I remember back at the start of this thread taking much flack.
I was selling a set of speakers when a guy showed up with a vintage tube amp that looked like junk to me. My first experience of a complete foil signal path amp all through the speakers. I was just shocked at how much better it sounded than my $10k pre amp and amp. (SS) So I begged him for it and he sold me the amp and I kept the speakers. (so started the thread)
The thread started with my wife listening to one speaker each of vintage foil caps vs. modern poly caps. She thought the difference was just amazing. The problem was she did not know which speaker was which and was picking the vintage caps!
What was going on I thought all new parts would be better???
Then the quest started to find better than the vintage foil caps and up the food chain I went to Mundorf then to Duelund VSF then CAST (tweeter caps)
In some cases the Duelund caps were MUCH better in some cases like the VSF in the midrange compared to vintage foil the difference was not shocking but they were consistently better. (I would rate the vintage between 11and 12 for the midrange)
I did listen to the vintage tube amp on modern speakers with a cheap poly based crossover, not good.
Now here we are again replacing a vintage power supply cap with a new Jensen electrolytic expecting improvement and getting the exact opposite!
I know some may laugh but I can not tell the Ampohm Copper foil cap from the vintage Alu foil in Mylar (polyester) I would rate the vintage coupling caps by Tony's ratings at 11+. (the vintage lack dynamics and bass of Jensen and Duelund but not tone)
Why do vintage power supply caps sound sooooooo much better? At least than the Jensen?
I feel this part might be THE most important part of all! I have thousands of $$$$ of Duelund parts and Silver wire after the $50 power supply cap and that ONE part can make it all sound like crap!
I was selling a set of speakers when a guy showed up with a vintage tube amp that looked like junk to me. My first experience of a complete foil signal path amp all through the speakers. I was just shocked at how much better it sounded than my $10k pre amp and amp. (SS) So I begged him for it and he sold me the amp and I kept the speakers. (so started the thread)
The thread started with my wife listening to one speaker each of vintage foil caps vs. modern poly caps. She thought the difference was just amazing. The problem was she did not know which speaker was which and was picking the vintage caps!
What was going on I thought all new parts would be better???
Then the quest started to find better than the vintage foil caps and up the food chain I went to Mundorf then to Duelund VSF then CAST (tweeter caps)
In some cases the Duelund caps were MUCH better in some cases like the VSF in the midrange compared to vintage foil the difference was not shocking but they were consistently better. (I would rate the vintage between 11and 12 for the midrange)
I did listen to the vintage tube amp on modern speakers with a cheap poly based crossover, not good.
Now here we are again replacing a vintage power supply cap with a new Jensen electrolytic expecting improvement and getting the exact opposite!
I know some may laugh but I can not tell the Ampohm Copper foil cap from the vintage Alu foil in Mylar (polyester) I would rate the vintage coupling caps by Tony's ratings at 11+. (the vintage lack dynamics and bass of Jensen and Duelund but not tone)
Why do vintage power supply caps sound sooooooo much better? At least than the Jensen?
I feel this part might be THE most important part of all! I have thousands of $$$$ of Duelund parts and Silver wire after the $50 power supply cap and that ONE part can make it all sound like crap!