are probably. But are they still being made? What about JJ electronic capacitors do you rate them
Ero kp1830 film foil very good for audio and cheap. Philips film foil grey and orange colour caps also very good. Ero mkt1813 is also very nice sounding caps
Hi there I have a old Nad 302. And told I can improve it if I changed the caps to rubycon 10000 UF N. 80 v I like a nice warm sound and detailed Could you please suggest some caps to achieve this sound i am looking for
Guitar amp builders shouldn't consult an audiophile. The JTM45 is a Marshall amp. A good coupling cap for it is polyester film, and foil, so good call. Polyethylene might sound too sterile for guitar.
I would use nothing less than a pair of matched TFTF V-Caps! That should set you back a little under a grand which is a mere 3% of the cost of the GATT new.
Modwright are open sounding , and affordable. For coupling caps. I like Audio Note UK Copper, nice tone but just not as open sounding . There are better capacitors but these are my favorite Affordably priced capacitors. Careful with foil and Teflon, they can be to analytical in the wrong circuit. Balance is key.
😍 can you connect your speaker to compare with cheap mundorf 47uf Mcap tin cap(white.color) vs 47uf Mcap Alum vs 47uf Mcap supreme silver oil vs 47uf Mcap Supreme silver/gold/oil EVO. Does it sound different ! Live Video have ? 😍😍. ( can u do a video with that can ? It will be very Fun to try )
“We can’t use $150 caps in production”. WHY? Pass the cost through, or even charge $200. On top of a $5K+ component?! Now, for my horns, the parts alone for the crossover is $10k. Now that, I understand, is though to build a business case on! ;)
I sometimes paralleled film caps (plastics) with electrolytics at a ratio of 10-20% to 80-90% if a large capacitance at low cost was required, even that is a big improvement, as the electrolytics struggles at high frequencies mainly. Of course, Tantalum and ceramics are a no-no.
Deja vu, I seem to remember a similar video posted a year or two ago. This is a better answer tho, for audio signal path capacitors, you just can't beat film. Solen makes the best cheapies, but Mundorf, Jantzen, Obbligato, Clarity Cap, etc., all make great audio-grade caps. I've spent waaaaayyy too much time perusing reviews of capacitors. They do make a difference, but finding the right one is mostly dependent on type, application, and location in the circuit. And budget, of course.
I like to measure the caps that go in guitar tone controls trying to use the ones closest to the specified capacitance and lowest ESR.. based on your experience with quality caps, do their specs also fluctuate between batches and brands?
This is the best and only right answer: for audio coupling: best capacitors are the one. Which are not there... means not used. Not existing... becouse they are needles.. capacitors damages audio quality, offsets phase add distortions. Make a DC circuit instead of using expensive caps... never
Can somebody Please Tear down the Mundorf Silver cap & Show us all whether Mundorf Silver cap is really using Pure Silver Foil inside. Is it real or Fake ? Video Please..
I replaced some old ones in my old amp with some TSE polypropylene film ones but I'll be honest it sounds like mp3 quality sound now. Getting them replaced with mundorf soon. I think for crossover you can put a price on stuff. But I do recognise Elna and don't have any issue with them. I think they're in my marantz amp
Absolutely. I think using film & foil (not metalized film) construction is essential for all caps in the signal path in almost all cases. If I'm skimping on something, I'll use metalized film caps. The major electrical difference between most metalized film and film & foil caps is that the film & foil caps are usually constructed so that the leads have a low impedance path to most of the surface area of the metal cap plate. Metalized film caps are usually wound out from the lead junction point and so their characteristics can be thought of as more like a series of tiny capacitors joined by tiny inductors whereas film & foil caps are more like bulk capacitance without the extra inductance. Both are excellent while electrolytics are 💩.
@@Peter_S_ You are neglecting the voltage coefficient and the temperature coefficient completely. These are part of the dielectric distortion. Bruce hofer of AP has done a presentation about high performance analog electronics (incl caps and resistors). You should check it out!
