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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
volleyguy OP
789 posts
 
I can say inductors are wayyyy more complicated than DCR and Iron or Steel or air core.

There is resonance there as well. The more I hear the more respect I have for PWK. I paid $150 for the NC and would pay at least $200 or $300 for the vintage one. MUCH less resonance.

There must be some kind of interaction in the coil with the rest of the coil? I get a high freq noise. Is the coil vibrating? Before I bought this I would not believe 10 gauge wire could resonate?

I have moved the inductor much farther up the list of purchases. In my rebuild I am leaving room for a future Duelund WPIO. In the meantime the vintage in is VERY good in comparision.

IMHO tread lightly in inductors lower DCR is not all it is about.

Once again vintage parts could be a real alternative to modern parts. I expect the vintage inductor would beat any inductor barring maybe another wax paper inductor.

I just finished selling my plastic coated Linn k-600 tri-wire this week. Looks like a inductor will be next to go.
volleyguy OP
789 posts
 
A heavy hitting cap review oming. Pretty well the best of the best.

http://jimmyauw.com/2009/06/13/be-prepared-for-extreme-capacitors-battle/
volleyguy OP
789 posts
 
I may have egg on my face.

I swithced amps to see how the inductor sounded on a SS rectified tube amp. Sound is very strange? The vintage is inductor very choked off? The North Creek volume is much louder?

I still can not believe the difference from one inductor to another? I have to admit I did not expect this!

One too muffled and choked the other to hard sounding.

I thought inductors would not show much difference as they do not age like capacitors. (as far as I know)

I am going to sell this just yet to give more fair comparisons.
volleyguy OP
789 posts
 
I read once on the net a guy joking about not taking apart a speaker because the inside (crossover) contained dragons.

In the beginning of this tests I kept two systems one a former top of the line Linn with all Linn gear right from the cartridge to pre amp amps IC's and speaker wire all Linn recomended. I thought even if they were not the best parts they should work well together?

It was good to have a reference. All the Duelund parts were tested with SS, tube amps, digital and analog to make sure the results were consistent.

I have since rid all of the linn gear except sources. So do not have two complete systems to test against each other. Only tube amps. It is nice to have a reference even if you are not keeping it.

George at North Creek said the Air core will make the Steel laminate core sound broken and he is right. I can not believe how different the two speakers sound. Even though he is right there is something not right about the big air core. Even though the old inductor sounds broken somehow it sounds better?

Both inductors sound as they look, oddly enough. The vintage constricted flow, dead with no resonance. The big NC much louder open but with a hard etched sound, which it is a big hard chunk of copper.
volleyguy OP
789 posts
 
Resonance and horns do not go well together. I can see why the CAST inductor was made for Burt's horn speakers.

Horns can sound really good and really bad depending on so many things and are very sensitive. I do not mean NC are not a good inductor either just not suited to horns. (IMO)
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