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In Reply to: RE: What are the better electrolytic caps now ? posted by janis on January 27, 2015 at 10:10:02
I have tried Silmic II's as NFB caps in a very revealing SS amp design, and it made the sound thick and dull. Highs and all detail simply disappeared. Panny FM's sounded better, but BG STD grade was easily best of all. Easily. This was part of a group buy/build at DIY Audio, and every other participant agreed that the BG, despite considerable extra expense, was worthwhile improvement over Silmic II.
I recently removed Silmic II coupling caps from my Marantz SACD player and installed BG STD. Huge improvement, with substantial increase in detail and air, without any drawbacks.
I'm not saying it can't possibly happen, but why did this one person prefer Silmic's over BG? His testing methodology appears rigorous, but it's still all subjective. I also saw that N Pass favored Silmic's, but I don't know what he was comparing to. Some Pass electronics can have a bit of a SS edge, and Silmic's may compliment that. I admire N Pass (owned a Threshold 400A amp in the 70's and 80's), but I don't accept his opinion as gospel.
I have never heard of any modder pulling BG's out of equipment to replace with Silmic! Why not?
Peace,
Tom E
Follow Ups:
If you use a Silmic and put a WA quantum chip on it and bypass it with my modified .33 Wima (put in correct orientation and damped).....then you have great sound. Yes, the Silmic by itself is slow and not detailed. You have to try the WA Quantum chips.....makes the Silmic sound like a Teflon! Then the Wima adds the little extra air....amazing combo. Still a Blackgate is better to start with or a film cap....but if you need the capacitance this combo is really nice.
I tried putting a small Wima in parallel with the Silmic, and it sounded very strange, almost phasey on some musical tones. Never heard anything so artificial come from my system, hope to never again. The same small cap across a Panny FM had no such resonance distortion and did improve the sound a bit, but it was still pretty "edgy" and bright.
Okay, I'll bite: what the heck is a WA quantum chip?
By your "modified Wima," I assume you mean where you remove the steel leads and attach copper? What a pain in the butt! In critical signal areas, I just avoid Wima MKP altogether if I can. FKP is actually a decent cap, but limited sizes available. Amtrans caps are superb, as are most polystyrene's with non-magnetic leads.
Peace,
Tom E
Modified .33 Wima
See link:
Wherever you go there you are.
Tom E, you did not follow Ric Schultz recipe to have great sound from this combo, hence your result; "it sounded very strange".
WA quantum chips are amazing.
See link:
Wherever you go there you are.
I refuse to consider any product with the word quantum or magic in its name. I don't care who recommends them, especially hacks at Stereo Times who can barely write a coherent sentence. (Is this guy writing for Palin these days?) I respect Ric Schultz, but we'll part ways on this point. If a 'lytic cap and a paralleled film cap resonate, no kind of chip or super sticker is going to stop it.
And if he wants to solder new leads on caps, more power to him! I agree that the steel leads sound like crap.
I do not contend that anyone who uses and believes in these or similar products is wrong in any way. I choose to not partake.
Peace,
Tom E
"I do not contend that anyone who uses and believes in these or similar products is wrong in any way. I choose to not partake."
Boy do I understand! If the choice is sanity or sound the obvious answer is, er, ah... sanity by a thin margin? Now I do have some stuff in my system that seems to make it sound better but I don't know just why (yet) but at least I know that I don't know.
What most of this stuff has in common is an abject lack of supporting data and an appeal to those who have that old used cow magnet taped to their car's gas line!
A life squandered in various electronic industries has taught me that if you don't have at least corrolated measurements then you are just groping in the dark. That's the way of it. Now of course that doesn't mean that you might not find something pleasing, but you probably don't know why.
Rick
If that's the case, you're missing out on the best damn stylus cleaner never invented for that job!
I loved "Careful with that cap, Eugene", by the way. Good one!
n/t
cost too much and have to be the best. . . .
kidding.
I have pulled them from equipment that I not using any longer and now that I think about it, I have some that I know has some good BG's and may as well take them out.
I have used them for years and still have around 60 or 70 but not enough in 25 volt. I may try my 16 volt 470 non polar as this is a 15 volt regulated circuit and having used them close to voltage before, know they will be fine.
iBasso DX100,DX50 DX90. Chord Hugo. HiFiman 901 balanced. RSA Intruder, The Lightning. Fostex TH900 balanced, Hifiman HE-6, 560, 500, JH13 Pro balanced. Lyr2, Audeze. All phones balanced mostly with Whiplash cables. Photo gallery: www.pbase.com/jamato8
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