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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
duelund_coherent_audio
110 posts
 
Well, I couldn't really ask clients to pay more for the CAST than the VSF, if the sound was the same...? :)

The difference between the CAST and the VSF is in the internal and external damping.
volleyguy OP
789 posts
 
After several days of listening I still feel the same as I did before. Two CAST might be too quiet and two VSF to noisy. So it is going to be CAST followed by VSF.

I have one poly cap left a Mundorf Supreme Silver in Oil that did not sell when I sold off the poly caps.

After several months I want to see if I still felt the same there as well. Was I being to harsh?

After only a few minutes most is still the same. Instruments lose their natural tone and this is even with all foil signal chain and one CAST tweeter cap followed by the Mundorf Silver in Oil. I will take back some of what I did say though. The balance is not off. The CAST tilts the sound down and the Silver in Oil back up so the balance is not bad. Like Tony says like cooking.

Still there is something about the way poly caps resonate they do not make natural sounds? I hear they test well on the S/N ratio and I believe they are very good on the noise part but not good on the signal.

I think Tony needs to test the Jensen Paper Copper tube as well. I think we will have #1,#2 and #3 right there.

Where the sound is at

The other day my mother was over and I had the music turned up (Norah Jones) and was upstairs. She could not believe what she was hearing. She knows nothing about this test and I do not say anything. She could care less about Audio (but is an amatuer singer) in general and thinks her Bose Wave Radio sounds as good as anything else she's heard with less fuss. She was beside herself with what she was hearing. She had to go downstairs to see/hear what that was. She is in her 60's and does not get like this over audio. (never) She could not believe it. She had never heard a tube all foil signal.
volleyguy OP
789 posts
 
Just got in 2 more Jensen Copper Paper tube caps and a Black Gate. I want to finish at least one amps power supply as well. Also want to compare a Jensen full signal to some Duelund as well.
volleyguy OP
789 posts
 
I have been very busy with work for last couple weeks. I had been over on the Linn site (when home) talking about foil caps and vintage tubes and how natural it sounds. There was another guy there saying the same thing. Talking about his Scott amp. I noticed it within seconds when I first heard a all foil tube amp and foil crossover that it was warts and all vastly superior to the SS and poly caps or new tube gear I had heard.

I think Linn has suspended my account though? I can not log on anymore, maybe just temporary? (but likely not) It was I understand one of the top 20 threads ever on the Linn site and of course causing controversy.

It actually blows my mind that MANY Linn guys will say vintage recordings are the best on vinyl (recorded with tube amps and foil caps) but tube amps are no good? If the reverse of the chain foil caps and tubes makes a great recording how can it not be great for play back?
sherod
1,690 posts
 
I think I'm finally understanding how detrimental plastic is in audio. I have replaced my speaker caps with Duelund VSF copper as well as the coupling caps in my preamp. I also recently went with new interconnects that don't have any plastic( i.e. teflon) in them. Each change brought me a much more natural musical portrait of the music.
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