Orange Drop alternatives?

[slowpogo]

Another question for you all, I'm really glad I found this place, and I appreciate all the info.

I upgraded the cheap crap capacitors in my Fender tube amp with Orange Drop 716's. The tone is improved, but I'm agreeing with those who say Orange Drops can be "harsh." The high end is definitely a little grating.

Is there an economical alternative to Orange Drops that would be approximately the same quality, a little warmer but not as harsh, while maintaining some high end sparkle? I don't want to go overboard with $10 audiophile caps like Hovland or anything. Also, radial leads are a plus, as the PCB is pretty cramped.

 

[SY]

Wima MKP2 or MKP10.

 

[RenegadeAmps]

What model amp is it? There may be more to the harshness than the cap type. (oh and what speaker are you using?)

I'm a big Mallory 150 fan myself, Sy's recommendation for Wimas is a good one too.

I don't care for 716 series Orange Drops I do like the 715 series though. (except for their physical size)

Panasonic Polypropylene caps from Digi-Key have proven to very, very nice in the few amps that I've built with them.

 

[jackinnj]

fwiw, you can get Wima's (in the States) from Mouser and Future Electronics.

 

[slowpogo]

It's a Fender Pro Jr. I've actually done a fair amount of work on it, and at this point it's no longer a decent "toy" tube amp and more of a serious instrument, in my mind. I've upgraded the output transformer, electrolytics, plate resistors, some mods to reduce hum, a lot of stuff. Basically it sounded pretty nice leaving four of the caps as stock, but I got to thinking, anything better than 25-cent IC caps could only help the sound. So I put the Orange Drops in, and the tone was fuller and improved in some ways, but also harsh in the high end, somehow overly defined.

Oh, and the speaker is a vintage '55 Jensen P10R. It used to sound overly warm if anything, but the Orange Drops changed that.

I'll try the Mallorys and Wimas next. Thanks guys...