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Jupiter Copper Foil, Paper & Wax Cap Versus Jensen Cap 0.10uF 630Vdc Copper Foil Ceramic

Greetings,
Your advice and comments would be most helpful and appreciated.
I will need to change my current capacitors in my tube power amp as one of my current Jensen 0.1uF 630V Copper Foil, PIO, Aluminium is now a problem - caused a EL34 tube heater to glow red. I will need four new capacitors.

I am considering two possible replacements:

1. 0.1uF 600Vdc Jupiter Copper Foil, Paper & Wax Capacitor   
2. Jensen Capacitor 0.1uF 630Vdc Copper Foil Ceramic Case 

Any comments on how these compare in their sound characteristics?
I would like a cap that offers balance across all frequencies, control, richness, enticing tone, and transparency. Also ease of flow of the music.    
Thanks so much, Bob 

marish200
jmolsberg's avatar
jmolsberg
467 posts
 
the Jupiter copper foil is an addictive sound! Big soundstage and fast! I have not heard the Jensen. 
grannyring's avatar
grannyring
6,504 posts
 
Jupiter is the far better choice ...... if you want more inner detail, richness and spot-on tone.  The Jensen cap is very good, but not as neural top to bottom with an obvious darkening and thickening of the sound  
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,841 posts
 
@marish200   What you experienced is why we don't use paper and oil coupling capacitors in our products. They sound great but we've seen a good number of paper and oil caps develop a slight amount of electrical leakage (which is to say they can develop enough resistance that they don't entirely block all the DC that they are supposed to), which can mess with the bias on the output section- and cause the symptom you describe.

A capacitor that can do the same job of musical delivery is the copper foil V-Cap Teflon. No electrical leakage over time- very reliable.
erik_squires
16,122 posts
 
I would love to hear comparisons with the Audyn TC. A relative bargain!
johnss
571 posts
 
Bob,

Have used both Jupiter and Jensen in a number of my own amps and amps I have upgraded for friends.

would agree with jmolsberg, the Jupiter copper caps are really good souning caps; very organic sounding.

The Jensens are very similar, maybe a tad less organic, but the aluminum case is a plus.

but before you buy either, would suggest you take a look at the cap that caused your tube to fail. if the amp runs hot and there is not enough ventilation, the Jupiter and Jensen caps do not do well in a hot environment.

in one of the amps I upgraded with copper foil and wax caps, an output tube also redplated. The owner brought it back. Popped the bottom cover off and found the wax had melted and dripped out of the cap, and ran through the ventilation slots on the bottom cover. Must have made a mess on the surface the amp was sitting on.
Likely failure is the the cap eventually passed DC, or became electrically leaky.

In that hot running amp, put in the Jupiter Vintage Tone caps. Not as nice sounding as the coppers, but much more robust for hot amp applications. 




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