I have a few Nichicon KT and KA's at my place and do not recommend them.
Their ripple current is bad and they're not very good sounding.
Seems like they're mainly just being marketed as audiophile caps.
To me the Silmic II runs smoother and sounds more analog than Nichicon Muse (ES, KZ, etc.) especially after 50-100 hrs of burn in.
Not sure of the Muse uses OFC leads, but the Silmics do for sure.
Apparently has less distortion when using oxygen free copper.
I say go with the Silmic II's. If you don't like them, try reverting back to the muses.
I just finished recapping my Schiit Gungnir/Mjolnir with Silmic II's and i like them as always.
Going to do the same for Emotiva Airmotiv6 Speakers.
Their ripple current is bad and they're not very good sounding.
Seems like they're mainly just being marketed as audiophile caps.
To me the Silmic II runs smoother and sounds more analog than Nichicon Muse (ES, KZ, etc.) especially after 50-100 hrs of burn in.
Not sure of the Muse uses OFC leads, but the Silmics do for sure.
Apparently has less distortion when using oxygen free copper.
I say go with the Silmic II's. If you don't like them, try reverting back to the muses.
I just finished recapping my Schiit Gungnir/Mjolnir with Silmic II's and i like them as always.
Going to do the same for Emotiva Airmotiv6 Speakers.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
The red ones are the Nichicon FP's.
They're my favorite Organic Aluminum Capacitors, even more so than SANYO OSCON's.
For Small Film: Vishay 1830|1837 or WIMA FKP.
For Large Film: Jantzen Silver Z-Cap / Mundorf Supreme Silver/Gold
For Electrolytic: Elna Silmic II / Rubycon Black Gate (Audio)
For Electrolytic: Nichicon PW / Panasonic FR (Power)
What are your favorites?
Tim
They're my favorite Organic Aluminum Capacitors, even more so than SANYO OSCON's.
For Small Film: Vishay 1830|1837 or WIMA FKP.
For Large Film: Jantzen Silver Z-Cap / Mundorf Supreme Silver/Gold
For Electrolytic: Elna Silmic II / Rubycon Black Gate (Audio)
For Electrolytic: Nichicon PW / Panasonic FR (Power)
What are your favorites?
Tim
Yeah, that's sort of what i would say too.
They have more of a warm/laid back sound signature.
Elna Silmic II is around 8/10 on the accuracy scale.
Nichicon KZ i would give a 9/10.
Panasonic FM/FR both sound alike to me which i would give 9.5/10.
Funny thing is, before burn in i would prefer the FM/FR/KZ, but after the 100 hrs the Silmic II sounds exceptionally better in every category especially imaging/decay. (i use Audeze LCD-3/HiFiMan HE-6)
have you tried the Cerafines? People say they sound better than silmics, but when i tried them they were just awful.
They have more of a warm/laid back sound signature.
Elna Silmic II is around 8/10 on the accuracy scale.
Nichicon KZ i would give a 9/10.
Panasonic FM/FR both sound alike to me which i would give 9.5/10.
Funny thing is, before burn in i would prefer the FM/FR/KZ, but after the 100 hrs the Silmic II sounds exceptionally better in every category especially imaging/decay. (i use Audeze LCD-3/HiFiMan HE-6)
have you tried the Cerafines? People say they sound better than silmics, but when i tried them they were just awful.
Last edited:
Not much experience I have...wandering how are you classifying these different caps. I mean are you using them
in large value for smoothing the PS or using small values in
decoupling stages or on the signal path. I believe different
brands have different effects when applying in different places...
Roushon.
in large value for smoothing the PS or using small values in
decoupling stages or on the signal path. I believe different
brands have different effects when applying in different places...
Roushon.
Last edited:
Everything i've listed, i've used.
In my journey, i've tried at least 75 different types of capacitors.
That list was just to show which ones i thought were better sounding out of the bunch.
I use them for audio decoupling,coupling, bypass, power filler, etc.
For anything in the audio signal, boutique caps may help since they're better made, especially when you look at large film capacitors. For their large size, the conductor/dielectric may pose an improvement, but who knows, you may or may not hear a difference. I'm not talking WIMA MKP 4 or MKP 10 large, i'm talking V-Cap / Clarity Cap large.
For Power Supply areas just go for capacitors with low ESR, low leakage current, high current ripple which usually attributes to having a long load life (lifespan).
I don't use "boutique" caps in those areas at all. That's why i stick with Nichicon PW, Panasonic FR/FM, and others like Nichicon KG/FW or Panasonic TSUP. They're just for soothing anyway, use a good bypass cap like the Vishay 1837 in 0.01 or 0.1uF values and you're good to go!
It's only until you reach the audio chain where you should really decide hard about what capacitors to use.
That's just my opinion though. I'm really only knowledgeable in the audio cable category.
In my journey, i've tried at least 75 different types of capacitors.
That list was just to show which ones i thought were better sounding out of the bunch.
I use them for audio decoupling,coupling, bypass, power filler, etc.
For anything in the audio signal, boutique caps may help since they're better made, especially when you look at large film capacitors. For their large size, the conductor/dielectric may pose an improvement, but who knows, you may or may not hear a difference. I'm not talking WIMA MKP 4 or MKP 10 large, i'm talking V-Cap / Clarity Cap large.
For Power Supply areas just go for capacitors with low ESR, low leakage current, high current ripple which usually attributes to having a long load life (lifespan).
I don't use "boutique" caps in those areas at all. That's why i stick with Nichicon PW, Panasonic FR/FM, and others like Nichicon KG/FW or Panasonic TSUP. They're just for soothing anyway, use a good bypass cap like the Vishay 1837 in 0.01 or 0.1uF values and you're good to go!
It's only until you reach the audio chain where you should really decide hard about what capacitors to use.
That's just my opinion though. I'm really only knowledgeable in the audio cable category.
Last edited:
My comments regarding the use of panasonic FM and silmics apply to their use as a cathode bypass (which is most definitely in the signal path) and general decoupling. I would never use an electrolytic as a coupling cap between stages.
For power supply smoothing I would use panasonic FC for low voltage power supplies and TSHA or TSHB for high voltage power supplies.
For power supply smoothing I would use panasonic FC for low voltage power supplies and TSHA or TSHB for high voltage power supplies.
Last edited:
Agree 100% about Nichicon KZ.
Cerafines... I've never found them harsh or dull - crisp & clean and neutral. Silmics blur fine detail and transients, to my ears at least. Soft, and rather boring.
Fascinating how we all hear different attributes... Or more likely how the caps work in different circuits.
John.
- Status
- This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.