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Thor ta-1000 pre cap replacement -- advice

I am a new owner of a Thor TA-1000 preamp. What a fantastic piece of equipment. In my system it has a bit of a hard, tinny treble... just a bit. I want to try replacing caps with something warmer and wondered which caps should i replace? I see two small Hovland Musicaps and two small Multicaps. Then "beneath" the board (looking from the bottom of the unit here).... there are four big black caps... Solens i think. Which caps might be the place to start in order to warm the treble?

Before anyone asks, yes i am certain the treble issue stems from the thor. I have played w cables and tubes and will continue to do so but it needs something a bit more dramatic. I am willing to lose some detail to get rid of the issue.

Rest of system: sota star sapphire, grado reference sonata1, cec transport, audio note 3.1 sig dac, vtl mb-185 sig monoblocks, quad esl-63, vandersteen 2wq subs.

Thanks for thoughts!
montaldo
augwest's avatar
augwest
43 posts
 
The Vcaps brought a new level of clarity with no apparent trade-off (coloration) - it improved imaging width and depth, "layering" (that tube thing), and generally made live music sound more dynamic and plausible.
audionutcom
4 posts
 

hi, augwest, what kind of v- caps did you install?

bigkidz
3,325 posts
 

only a few options of v-caps left.  Copper or ODAM  the Odam have worked very well in upgrades/modifications we have performed.

grannyring's avatar
grannyring
6,438 posts
 

If the AN caps end up sounding a tad too warm and or tame, then your best bet are the Vcap Odams. I upgraded two Thor preamps like yours over the years and the Odams are a great match for this unit. They are also smaller in size and fit well.

I did use the AN copper foil caps once in the Thor and changed them out in the end. Nice warmth and body for sure. In the end I found them a tad dull or dark in the upper mids and highs. Bass is also more rounded and less articulate than the Odams.

Its all about system synergy and your sonic preferences in the end.  Your system and ears may prefer the warmth and slight darkness on top of the AN caps. If not, you have a great option! 

augwest's avatar
augwest
43 posts
 

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT - because there is SO little available on the wonderful-but-obscure Thor TA-1000 "donut" preamps I have posted photos of the Vcap upgrades to mine. Four photos of the board are now shown on my System page called Heavenly Match. I make NO representation that this is the only (or even correct) way to do it, but I *sure* do like what I hear! And I’m not a total hack as I have a PhD in Electrical Engineering (unlike Ted D. and a few others I could name :o)

I’ll go back and see if I can add a photo of the Khozmo volume control as that was also a big improvement over stock.

 

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