Best electrolytic capacitors

[Andrea:]

I guess I should grab a Rubycon ZLH and see if it has magnetic leads or not...

[lohk]

Bitter, but true. Panasonic FC do have tinned copperclad steel wires - easily tested by using a magnet.

[Kurt von Kubik]

Tried out a few caps and other components with a powerfull neodynium magnet.

Panasonic FM = magnetic
Sanyo OSCON = magnetic
Nippon Chemi ASW & ASF = non magnetic
BC Components light blue electrolytic cap = magnetic
BC components special film cap of some kind = magnetic
Wima MKS, MKP and more = non magnetic
Evox PP cap = non magnetic
Phillips and NS NE5534/5532 = magnetic

So iron must be present in the leads in some way.

Btw. the most obvious reason for using iron in leads is strength.
I´ve tried to scratch the tin away from the leads on some capacitors, and always found copper underneath.
But it is obvious that also iron is used in some caps.

[pooge]

Magnetic leads enable automatic insertion of components into PCB.

[kevinkr]

Originally Posted by Kurt von Kubik

I´ve been cutting leads on a lot of Electrolytic and other caps, and so far, I´ve never seen as much as just a shadow of steel. Why would anyone do that?
Also Panasonic FC features tinned copper. Steel is very hard, and you will not have any doubts if it is steel you are cutting.
And why would anyone ruin the capacitors ESR data and in addition spend more money with steel leads?

Actually and unfortunately there are a lot of resistors and capacitors both film and electrolytic which have tinned copper clad steel leads. Check with a magnet if you do not believe me.

I do try when possible to purchase passives made with non-magnetic materials for things that are directly in the audio path, and don't bother much elsewhere.

[kevinkr]

Originally Posted by Kurt von Kubik

Tried out a few caps and other components with a powerfull neodynium magnet.

Panasonic FM = magnetic
Sanyo OSCON = magnetic
Nippon Chemi ASW & ASF = non magnetic
BC Components light blue electrolytic cap = magnetic
BC components special film cap of some kind = magnetic
Wima MKS, MKP and more = non magnetic
Evox PP cap = non magnetic
Phillips and NS NE5534/5532 = magnetic

So iron must be present in the leads in some way.

Btw. the most obvious reason for using iron in leads is strength.
I´ve tried to scratch the tin away from the leads on some capacitors, and always found copper underneath.
But it is obvious that also iron is used in some caps.

The leads are tinned copper clad steel wire, that is why you see copper when you scrape the tinning off. Keep scraping and if the lead is steel you will eventually see that too.

[Kurt von Kubik]

Originally Posted by kevinkr

The leads are tinned copper clad steel wire, that is why you see copper when you scrape the tinning off. Keep scraping and if the lead is steel you will eventually see that too.

The material used in the leads of course influences the end result and eventually data. But th data given by the manufacturer is actually measured with the actual leads mounted.
So if low ESR @ all frequencies is wanted, you can go for the cap with the best ESR data regardsless of materials used.
I also think that the solder itself is a somewhat bigger problem than the leads are.

[Bas Horneman]

I do try when possible to purchase passives made with non-magnetic materials for things that are directly in the audio path

Hallo Kevin,

Why do you do that?

Kind regards,
Bas

[Andrea:]

So I see that the film caps (e.g. Wima) have non magnetic leads.

So it's even more reason to use bypass caps in power supply, no? I found that MKP Wima's improved the sound a lot in my DAC's analog stage power supply, as compared to just using Panasonic FM & FC's. They made things sound smoother and more colorful.

[Kurt von Kubik]

Originally Posted by Andrea:

So I see that the film caps (e.g. Wima) have non magnetic leads.

So it's even more reason to use bypass caps in power supply, no? I found that MKP Wima's improved the sound a lot in my DAC's analog stage power supply, as compared to just using Panasonic FM & FC's. They made things sound smoother and more colorful.

Right you are!
But choose to bypass just beside the component to be power supplied. Not at the main smoothing caps, but so that every single powerneeding component only sees one bypass. That is in my experience the way to do it.

And you are right, good bypass caps makes the sound more natural and smooth.

Try also Evox SMR polyphenylene sulfid caps. Wima also makes these types, but I´ve never succeeded in coming across them.
However the Evox types should work just as well.
From a technical viewpoint these polyphenyl sulfid caps is superior to PP and polyester, from a sonic point of view they completely crushes the competition. I´d very much recommend them, and btw. they have copper leads.
So far I´ve only tried them out as decoupling/bypass caps in a discrete DAC design, and only for analog purposes, more precisely on the analog side of a CS8416, on the analog side of CS4398 and in discrete series regulators as well as in shunt regulators, in the latter not for decoupling, but for filtering purposes.
They came in as substitude for Wima MKP caps And the result was very surprising. I´ve always regarded Wima caps as some of the best ones, as well as evox, BC components, Panasonic and others, and they surely are so, but I just wonder why only Evox recommends these types for audio.

Maybe this is because "audio purposes" normally are regarded inferior to almost anything else. Automotive, aerospace, industrial and general purposes, I think is regarded with much more respect and prestige. But never the less Evox has noted, that they are exellent for audio applications to.
They also should theoretically be very good for decoupling digital circuits, as they feature low ESR @ high frequencies and very low loss, but they have to be accompanied by ceramics though, which might make them less important in such places.