Capacitor log Mundorf Silver in Oil


I wished I could find a log with information on caps. I have found many saying tremendous improvement etc. but not a detailed account of what the changes have been. I have had the same speakers for many years so am very familiar with them. (25+ years) The speakers are a set of Klipsch Lascala's. They have Alnico magnets in the mids and ceramic woofers and tweeters. The front end is Linn LP12 and Linn pre amp and amp. The speaker wire is 12 gauge and new wire.

I LOVE these speakers around 1 year ago they started to sound like garbage. As many have said they are VERY sensitive to the components before them. They are also showing what I think is the effect of worn out caps.

There are many out here on these boards I know of that are using the Klipsch (heritage) with cheaper Japanese electronics because the speakers are cheap! (for what they can do) One thing I would recommend is give these speakers the best quality musical sources you can afford. There is a LOT to get out of these speakers. My other speakers are Linn speakers at around 4k new with Linn tri-wire (I think about 1k for that) and the Klipsch DESTROY them in my mind. If you like "live feel" there is nothing like them. In fact it shocks me how little speakers have improved in 30 years (or 60 years in the Khorns instance)

In fact I question Linn's theory (that they have proved many times) that the source is the most important in the Hi-Fi chain. Linn's theory is top notch source with lessor rest of gear including speakers trumps expensive speakers with lessor source. I think is right if all things are equal but Klipsch heritage are NOT equal! They make a sound and feel that most either LOVE or hate. (I am in the LOVE camp and other speakers are boring to me)

So here goes and I hope this helps guys looking at caps in the future. Keep in mind Klipsch (heritage Khorns Belle's and Lascala's especially) are likely to show the effects of crossover changes more then most.

1 The caps are 30 years old and
2 the speakers being horn driven make changes 10x times more apparent.

Someone once told me find speakers and components you like THEN start to tweak if needed. Don't tweak something you not in love with. Makes sense to me.

So sound
Record is Let it Be (Beatles)
The voices are hard almost sounds like a worn out stylus.
Treble is very hard. I Me Mine has hard sounding guitars. Symbals sound awful. Everything has a digital vs. analog comparison x50! Paul's voice not as bad as John's and George's. Voices will crack.

different lp
Trumpets sound awful. Tambourine terrible. Bass is not great seems shy (compared to normal) but the bad caps draw soooooo much attention to the broken up mid range and hard highs that are not bright if anything it seems the highs are not working up to snuff. I have went many times to speaker to make sure tweeters are even working.

All in all they sound like crap except these Klipsch have such fantastic dynamics that even when not right they are exciting!

Makes me wonder about the people who do not like them if they are hearing worn out caps and cheap electronics? Then I can see why they do not like them! If I did not know better from 25+ years of ownership that would make sense.

For the new crossover I have chosen Mundorf Silver in Oil from what I have read and can afford. I want a warm not overly detailed sound as Klipsch already has lots of detail and does not need to be "livened up" they need lush smooth sounding caps. Hope I have made the right choice?

When the crossover is in I will do a initial impression on same lp's. Right now it goes from really bad (on what may be worn vinyl) to not as bad but NOT great on great vinyl. (I know the quality of the vinyl because tested on other speakers Linn)

The new caps are Mundorf Silver in Oil and new copper foil inductors are coming. I will at the same time be rewiring the speakers to 12 guage from the lamp cord that PWK put in. PWK was a master at getting very good sound often with crap by today's standards components.

The choice of speakers would be a toss up now depending on what I am listening to. Klipsch vastly more dynamic but if the breaking up of the sound becomes to much to effect enjoyment the Linn would be a better choice on that Lp. If I could I would switch a button back and forth between speakers depending on song and how bad the break-up sound was bothering me.

volleyguy
Hello Grannyring

I have some small values that I might replace in the phono stage not even sure how much difference these would make. I had thought about some of the Duelund Alexander for this as I have not heard them...

VPN it will be in pounds that cap!

On 12AX7's and resonance. Tubes could make someone crazy. It is a flavouring that one can get that is system based and I can see how guitar guys look for a certain type (of tube) based on a sound they want to "create". The new Gold Lions are bigger beefier and sound that way over the vintage I have. (which is quite a few)(more testing to do)

They resonate less than the vintage ones therefore sound better across the spectrum. If one is focused at a certain freq. they could sound not as full but the vintage tube makes that freq. fuller but at the expense of the rest of the spectrum. I was just going to say I would not go nuts looking for a certain vintage hard to find big $$$ tube over changing caps to CAST.

Grannyring this comes back to under what grounds (technically) should these caps be so good? Not saying they do not just why? Is your whole amp foil caps? (Duelund or other) as well as the speaker crossover?

I did find in the crossover you get "some" natural sound if you mix and match foil with poly caps but not all it could be and I am not saying just with Duelund but even vintage or other foil caps.
Reporting back on these JB JFX caps and they are wonderful folks. I can't say it more clearly. They compete with any cap and I don't care of the cost.

I have used them in two different preamps and one amp. All tubed units. I used them as coupling caps with great results.

They are sleepers are dirt cheap.
Grannyring

I might have to try these caps.

On the Duelund Facebook page.
http://jeffsplace.me/wordpress/?p=3701

There is mention about someone thinking the VSF was more musical. I do not know if I would say that, the CAST is clearly the superior cap technically but I for sure am not afraid to use some VSF and have done so.

What I am really intrigued about is what is the new cap for a 200uf Mylar CAST for the Tannoy Westminster?

Frederik any word? A power supply cap maybe?

I was reading on one website about how some tube amp makers (for fanatics) using only vintage electrolytics in the power supply. The site went on to poke fun at these users of vintage electrolytics as belonging to "the occult".

Last I checked I was not in any occult but do agree vintage electrolytics in the power supply smoked the Jensen electrolytics. I took out the Jensen and put back in the vintage and wayyyyyyy better!

Yet some of my vintage electrolytics are wearing out and a replacement with as good of sound is needed.
On the post

"Frederik pointed out to me that many people mistakenly think inductors aren’t as important as other circuit components because they typically deal with lower frequencies.

He said, “In fact it’s the total opposite, the lower registers are far more resonant in nature than high frequencies, which means resonance control becomes even more important. People are always slow to try the inductors, but when they eventually do, they are always amazed at the difference.”"

I have to admit to agree with this. Maybe because most inductors are garbage that the difference is so big?

I have tried to get someone on here to do a Duelund power supply. I am so curious to what is possible. If a vintage electrolytic is so much better what is a top notch power supply like?
Volleyguy,

We've had a lot of questions regarding a CAST high uF cap, that wouldn't be prohibitively expensive or large. We stumbled on some Mylar film we hadn't tried before, which gave rather nice results when used in impedance correction and the like, as long as we CASTed the foils.