V-Cap

71.245.182.41

Posted on February 20, 2021 at 18:18:56

panheadchopper
Audiophile

Posts: 12
Location: Pittsburgh
Joined: February 1, 2015

So I'd like to post a review of the V-Cap CuTF copper foil and Teflon capacitors.. I have 2 home built single ended 2A3 amplifiers.. Both are 2 stage amplifiers with Tango output transformers, very low noise, low impedance power supplies with polyprop D/C link film caps only. no electrolytics at all and both use the same tube compliment.. A D3A voltage/driver to 2A3 output.. One amplifier is direct coupled from D3A to 2A3 and the other is capacitor coupled.. The direct coupled has ALWAYS STOMPED on the cap coupled amp, better in EVERY WAY, tight, deep, defined, controlled bass, huge, open, soundstage, extremely clear without being edgy or hard, dynamic and punchy.. The damn thing is awesome and the cap coupled was NEVER in the same league.!! As I think of how the capacitors "pass" the signal, there is "no direct" electrical connection through the capacitor... The capacitor must sorta absorb the signal and discharge the signal on the other plate.. I believe this is where "capacitor sounds" are SO Flawed... The various capacitors "aborb" the signal and never release some of it.. Or they "favor" some band of frequencies or timing of the signal as it "passes" through.. The cap coupled amp always sounded more like a good amplifier but colored to one degree or another.. I tried ever every capacitor that I could find, I'll mention a few, Duelund Cast-pio tinned copper, and RT, Jupiter copper foil, Mundorf Supreme silver/gold oil, Rel RT and RTX, Dynamicap, Clarity cap MR, Janzen, Vitamin Q, Russian Teflon. and the other Russian variants.. As well as many others not worth mentioning.. Let's get to the V-Caps, as I listen to ALL other capacitors you can hear what the capacitors are doing, IE: they are supposed to pass the signal unaltered, THEY DON'T, to one degree or another they Alter Something.. Maybe loose bass, exaggerated bass, no bass, closed in forward mids, sucked out fat mids, tinny top or whatever... ThEY All have a "SOUND".. The V-Cap CuTF is SO FAR SUPERIOR to any other capacitor it's NOT FUNNY.. The capacitor coupled equipped with V-Caps competes very favorably with the dc coupled.! Hard to now tell the difference. in amplifiers.. FINALLY,!! Huge, open, RESOLVED sound stage.. Inner detail like NO OTHER.. OH so juicy.. Anyway, you've got to hear these things.!!!

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RE: V-Cap

Deke609

20:49:43 06/14/21

RE: V-Cap

sony6060

04:41:27 07/11/21

ODAM are great as well

Gordon Rankin

08:07:07 03/09/21

...

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RE: V-Cap

Deke609

20:49:43 06/14/21

RE: V-Cap

sony6060

04:41:27 07/11/21

ODAM are great as well

Gordon Rankin

08:07:07 03/09/21

RE: ODAM are great as well

kobasa@xs4all.nl

12:29:13 03/10/21

RE: V-Cap

kobasa@xs4all.nl

13:53:39 03/04/21

RE: V-Cap

kobasa@xs4all.nl

07:42:49 03/03/21

RE: V-Cap

kobasa@xs4all.nl

12:33:08 03/03/21

The Copper foil V-Cap is the best we've heard.

Ralph

13:31:26 02/23/21

3

RE: The Copper foil V-Cap is the best we've heard.

lokie

13:46:53 03/01/21

2

Not sure what you mean

Ralph

14:03:45 03/01/21

RE: Not sure what you mean

lokie

19:29:29 03/02/21

RE: V-Cap

Rocket_Powered

08:09:40 02/22/21

What Ralph said nT

Cleantimestream

13:22:06 02/24/21

agreed... Russian silver mica take second place_nT

Cleantimestream

21:47:49 02/20/21

agreed... Russian silver mica take second place_nT, posted on February 20, 2021 at 21:47:49
Cleantimestream Audiophile Posts: 7550 Location: Kentucky Joined: June 30, 2005	! The Mind has No Firewall~ U.S. Army War College.

