Tony Gee's Capacitor page updated..

[ScottG]

http://www.humblehomemadehifi.com/Cap.html

The better Clarity Cap did pretty well.. and at least in the US it could be considered a "bargain" relative to other competitors.

http://www.e-speakers.com/products/claritycap.htm

[gary f]

No offence to Tony (I think his website is one of the best DIY site around) but I have the impression that the cap test page is a little "too much" for me.

I understand that these caps were tested in different designs and in different crossover configurations etc etc... and during a vast period of time (I am regular reader of this site since maybe 3 years)

So I wonder if the rating means something really. How can you give 8.5/10 to a cap, on a specific speaker, and three months later, give 7.5/10 to another cap on another speaker. "well this one is sound more closed in. Less definition. Recessed in the midrange"

I don't know. When I listen to my own system at home, in the same environment, It seems that the sound change from day to day, depending on the material I listen to, depending on my mood, etc. I clearly could not compare fairly a cap I listened last year to another one I listen now.

Now again, I DONT want to be misunderstood. Tony is doing a great job with his site and there is loads of useful information there, and I can admit that a Mundorf silver can sound better than a Solen, but I just feel that these ratings may be somewhat optimistic. And I know that these may be only guidelines and are put there with good intensions and to help other with personnal experiences.

F

[ScottG]

Originally posted by gary f
No offence to Tony (I think his website is one of the best DIY site around) but I have the impression that the cap test page is a little "too much" for me.

I understand that these caps were tested in different designs and in different crossover configurations etc etc... and during a vast period of time (I am regular reader of this site since maybe 3 years)

So I wonder if the rating means something really. How can you give 8.5/10 to a cap, on a specific speaker, and three months later, give 7.5/10 to another cap on another speaker. "well this one is sound more closed in. Less definition. Recessed in the midrange"

I don't know. When I listen to my own system at home, in the same environment, It seems that the sound change from day to day, depending on the material I listen to, depending on my mood, etc. I clearly could not compare fairly a cap I listened last year to another one I listen now.

Now again, I DONT want to be misunderstood. Tony is doing a great job with his site and there is loads of useful information there, and I can admit that a Mundorf silver can sound better than a Solen, but I just feel that these ratings may be somewhat optimistic. And I know that these may be only guidelines and are put there with good intensions and to help other with personnal experiences.

F

With respect to the "consistency" of the test: note the information provided at the top of the cap test page - in particular:

"Over time I have re-evaluated my previous conclusions as new capacitors entered the contest, widening the listening platform."

This suggests that he goes back and compares previously tested capacitors to the new capacitors. This suggestion is further bolstered by the comments section for the newer capacitors - as an example on the SA Clarity Cap:

"Compared to the Audyn Cap Plus definition and seperation are better, the stereo-image is also little larger."

Additionally, (back to the information provided at the top of the page), note that testing is fairly "broad" allowing for a more meaningfull average of the particular product line:

"For this listening test various values of capacitor between 4,7mF to 10mF were chosen. Each capacitor was used in various places throughout a series network."

The other factor that makes me think that his testing procedure is more rigorous is the shear amount of time it takes him to complete an "update" with new caps.

I do suspect however that he does not test ALL of the capacitors again (i.e. in a cumulative fashion). It would be far more likely that he gets an initial impression of quality for his scale, then picks out the previous cap that seems closest in sound quality - and then compares the two.

At least then (based on my interpretations of his testing procedure), I don't find the test "optimistic".

Of course all is speculation.. and Tony is a member here - hopefully he will at some point provide greater explanation on this subject.

[lndm]

I've used him to buy caps and am not dissatisfied.

[soongsc]

I have had good results best on his evaluations as well.

[Salas]

I must say that he is very near to my experiences with some of the caps in his test.
I have also found that caps sound their signatures stronger when in series crossovers.
A very worthwile guide in my view.

[soongsc]

Does anyone know where to get the Duelund VSF Copper Capacitor ?

[gfinlayson]

I agree with Salas. Based on Tony's evaluations, I used the Ampohm FP-CA-AU caps bypassed with MKP1837s. They give a performance that belies the price.

[Mingo]

Duelund capacitors can be bought at

www.duelundaudio.com

[cotdt]

It's been a very valuable page for me as well.