BEST HARMLESS/SIGNATURELESS SPEAKERS CAPACITORS.
When Sheffield Records/The Mastering Lab engineer Doug Sax evaluated a new piece of equipment, he did so by way of a bypass test: 1- Insert the piece into the recording or reproduction chain, at zero gain. 2- Listen for any change in the sound. 3- If there was a change, the piece failed. Sax was after absolute transparency, tonal neutrality, zero coloration. Aren't we all? |
Dear @bdp24 : """
was after absolute transparency, tonal neutrality, zero coloration. Aren't we all? """ absolutely almost all of us. The main subject here is what all those 3 adjectives really means for each one because we all are accustomed to everything but all those 3 together adjectives. It's the way we were and are " forced " to listen a room/system through our audio life. Look, @paulcreed posted this after his first hand experiences with Wima cap: "" I let Wima run for a month or so hoping they would become the cap you say they are, that never happened. They are just as much of a tone control as the boutique caps. Wima's dull the sound which is controlling the tone. I found them to sound just what they are cheap ..."" please note : " Wima's dull the sound "" ( something as lifeless. ) Well, by coincidence this week in the analog forum and in a thread TT clamp experiences an audiophile with Slaw moniker posted: " they seem to take some life out of the music.." that's very similar statement to what paulcreed posted here about Wima and I gave him a response something as this: that what is taking away are just " distortions " and he ask me the why's of my post and this is my answer in that thread: https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/orosonic-monster-cable-reflex-record-clamp/post?postid=1918692#1918692 and after that post this was the answer of the OP thread to my post: https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/orosonic-monster-cable-reflex-record-clamp/post?postid=1918698#1918698 That's why I insist that Wima/TDK/Kemet or Vishay what takes out/away are those boutique heavy colorations/distortions. Wima and the like can't improve in anyway the recorded signal quality only let pass through " untouchable " and unfortunatelly for many of us shows us the true quality performance levels of our room/system. With other purposes but: any one already experienced the reproduction of a recording in an anechoic room/chamber? R. |
Good post, Raul. The beauty of the bypass test is, when "A" is compared to "B", you aren't listening for a preference, only a difference. That's why the device under test must provide no gain, no filters, no nuthin', just pass the signal through exactly as received. A brutally revealing test! My First Watt B4 x/o is stuffed full of Wima’s, but the only ones in the circuit at any given time are those selected by the user to get the desired filter characteristics (frequencies, slopes). It can be argued that Nelson Pass selected Wima because of their diminutive size (to use copper/foil caps would take a much larger circuit board and enclosure) and modest price (I can’t imagine what a B4 stuffed with Jupiter caps would retail for!). I would love to hear what Nelson has to say on the subject. |
Dear @bdp24 : That false " dull/lifeless " we experienced happens not only with Wima caps, in the past I experienced several times exactly that and were when changed some IC cables for better ones and when I changed my stepped preamp attenuators for better ones using SMD resistors. In all those ocasions in the first listening sessions I really did not like it the quality system performance because the " sparkle/transparency " just gone and even I feel that even at the same volume position the SPL gone down. Well I was wrong because after measurements the SPL's stays the same but with MUSIC not with higher distortions as before the changes. In the past I owned Threshold electronics and N.Pass used Wima from many years. Yes could be interesting what he has to say but D'Angostino too and several other designer/manufacturers that use Wima devices. Gryphon is other example: https://gryphon-audio.dk/shop/integrated-amplifiers/gryphon-diablo-300-integrated-amplifier/ When started I this " madness " after market caps changes? My very first time was when I owned all Classé electronics and this very well regarded Canadian manufacturer use Wima caps elsewhere. In those old time the designer and the chief engineer and co-owner of Classé was D.Reich that latter on left the company. Well I had good relationship with him and I asked that wanted to change the Wima caps for some boutique/better ( of those times. ) that were the Reliable Caps ones and been a gentleman of few words Dave just told me: do it a favor and don't do it. Even that I did it and the " sparkle " CAME AND THE MADNESS STARTED TILL AFTER SO MANY YEARS FINALLY LEARNED ABOUT. Dave was rigth. I want to tell you that's almost imposible to accept in an easy way the Wima or Kemet or TDK superior quality performance over the the all those caps inside that " audiophile madness " and it's almost imposible because we are accustom to for to many years. For to many years we like that false " life " but as Paul said it's what we like it but the real subject here is not what we like it but what is wrong or rigth. Btw, I still own the Threshold two way crossover that in many ways is similar to your B4. A real question on the Wima and the like caps is what I already asked my self more that one time: am I losting music signal information? and according my whole evaluation long proccess the answer time after time is NO. What I have is that signal information with more detail, presence, true transparency, with music natural color and natural brigthness, better overall dynamic and music transientes and with true life that only live MUSIC has. Gentlemans here could think that I want to convince them about but it's not that way. I'm only sharing my new discoveries about and I know that my discoveries came not exactly with this thread but through the years fine tunned room/system and was in this thread when all those audio work by my self permited that I can with certainty what I posted here. So the discovery started several years now with out knowing my self. What made that through the thread I begin to test Wima caps? I can't say for sure other that time to time I like to " think " and take actions thinking " out of the box " in a non-orthodox way. Normally it works for me. R. |
