Dear @dgarretson : Yes in some models.
Dave, I arrived to WIMA/KEMET/VISHAYS caps by just an " accident " because that’s not what I was looking for when started this thread.
I was looking for the best high end caps no matters what and that’s what I asked to all those gentlemans experts that partyicipated in this thread.
However through the posts I did not find out the rigth kind of advices I was looking for to my specific speaker crossovers caps values because in one crossover filter the cap must be 100uf.
So and due that I had several Wima caps that I had in the closet when I changed by " better " caps in my electronics I ask my self: Wima?, why not ! . Always thinking out of the box.
You can read the different posts I posted here to understand why I’m HERE and why I’m so deep founded in my today crossovers caps in the same way I was deep founded in the high end ones.
In this video you can take a look on Pass electronics and check at 2:31 minutes and you can see those small red and blue color Wima caps and at the 2:56 minutes those grey color Kemet caps:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ytqk_9z0KMQ
In this other check at 3:25 minute for Wima and at 3:34 minute for Kemet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ytqk_9z0KMQ
Here you can look at 2:20 minute Wima caps used in a phono stage board by SimAudio:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ytqk_9z0KMQ
Another Simaudio, now an amp. From 1:50 minute to the end:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ytqk_9z0KMQ
For those gentlemans that not really know whom Simaudio can look something about:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ytqk_9z0KMQ
One gentleman in this thread pull the triger and tested a Wima cap somewhere in his system but he really did not like it and I understand him about.
Dave, when you have a little time you can try Wima and Kemet caps in your speakers, normally these caps settle down really fast.
What could be your expectations doing that kind of extreme test?:
first your attitude is not wait the same kind of color signature your speakers already have because through Wima/Kemet you can’t find out that color signature improved one, it's not " improved more of the same ".
You will find out a totally different signature quality performance with no " artificial/unnatural " signature.
What you will find out is a totally COLORLESS speaker MUSIC reproduction with only the natural color MUSIC has.
So, you have to remember exactly how live MUSIC at near field performs because it’s exactly this what you will listen through your speakers.
You can like it or not but this issue is another matters. If your room/system has some kind of non adequated " distortions " ( every kind of it ) in some system chain links you will hear it you will detected because with colorless caps just there are no place to those " distortions " can hide.
Wima/Kemet caps let pass the signal unaltered ( believe or not . ), are direct no was or paper on oil and the like but only true easy engeenering that from many years made it that these kind of caps been and be the overall industries standard even in milatary and aero space applications.
About critical coupling electronics caps use I let you know that almost when started to test the Wima I took a really serious challenge for it.
As you know I use the input coupling cap in my Levinson monobloks not only to coupling but I use that cap as the cap ( along a naked Vishay resistor ) to crossover filter for those monobloks can work only from around 80hz and up.
So, I was using a 0.033uf V-cap teflon Cu down there that for to much the best cap I tested in that couplink/filter.
Well I changed it by the Wima FKP 1 and this industry standard cap outperformed easily the extremely expensive V-cap teflon Cu device.
Btw, I know Pass electronics and admire it from many years since NP was in Threshold even I still own a FET 10 and his active crossover too. I know very well the quality performance level of today Pass phono and line top of the line stages and the designed Essential 360 phonolinepreamp that I own and that was designed and builded by a friend and me even today beats the Pass ones and in my unit in the critical signal boards I used teflon caps and you know hat? I´m thinking to change those teflong caps ( inverse RIAA eq. ) by Wima/Kemet caps.
What sttoped me is that the Essential 360 boards are 4 layers and it’s not easy to make that change and the other issue is that each of our units is individually calibrated and not an easy task too because those caps goes along that RIAA eq resistors too. Anyway I want to do it, I don’t know when but is one of my pending targets in my system.
Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.
Dave, I arrived to WIMA/KEMET/VISHAYS caps by just an " accident " because that’s not what I was looking for when started this thread.
I was looking for the best high end caps no matters what and that’s what I asked to all those gentlemans experts that partyicipated in this thread.
However through the posts I did not find out the rigth kind of advices I was looking for to my specific speaker crossovers caps values because in one crossover filter the cap must be 100uf.
So and due that I had several Wima caps that I had in the closet when I changed by " better " caps in my electronics I ask my self: Wima?, why not ! . Always thinking out of the box.
You can read the different posts I posted here to understand why I’m HERE and why I’m so deep founded in my today crossovers caps in the same way I was deep founded in the high end ones.
In this video you can take a look on Pass electronics and check at 2:31 minutes and you can see those small red and blue color Wima caps and at the 2:56 minutes those grey color Kemet caps:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ytqk_9z0KMQ
In this other check at 3:25 minute for Wima and at 3:34 minute for Kemet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ytqk_9z0KMQ
Here you can look at 2:20 minute Wima caps used in a phono stage board by SimAudio:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ytqk_9z0KMQ
Another Simaudio, now an amp. From 1:50 minute to the end:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ytqk_9z0KMQ
For those gentlemans that not really know whom Simaudio can look something about:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ytqk_9z0KMQ
One gentleman in this thread pull the triger and tested a Wima cap somewhere in his system but he really did not like it and I understand him about.
Dave, when you have a little time you can try Wima and Kemet caps in your speakers, normally these caps settle down really fast.
What could be your expectations doing that kind of extreme test?:
first your attitude is not wait the same kind of color signature your speakers already have because through Wima/Kemet you can’t find out that color signature improved one, it's not " improved more of the same ".
You will find out a totally different signature quality performance with no " artificial/unnatural " signature.
What you will find out is a totally COLORLESS speaker MUSIC reproduction with only the natural color MUSIC has.
So, you have to remember exactly how live MUSIC at near field performs because it’s exactly this what you will listen through your speakers.
You can like it or not but this issue is another matters. If your room/system has some kind of non adequated " distortions " ( every kind of it ) in some system chain links you will hear it you will detected because with colorless caps just there are no place to those " distortions " can hide.
Wima/Kemet caps let pass the signal unaltered ( believe or not . ), are direct no was or paper on oil and the like but only true easy engeenering that from many years made it that these kind of caps been and be the overall industries standard even in milatary and aero space applications.
About critical coupling electronics caps use I let you know that almost when started to test the Wima I took a really serious challenge for it.
As you know I use the input coupling cap in my Levinson monobloks not only to coupling but I use that cap as the cap ( along a naked Vishay resistor ) to crossover filter for those monobloks can work only from around 80hz and up.
So, I was using a 0.033uf V-cap teflon Cu down there that for to much the best cap I tested in that couplink/filter.
Well I changed it by the Wima FKP 1 and this industry standard cap outperformed easily the extremely expensive V-cap teflon Cu device.
Btw, I know Pass electronics and admire it from many years since NP was in Threshold even I still own a FET 10 and his active crossover too. I know very well the quality performance level of today Pass phono and line top of the line stages and the designed Essential 360 phonolinepreamp that I own and that was designed and builded by a friend and me even today beats the Pass ones and in my unit in the critical signal boards I used teflon caps and you know hat? I´m thinking to change those teflong caps ( inverse RIAA eq. ) by Wima/Kemet caps.
What sttoped me is that the Essential 360 boards are 4 layers and it’s not easy to make that change and the other issue is that each of our units is individually calibrated and not an easy task too because those caps goes along that RIAA eq resistors too. Anyway I want to do it, I don’t know when but is one of my pending targets in my system.
Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.