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RE: Dynaco / K40 PIO cap voltage effect on sound?

My experience with caps is that often the higher voltage caps might sound better, however they seem to take longer to break in. This is of course very subjective, and is hard for even me to accept as fact, considering it is dependent on my somewhat questionable aural memory.

I do however have a possible hypothesis. I've seen evidence that the reason for some caps of the same value but different materials and construction sounding different, is because of the internal damping effect of the various dielectrics and construction, on the conducting foils. This internal damping could possibly vary the amount of movement between the foils in relation to each other, due to the varying electromotive forces put on them by the AC signal.

The different dielectrics, such as PIO, mica, and Teflon, and their varying ability to damp, could explain the difference we hear in tone. So maybe there is a case for higher voltage caps, and their necessarily thicker dielectrics.

My perceived break in time with the higher voltage caps could also be explained. It may take longer for the electromotive force and the ensuing vibration between the foils to physically settle in a thicker dielectric. Having said all that, go for it, see what you think. Just make sure you leave adequate break in time for the higher voltage cap, before making any judgments.

twystd


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