The answer is "it depends" If the crossover has been designed taking into account the relatively high esr (Equivalent series resistance) of electrolytic capacitors, then replacing with low esr film capacitors *may* cause problems.
Audio Note, Jupiter, Duelund, Janzen, Audyn are very fast teflon foil V-Cap is awesome but more than Duelund at the top. Audio Note is very fast with excellent insulators and not as expensive as the others. Sadly, Audio Note was to create Black Gate Electrolytics but never happened. Fast charge and discharge
And as we know from reading Ken Rockwell, it's only foolish, music-hating audiophiles who purchase amps that use resistors. The amps that EEs use don't need no stinking resistors! kenrockwell.com/audio/audiophile.htm
Oddly enough there's a number of ways to fabricate a resistor: carbon composition, deposited carbon, metal film, wirewound... and they all have different noise characteristics, thermal noise, and current noise being the most significant. In low level signal applications this is important so the resistor manufacturers publish the Noise Index in dB for their products. Resistors also change value as temperature changes. Since resistors self-heat as they pass current, it should not come as a surprise to discover that resistors of different composition also have different self-heating characteristics and so behave differently depending on the particular circuit's current flow. Please drop the cynicism cousin. You're doing nobody any favours...
@@golfman9290 Rockwell: "An audiophile and a music lover are two entirely different people." According to the Oxford English Dictionary, audiophile = "a devotee of high-fidelity reproduction of sound" and I would therefore appear to be an audiophile. Why that disqualifies me from enjoying music is a mystery to me. It also fails to explain why on Earth I would go to the trouble of purchasing ~2,500 music recordings. Ken Rockwell also states: "A music lover spends more time at live performances, either as audience or as performer, than pretending to reproduce it at home." That's all very well if you are young and able-bodied. I'm not; I'm old(ish) and crippled. Perhaps I could use Rockwell's argumentation and conclude that electrical engineers hate old, crippled people. BTW, I don't "pretend" to reproduce music at home; I actually _do_ reproduce it. That's why musicians in collaboration with sound engineers make records, electrical engineers design amplifiers and speaker designers design speakers. This appears to have gone unnoticed by Mr Rockwell. Please exercise a modicum of critical thinking...
Capacitors don't have a "sound" so long as the values are the same they will all have the same properties in circuit. This isn't RF and none of it truly matters. Panasonic makes cheap HV caps for coupling in tube amps. They work fine.
Can you Cut open the Mundorf Silver Gold Cap vs Solen Silver Cap to view the inside can ? Is it real Pure Silver Foil or basically just a Fake Foil ? Video have ! ( Surely u will have Billion of Billion of Viewer in your RU-vid).....,
There is a finite amount of parameters measured for a capacitor to be a capacitor, of a certain value. If you know anything about these parameters, and what they do, you know that the ONLY thing that can change the "SOUND" of these capacitors in an audio circuit, is those parameters. The quality of build is important indeed, for durability, longevity, accuracy of performance values matter. If anything else is changing them, like your mind, you need help. It's snake oil. Please do your own testing. Same exact, or close as possible values for those parameters, and try different physical types (non electrolytic swaps), tell me if you, your dog, cat, bird, or any living thing can tell the difference. C, RL, Resr, Rda, Cda, are known, the Better Sounding parameter, is just the BS one :)
Geezus. The guy is talking about a guitar amp and didn’t mention it. Christ For that Marshall amp the best are NOS mustards or sozo next generation. For the love of god. He didn’t mention it’s for a tube guitar amp. So different than an audio amp
the way you conduct these “Q&A” leaves me with this impression almost every time: … why people write to u, when ur attitude is so pompous, is beyond comprehension. u should try being grateful people want to converse with u… (I know it might be hard to believe, but you are not the god of audio.. or even close) try being real with people. From what I’ve observed, adults are writing into your show, so maybe responding in a way that reflects that.. might be a good idea. this is specifically in response (this time, however this kind of attitude is a chronic occurrence) to your reaction to not knowing a specific piece of gear, which the person writing in referenced.
