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

I had Jensen cap failures in Cary amps I ran some years ago, well known issue with those caps, Don't know if it was bad batch or inferior design or build quality.

 

I recently replaced four coupling caps in my 300B monoblocks with the Duelund CAST tinned copper, I'm with Charles in that they sound great right from the start, I do hear further opening up but I have a number of new components recently placed in service so multiple burn ins going on at present.

 

 

Just came upon this thread, haven't read entirety of it, but I run highly modified Khorns, using combo of Jupiter VT and Audyn True Copper Max in crossovers. Seems no one runs the True Copper Max, my second favorite cap after the Duelund CAST.

Hello SNS

 

In this long thread you would find out I am running in my Lascala's Duelund CAST and VSF in the tweeter and Duelund VSF in the midrange with the not much talked about but should be Duelund inductors in the woofer.

 

It was the inductor that shocked me!

 

 

@volleyguy1 Changing out the stock inductors in my Khorns for Jantzens was a real eye opener! Greater resolving, transparency, more natural timbre. I agree, more should try nice inductors, it appears not many have based on posts here.

That is great to hear SNS!

Was it the wax paper inductors? If it was similar to the wax paper Duelund's I have.

I always have wished I got CAST inductors as I "suspect" a huge improvement in noise reduction and dynamics and the WPIO was already huge.

It is more a function of cost and speaker companies saving money and they all do on the crossovers. (most all anyway)

 

 

 

 

I was promising an update on the Duelund Tinned Copper. Just before Christmas my wife's mother passed away and then my father just after so my brain was distracted.

Then a pop developed in the 500c when turning on.

So I put the EL84 back in and then heavy distortion in left channel.

Yes frustration was a little high!

On the way back to my dad's celebration of life we brought both amps in to Parts Connexion to find out what was wrong?

The EL84 had a failed Duelund VSF coupling cap. This took out two left channel tubes.

The 500c was suffering from low voltage and whole new power supply was installed. 

CE Manufacturing and Mundorf are the power supply caps. 

The old worn out power supply caps were acting like a resistor. I would have replaced years ago but there really was nothing. 

CE has bought vintage Mallory components and is making caps again.

So my Fisher 500c is not stuffed cans but really a replacement of original power supply.

 

I know some would say again all new power supply caps better. One of the tests years ago was to see if a Jensen power supply cap was better than vintage. After a month or so the Jensen come out and vintage back in. Jensen sounded dry. I have no idea why but was glad when vintage went back in.