Hello,
I just replaced a few ceramic feedback caps in my integrated amp with silver mica caps.
The difference was not small.
I used to play this greatest hits album by Lenny Kravitz and its sound was very fatiguing on my system. The sound is now very articulate and the album is easy to listen to .
For me this is good.
Cheers
KevinLee
I just replaced a few ceramic feedback caps in my integrated amp with silver mica caps.
The difference was not small.
I used to play this greatest hits album by Lenny Kravitz and its sound was very fatiguing on my system. The sound is now very articulate and the album is easy to listen to .
For me this is good.
Cheers
KevinLee
input cap
Hi Kevin
Glad to hear you like it.
You may want to have a look at the input. There should be a cap of small value to ground (ranging from 100p to 470p, sometimes even to 1n). If it is a ceramic, replaced it with a silver mica or polystyrene.
I had polystyrenes failed on me before. That could be due to using it at the limits of WDC.
My approach is not to pad the tweeter and build the speaker from there. I find it so much more "lively". The only component I pad is super tweeters, and ever so slightly. As for 1w/1m flat response, I abandoned that long time ago. It should be restricted to near field monitors in recording studios only.
Hi Kevin
Glad to hear you like it.
You may want to have a look at the input. There should be a cap of small value to ground (ranging from 100p to 470p, sometimes even to 1n). If it is a ceramic, replaced it with a silver mica or polystyrene.
I had polystyrenes failed on me before. That could be due to using it at the limits of WDC.
It could be on the speaker side. Often speakers are calibrated at 1m/1w for flat response. So, most tweeters are padded down resistively. I find padding doesn't just attenuates, but dulls the music. Like losing harmonics.
My approach is not to pad the tweeter and build the speaker from there. I find it so much more "lively". The only component I pad is super tweeters, and ever so slightly. As for 1w/1m flat response, I abandoned that long time ago. It should be restricted to near field monitors in recording studios only.
Hi,
Is it easy to locate feedback caps in an amp - would one need a service manual? Are they typically ceramic types?
mcp,
We seem to have strayed slightly off-topic here, but what resistors do you reccommend to minimise quality loss from a tweeter? (I only need 1ohm in my current ones)
Cheers,
-Simon
Is it easy to locate feedback caps in an amp - would one need a service manual? Are they typically ceramic types?
mcp,
We seem to have strayed slightly off-topic here, but what resistors do you reccommend to minimise quality loss from a tweeter? (I only need 1ohm in my current ones)
Cheers,
-Simon
Oops, kinda forgot my main point!
I replaced two mylar caps in my cd player output with silvered mica, actually it was a slightly different value to 'tailor' the treble roll-off. The sound was only slightly changed, it got more relaxed, but that could be more treble roll-off than cap type...
After reading this thread I think I will replace the rest with silvered mica. I was going to use polystyrene as I thought these might be better, but as I've started with mica ones, I may aswell finish with them...
-Simon
I replaced two mylar caps in my cd player output with silvered mica, actually it was a slightly different value to 'tailor' the treble roll-off. The sound was only slightly changed, it got more relaxed, but that could be more treble roll-off than cap type...
After reading this thread I think I will replace the rest with silvered mica. I was going to use polystyrene as I thought these might be better, but as I've started with mica ones, I may aswell finish with them...
-Simon
compensation caps need to behave to low MHz - requires extended foil with shorting termination
given proper construction, attention to temperature limits - polystyrene is expected to be lowest in measurable distortion, dielectric absorption compared to polypropylene next, then NP0/C0G ceramic overlaps to the good side Silver Mica, both varying by manufacturer
teflon is for all practical purposes just not available in compensation cap values
I would use NP0/C0G in preference to Silver Mica - Mica is on average worse in measured properties, and is a variable natural material with substantial depletion of the sources that may have been responsible for their "sound" reputation
given proper construction, attention to temperature limits - polystyrene is expected to be lowest in measurable distortion, dielectric absorption compared to polypropylene next, then NP0/C0G ceramic overlaps to the good side Silver Mica, both varying by manufacturer
teflon is for all practical purposes just not available in compensation cap values
I would use NP0/C0G in preference to Silver Mica - Mica is on average worse in measured properties, and is a variable natural material with substantial depletion of the sources that may have been responsible for their "sound" reputation
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sorry for my bad remember. MKP and FKP is polypropylene
did your comparison of the distortion is right?
(lowest) polystrene < polypropylene < NP0 / C0G ceramic < silver mica
I don't know why several store sell the silver mica in the higher price than polypropylene. any suggestion?
Difficult to be categoric and general: PS are the best provided they are of good quality, and silver mica can be highly variable, sometimes almost equalling PS.
On the other hand, there are also very poor quality PS: Suflex is the first name that comes to mind (they are now out of business, probably for a good reason)
They are much more expensive to manufacture
Silver mica caps are usually very stable, but I'm sure I read somewhere that they can sometimes have sudden (but small) changes in capacitance. Not likely to affect audio, but could be a problem for their usual use in radio circuits.
I once had problems with some new SM caps causing crackles and pops when used for frequency compensation across an anode resistor, even though the voltage was well within their rating.
I once had problems with some new SM caps causing crackles and pops when used for frequency compensation across an anode resistor, even though the voltage was well within their rating.
Made some really simple line level bass filters to go between DAC and integrated amp. Dialled in value (1500 pf ) with some cheap trimmer caps, and just sent for some nos soviet military SM caps. Think this was a mistake? Ought I instead use
Polystyrene or Pio ? Tried teflon F&F in other applications, didn't care for sound in my system. Ex soviet military teflon is inexpensive if that's your recommendation though. Regards, Mitchell.
In real life it's a matter of cost and physical size.
I use micas where low capacitance values are required, then polystyrene and poly
film/foils, then metallized polyprops, then mylar, then lytics, where I need big values.
HiFi Collective have Silver Mica up to 10000pF. I'm planning to use them in RIAA.
Technical specifications:
Dead Dimensions: 0.6mm dia x 60mm length
Capacitance Values: 1pF - 10000pF
Voltage Values: 500Vdc
Temperature range: -55 to +150C degrees
Capacitance Tolerance: +/- 5%
Silver Mica | Hifi Collective
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