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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
 
Thanks Irish65 on the Duelund inductor.

I know you hold the North Creek in high regard as well as Duelund. I now have a North Creek and Duelund WPIO in each speaker. I for sure do not want to diss North Creek in anyway. I will hold all comments back on the this till all caps are replaced in the amp. I expect this to be fairly close between the both when working with new caps in the amps.

For ones (like me) working on a limited budget and looking for best bang for the buck. Money spent so far for best bang.

1. Duelund VSF in the tweeters over anything else (for sure vintage!)

2. Phono stage coupling caps (Jensen Copper paper tube over vintage) Big improvement for small $.

3. CAST tweeter caps over VSF. Still a big jump even at this level.

I know have put another Jensen cap in from pre-amp to output tubes. Not as big a jump as the phono cap replacement. But still breaking in. But there are two caps in that path.
volleyguy OP
789 posts
 
Sorry guys I did not mean to stop the resistor talk.
volleyguy OP
789 posts
 
I will be installing the 3rd Jensen in the one signal path.

So far the two Jensens have increaed dynamics reduced noise made the sound quicker. They do not have a plastic sound like poly caps to me but yet the sound is more like HiFi. But that I mean I am completely aware I am listening to a stereo?

How I ended up with a vintage amp (and I have heard some very expensive new gear) was I was very curious how they can sound very real? Warts yes but alive.

So far only Deulund (in the speakers) seems to capture the magic aliveness of vintage with the advantages of modern. For me that is priority #1 is I do not want to feel I am listening to a stereo.

It is still very early in the Jensen break in and they can still come alive. I can see why Steen started with Jensen caps though not major faults.
volleyguy OP
789 posts
 
Frederik

You once said that Steen used (for coupling caps)

"Prior to his own designs, he used vintage designs such as paper in oils, and wax/paper types".

I have the two Jensens in the linestage and the sound is VERY similiar to vintage caps. I can see why so many have used Jensen as replacement for vintage caps.

The one thing they are not yet as good is the midrange reality. Voices are not yet as real as vintage and I am aware of listening to a stereo.

I find if the midrange/voices are not "alive" sounding nothing else matters in the sense of wanting to recreate live sound. You will always be aware of the sound coming from speakers.

It is still very early and the Jensen are getting better. In most ways they are already better but not in this one critical area.
duelund_coherent_audio
110 posts
 
Volleyguy,

True, he did that untill his designs could be made to cope with DC. His main criteria was to get the midrange right, feeling that this was a neglected part of the frequency spectrum of available modern designs.
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