RE: V-Cap, posted on February 22, 2021 at 08:09:40
Rocket_Powered Audiophile Posts: 439 Location: East Coast Joined: May 15, 2020	Interesting, but as typical, I would think this would depend on the circuit and personal preference no? But in your case, you'd have a good starting point for next cap replacements (certainly didn't help your wallet having to get all those previous, and often expensive, caps to test).

The Copper foil V-Cap is the best we've heard., posted on February 23, 2021 at 13:31:26
Ralph Manufacturer Posts: 4769 Location: Minnesota Joined: April 24, 2002	It also measures well. I don't think its a matter of taste; the cap does not impart a tonality as far as we can tell. Most of the caps we audition don't but some are more detailed than others. The Cu V-Cap is both smooth and detailed, more than any other part we've heard.

What Ralph said nT, posted on February 24, 2021 at 13:22:06
Cleantimestream Audiophile Posts: 7550 Location: Kentucky Joined: June 30, 2005	!@ The Mind has No Firewall~ U.S. Army War College.

RE: The Copper foil V-Cap is the best we've heard., posted on March 1, 2021 at 13:46:53
lokie Audiophile Posts: 1988 Location: Georgia, USA Joined: January 28, 2003	Hey Ralph, Do you find diminished returns with "too many" V-Caps?

Not sure what you mean, posted on March 1, 2021 at 14:03:45
Ralph Manufacturer Posts: 4769 Location: Minnesota Joined: April 24, 2002	Too many in the circuit or too many in parallel? In terms of the circuit, it seems to help from input to output. I think paralleling coupling caps is a bad practice; in essence, 'smears' the sound. So you just want to give it your best shot with one part.

RE: Not sure what you mean, posted on March 2, 2021 at 19:29:29
lokie Audiophile Posts: 1988 Location: Georgia, USA Joined: January 28, 2003	I didn't mean paralleling but good to hear that my experience is the same as your in that regard.

RE: V-Cap, posted on March 3, 2021 at 07:42:49
kobasa@xs4all.nl	The Mind has No Firewall~ U.S. Army War College

RE: V-Cap, posted on March 3, 2021 at 12:33:08
kobasa@xs4all.nl	' The Mind has No Firewall~ U.S. Army War College

RE: V-Cap, posted on March 4, 2021 at 13:53:39

kobasa@xs4all.nl

Was this a Loftin&White schematic you compared?

Most directly coupled schematicts use a large cathode capacitor. This cathode capacitor is also in the signal path.
I prefer normally a small capacitor above a big capacitor. I also prefer negative bias above auto bias for a power tube. An interstage is normally a better choice

ODAM are great as well, posted on March 9, 2021 at 08:07:07
Gordon Rankin Manufacturer Posts: 2928 Joined: June 9, 2000	All, I have using the Vcap ODAM a lot lately and they sound great Thanks, Gordon J. Gordon Rankin

RE: ODAM are great as well, posted on March 10, 2021 at 12:29:13

kobasa@xs4all.nl

They are boutique*1 capacitors. I would never invest in this specially if they tell lies*2 on there website about the specifications. They are also way over priced.

*1 in a heavy industrial environment they will not survive because they are not made properly (you want to have a stress free capacitor)
*2 from their website "Dielectric Coefficient of less than 1.45" .

RE: V-Cap, posted on June 14, 2021 at 20:49:43

Deke609
Audiophile

Posts: 48
Location: Toronto
Joined: January 11, 2019

"The capacitor coupled equipped with V-Caps competes very favorably with the dc coupled.! Hard to now tell the difference."

Now that more time has passed, are you still of the same opinion?

I'm a big fan of the CuTF caps. I've used them as insterstage coupling caps for a few years, and recently replaced some ODAMs with them doing output coupling and parafeed duty in some modded Bottlehead amps. And I'm liking what I'm hearing.

But I've never tried direct coupling and read great things about it.

cheers and thanks, Derek

RE: V-Cap, posted on July 11, 2021 at 04:41:27
sony6060 Audiophile Posts: 1465 Location: USA Joined: August 8, 2014	If the cost of the expensive V-Cap is beyond your means, try the few dollar Russian paper in oil K40Y-9.

SET Asylum

V-Cap

71.245.182.41