Dear @roxy54 : Very far away from there.
But I have some first hand experiences in the electronic design and first hand experiences on active/passive electronics parts. These gives me some " idea " about.
Just as an example about tube electronics and not as a critic against the designer that I respect first than all. So take it just as an example, the manufacturer name does not matters at all. I took the Decaware Torii amps ( nothing personal against it. ).
Next statements came from its site:
""" Exotic parts - cost no object design. ""
"" with a bit sweeter top end. ""
" from DECWARE, you can see better with your eyes closed "
All 3 statements are full of subjectivity and can’t be proved with true facts:
Exotic parts?, more in a moment.
Sweeter top end? well live MUSIC at near field position where the recording microphones are " seated " is all you want but sweet.
The third statement is " crazy " for say the least.
One of those " exotic " parts are these Jupiter caps where the manufacturer says:
" upgrade caps the beeswax are a bit more organic sounding while the VCAP’ "
Organic, one audiophile adjective that exist only in the imagination and not in a live MUSIC. Again, subjective word.
https://www.decware.com/newsite/images/parts.jpg
" After trying everything from VCAPS to Mundorfs, a year long cap selection process ends with these Cryo-treated flat stacked copper foil capacitors featuring an organic bees wax dielectric and silver leads. """
One of my first hand experiences ( solid experiences. ) is with those kind of " exotic/boutique " caps that I used through my electronics and speaker crossover and like Decaware I owned, tested, compared in my system through several years from Duelund to Mundorf, V-caps, Sonicraft, Jantzen, Auricap, MIT, Clarity, Audyn, etc, etc. I used the top models in all those caps.
Example: I use from V-caps in electronics the Teflon CU ones that are truly expensive and performs very good.
Well, more than a year ago I posted a dedicated thread looking for the experts advises on caps:
https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/best-harmless-signatureless-speakers-capacitors
I appreciated all those gentleman experts advises but I could not found out exactly what I’m looking for then I tood that bull by its horns and by my self started a research in the internet and started to buy several non-boutique non-exotic caps that I tested/compared against the boutique ones and obviously against in between all those non boutique ones.
After several months searching and learning about I ended with exclusively non boutique caps/resistors that things are that are the overall industry true standards and that outperformed and outperforms easyly any of those boutique/exotic caps/resistors. The industry standards measures way better than the boutique very high price$$$ against the " peanuts " price of the " humble " industry standard.
I changed one critical V-cap teflon Cu at the input of my monoblok amplifiers and instead the V-cap now I’m using the humble Wima FKP1: outstanding and for me was a true discovery because I never imagined that those Wima could in any way outperforms any boutique caps.
Other changes were in my speakers crossover where I use Wima and Kemet caps along Vishay resistors. Nothing can beat it.
One main characteristic/advantage that my system achieved with those caps/resistors was and is that the room/system noise floor goes really down and believe me or not just disappeared. With the system volume all the way up if you switch on or off you can’t detect any noise floor difference in between those two conditions.
But what could happen if this tube manufacturer or Tidal speakers choosed Wima/Kemet or Vishay instead the boutique ones?. You have the answer.
Btw, this is the spec of one Torii amp:
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz ~ 20kHz +/- 0.4dB ( they don't disclose the IMD, slew rate or damping factor in any of its amplifier specs. ) ? ? ! !
the inverse RIAA eq. deviation in my phonolinepreamp performs from lower than 20hz to higher than 20khz with a deviation of only: 0.011 db and both channels measures the same.
Nothing here or in the cap thread is subjective but full of facts/measures/objectivity.
As I posted before: we must think out of the box out of the AHEE.
R.
But I have some first hand experiences in the electronic design and first hand experiences on active/passive electronics parts. These gives me some " idea " about.
Just as an example about tube electronics and not as a critic against the designer that I respect first than all. So take it just as an example, the manufacturer name does not matters at all. I took the Decaware Torii amps ( nothing personal against it. ).
Next statements came from its site:
""" Exotic parts - cost no object design. ""
"" with a bit sweeter top end. ""
" from DECWARE, you can see better with your eyes closed "
All 3 statements are full of subjectivity and can’t be proved with true facts:
Exotic parts?, more in a moment.
Sweeter top end? well live MUSIC at near field position where the recording microphones are " seated " is all you want but sweet.
The third statement is " crazy " for say the least.
One of those " exotic " parts are these Jupiter caps where the manufacturer says:
" upgrade caps the beeswax are a bit more organic sounding while the VCAP’ "
Organic, one audiophile adjective that exist only in the imagination and not in a live MUSIC. Again, subjective word.
https://www.decware.com/newsite/images/parts.jpg
" After trying everything from VCAPS to Mundorfs, a year long cap selection process ends with these Cryo-treated flat stacked copper foil capacitors featuring an organic bees wax dielectric and silver leads. """
One of my first hand experiences ( solid experiences. ) is with those kind of " exotic/boutique " caps that I used through my electronics and speaker crossover and like Decaware I owned, tested, compared in my system through several years from Duelund to Mundorf, V-caps, Sonicraft, Jantzen, Auricap, MIT, Clarity, Audyn, etc, etc. I used the top models in all those caps.
Example: I use from V-caps in electronics the Teflon CU ones that are truly expensive and performs very good.
Well, more than a year ago I posted a dedicated thread looking for the experts advises on caps:
https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/best-harmless-signatureless-speakers-capacitors
I appreciated all those gentleman experts advises but I could not found out exactly what I’m looking for then I tood that bull by its horns and by my self started a research in the internet and started to buy several non-boutique non-exotic caps that I tested/compared against the boutique ones and obviously against in between all those non boutique ones.
After several months searching and learning about I ended with exclusively non boutique caps/resistors that things are that are the overall industry true standards and that outperformed and outperforms easyly any of those boutique/exotic caps/resistors. The industry standards measures way better than the boutique very high price$$$ against the " peanuts " price of the " humble " industry standard.
I changed one critical V-cap teflon Cu at the input of my monoblok amplifiers and instead the V-cap now I’m using the humble Wima FKP1: outstanding and for me was a true discovery because I never imagined that those Wima could in any way outperforms any boutique caps.
Other changes were in my speakers crossover where I use Wima and Kemet caps along Vishay resistors. Nothing can beat it.
One main characteristic/advantage that my system achieved with those caps/resistors was and is that the room/system noise floor goes really down and believe me or not just disappeared. With the system volume all the way up if you switch on or off you can’t detect any noise floor difference in between those two conditions.
But what could happen if this tube manufacturer or Tidal speakers choosed Wima/Kemet or Vishay instead the boutique ones?. You have the answer.
Btw, this is the spec of one Torii amp:
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz ~ 20kHz +/- 0.4dB ( they don't disclose the IMD, slew rate or damping factor in any of its amplifier specs. ) ? ? ! !
the inverse RIAA eq. deviation in my phonolinepreamp performs from lower than 20hz to higher than 20khz with a deviation of only: 0.011 db and both channels measures the same.
Nothing here or in the cap thread is subjective but full of facts/measures/objectivity.
As I posted before: we must think out of the box out of the AHEE.
R.