Interesting review on the Nichicon KA. I was tempted to purchase it as it is very cheap. I checked the datasheet and its Tan alpha is twice of KZ's and the leakage current is higher too (and no information on the impedance) so I decided to skip it while the KZ is not too expensive.
The AudioNote Kaisei is too expensive for me.
Supposed you had and wanted to upgrade the op-amp from NE5532 to a better AD797, then you would have to work out the caps again?
That's the reason I don't care much with cap tweaking. I know that you are on the right track there but I change the active parts and circuits more often.Active parts may technically work better but lets not forget that it still requires power. Like it or not caps are here to stay & they will always contribute their sound to whatever you use.
Yes the NE5532 may be an old horse but that does not mean that you cannot get it to sound great. On paper they’re no match to the AD797. Food for thought, why is it that even till today, many high end Japanese CDPs still uses the NE5532 ?
Yes the NE5532 may be an old horse but that does not mean that you cannot get it to sound great. On paper they’re no match to the AD797. Food for thought, why is it that even till today, many high end Japanese CDPs still uses the NE5532 ?
@jameshillj:
I suppose you mean the Kaisei, right? If so here are my listening impressions of two of them:
470uF/25 VDC, polarized: Tonally nuanced, but also somewhat "rounded". Quick, dynamic, balanced, involving, but not micro-detailing. Resembles Nichicon UES, Nichicon Fine Gold but more balanced sound. Slightly bright tonal balance, slightly reticent bass.
470uF/25 VDC, bipolar: Brighter sounding than the polarized version. Larger space, yet not entirely precise/ well-resolved/ conveying presence. Musically sounding, yet a bit slow pace. Doesn't sound entirely open to me.
Again - to my ears ;-) ...
@sumotan: Thanks for your feedback. Sounds as if the Black Gates Std & Pk may still be interesting options ...
Cheers,
Jesper
I suppose you mean the Kaisei, right? If so here are my listening impressions of two of them:
470uF/25 VDC, polarized: Tonally nuanced, but also somewhat "rounded". Quick, dynamic, balanced, involving, but not micro-detailing. Resembles Nichicon UES, Nichicon Fine Gold but more balanced sound. Slightly bright tonal balance, slightly reticent bass.
470uF/25 VDC, bipolar: Brighter sounding than the polarized version. Larger space, yet not entirely precise/ well-resolved/ conveying presence. Musically sounding, yet a bit slow pace. Doesn't sound entirely open to me.
Again - to my ears ;-) ...
@sumotan: Thanks for your feedback. Sounds as if the Black Gates Std & Pk may still be interesting options ...
Cheers,
Jesper
Hi Jesper,
Yes BG does really have something very special about them but again only use a sprinkle to to voice. Crazy as it may sound even one 10uf BG in an amp has a pretty pronounce effect.
Like Jean Paul said, using Black Gate is an art. Funny thing though I have an Aksa amp that I build 18 yrs ago, amp module all uses BG STD yet they sound pretty good as a whole. Best part is it is still working today caps still all good
Yes BG does really have something very special about them but again only use a sprinkle to to voice. Crazy as it may sound even one 10uf BG in an amp has a pretty pronounce effect.
Like Jean Paul said, using Black Gate is an art. Funny thing though I have an Aksa amp that I build 18 yrs ago, amp module all uses BG STD yet they sound pretty good as a whole. Best part is it is still working today caps still all good
Guys Im gonna say something crazy which I may get blasted. Over the years I played with many caps, european like Philips, British BHC, Japanese all sorts & German Roe. Somehow its seems related to their culture like the prefer a certain sound. Aside from BG, all other Jap caps more lighter sounding as compare to BHC or Philips. Roe sounded more clinical. Strange but its my findings. Just like driving, American vs German vs British vs Japanese. The all feel different
Really? I have used many kinds of Roe electrolytic caps, I like none. I have many NOS bakelite ROE EKU in my inventory but unfortunately the sound is not as good as the build quality. But I have used the orange ROE EKG once and I liked them.
Hi johnego,
The HP LCR meters can use an external bias with a fixture. Mine will apply a bias up to either 2.2 VDC or 6 VDC (could have been my older 4261A). I haven't seen any changes in dissipation reading while applying bias to the capacitor. Some of the older LCR bridges could apply a much higher voltage. Then of course you can easily set up a jig that will drive the capacitor in a high impedance circuit that you can monitor with a distortion analyser or oscilloscope. Looking at a Lissajous pattern, again in a high Z circuit, will also indicate all kinds of defects. You would just need a 'scope, generator and DC power supply plus the simple jig to investigate what's going on with capacitors.
Hi Carlos,
For doing this using a sound card, you could if you were very careful. Most sound cards blow up at 5 Vp-p input level, so you must make certain that you stay well below that. What is missing is called a "front end". I experimented doing this with an attenuator and discovered that you need AC correction at relatively low frequencies if you expect any accuracy. Normally you would stick the 'scope or distortion analyser on the Y out of the oscilloscope that you would use as the "front end". An HP 339A would work well, but you really are much better served with an oscilloscope. If you could scare up even a 20MHz dual trace you would be way better off than you are now. Those are really inexpensive and can be had for less than $100 Canadian if you know where to look. It's too bad that you can't find anything to use.
So using a sound card is a possibility as long as you have a front end of some kind for it. But even then you are restricted to a very low frequency range and most problems will occur well above that frequency. It's not uncommon for an oscillation to be a few MHz, so you are really back to an oscilloscope.
-Chris
The HP LCR meters can use an external bias with a fixture. Mine will apply a bias up to either 2.2 VDC or 6 VDC (could have been my older 4261A). I haven't seen any changes in dissipation reading while applying bias to the capacitor. Some of the older LCR bridges could apply a much higher voltage. Then of course you can easily set up a jig that will drive the capacitor in a high impedance circuit that you can monitor with a distortion analyser or oscilloscope. Looking at a Lissajous pattern, again in a high Z circuit, will also indicate all kinds of defects. You would just need a 'scope, generator and DC power supply plus the simple jig to investigate what's going on with capacitors.
Hi Carlos,
For doing this using a sound card, you could if you were very careful. Most sound cards blow up at 5 Vp-p input level, so you must make certain that you stay well below that. What is missing is called a "front end". I experimented doing this with an attenuator and discovered that you need AC correction at relatively low frequencies if you expect any accuracy. Normally you would stick the 'scope or distortion analyser on the Y out of the oscilloscope that you would use as the "front end". An HP 339A would work well, but you really are much better served with an oscilloscope. If you could scare up even a 20MHz dual trace you would be way better off than you are now. Those are really inexpensive and can be had for less than $100 Canadian if you know where to look. It's too bad that you can't find anything to use.
So using a sound card is a possibility as long as you have a front end of some kind for it. But even then you are restricted to a very low frequency range and most problems will occur well above that frequency. It's not uncommon for an oscillation to be a few MHz, so you are really back to an oscilloscope.
-Chris
I do think there are brand similarities to a degree, and maybe many of the engineers shuffle between companies within each country or region, and that may contribute to some similarities?
Maybe they (blue Philips) are better for the output of switching power supplies, like a Panasonic FC?
Maybe they (blue Philips) are better for the output of switching power supplies, like a Panasonic FC?
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