Hi,
Can anyone explain me what type of capacitor is the best
for audio ? (signal coupling purposes)
Polypropylene?
Metalized Polypropylene?
Polystyrene ?
(Mica, Polyester (Mylar) and Metalized Polyester...not for sure !)
PS: in Ono/Xono design are all Metalized Polypropylene caps? (except large capacitances of course)
Can anyone explain me what type of capacitor is the best
for audio ? (signal coupling purposes)
Polypropylene?
Metalized Polypropylene?
Polystyrene ?
(Mica, Polyester (Mylar) and Metalized Polyester...not for sure !)
PS: in Ono/Xono design are all Metalized Polypropylene caps? (except large capacitances of course)
Only Mylar is supposed to be no good from your list.
There are even some ultra expensive teflon capacitors:
http://www.v-cap.com/
I myself stick with Auricaps because they are cheaper and I've never read complaints about their sound quality around the web.
There are also copper, silver, and I think even gold film caps, as well as ones using beeswax as the dielectric. I'd say it's the biggest marketing scam after the health supplement industry.
For power supply electrolytic cap bypassing, I doubt it makes a difference, so go with the cheapest.
The best thing you can do is avoid signal coupling capacitors completely and design your circuit to be DC coupled. One trick is to use a common base configuration for voltage shifting.
There are even some ultra expensive teflon capacitors:
http://www.v-cap.com/
I myself stick with Auricaps because they are cheaper and I've never read complaints about their sound quality around the web.
There are also copper, silver, and I think even gold film caps, as well as ones using beeswax as the dielectric. I'd say it's the biggest marketing scam after the health supplement industry.
For power supply electrolytic cap bypassing, I doubt it makes a difference, so go with the cheapest.
The best thing you can do is avoid signal coupling capacitors completely and design your circuit to be DC coupled. One trick is to use a common base configuration for voltage shifting.
Capacitors with dielectrics of the poly- type (polystyrene, polypropylene, etc. - and to a less extent, polycarbonate) or Teflon tend to have good performance. Sometimes it's better just to read as many unbiased reviews as possible, instead of just looking at numerical specifications (there are many that measure extremely well).
I think it's been mentioned either in these forums or over at head-fi.
Take a look at film cap prices here:
http://partsconnexion.com/
(and these guys are usually cheap)
AudioNote Silver foil 3.3 uF 600 V -- $1,389.90
I was going to say something about those that would buy this, but then I thought, it coulb be worse -- you could buy $10000 interconnects, or pray to some Gawd, or wear a magnetic bracelet to improve your chi...
Take a look at film cap prices here:
http://partsconnexion.com/
(and these guys are usually cheap)
AudioNote Silver foil 3.3 uF 600 V -- $1,389.90
I was going to say something about those that would buy this, but then I thought, it coulb be worse -- you could buy $10000 interconnects, or pray to some Gawd, or wear a magnetic bracelet to improve your chi...
Hi,
I use the WIMA MKP4 10µF capacitors, the sound is very good and these are cheap. See here: http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=48428&perpage=10&pagenumber=1
I have compared these with "normally" Mundorf , the Mundorf sounds no better, but costs... I buy the MKP´s over my company for aprox.2EUR / piece.
greetings
Adam
I use the WIMA MKP4 10µF capacitors, the sound is very good and these are cheap. See here: http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=48428&perpage=10&pagenumber=1
I have compared these with "normally" Mundorf , the Mundorf sounds no better, but costs... I buy the MKP´s over my company for aprox.2EUR / piece.
greetings
Adam
Russian teflon capacitors are sold on Ebay.
Capacitor quality, IME and in the experience of well-regarded engineers with whom I've spoken---and all other things being equal---generally follows the dielectric constant of the dielectric. The lower the DC, the lower the dielectric losses, including that nasty among them, dielectric absorption. Teflon is among the best dielectrics available as it sports among the lowest DCs available, second only to air, and competitive with certain forms of paper and certain forms of wax (no scam there, Prune).
As with all things physical, a change in one parameter often implies changes in other parameters. Low DC capacitors, by being low DC, are necessarily physically larger, and size places a hard limit in the path of practical utility. Circuits that can best use low DC capacitors are therefore, of necessity, tube circuits that operate at higher voltages, as energy storage of a capacitor varies according to the square of the voltage concerned.
Capacitor quality, IME and in the experience of well-regarded engineers with whom I've spoken---and all other things being equal---generally follows the dielectric constant of the dielectric. The lower the DC, the lower the dielectric losses, including that nasty among them, dielectric absorption. Teflon is among the best dielectrics available as it sports among the lowest DCs available, second only to air, and competitive with certain forms of paper and certain forms of wax (no scam there, Prune).
As with all things physical, a change in one parameter often implies changes in other parameters. Low DC capacitors, by being low DC, are necessarily physically larger, and size places a hard limit in the path of practical utility. Circuits that can best use low DC capacitors are therefore, of necessity, tube circuits that operate at higher voltages, as energy storage of a capacitor varies according to the square of the voltage concerned.
U guys gotta try these. They sound not worse than MIT MultiCaps RTX series, and certainly cost much less.
http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/913.pdf
I use them in my ZenLite and also BOZ.
http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/913.pdf
I use them in my ZenLite and also BOZ.
Commstech, FWIW those capacitors are polyester dielectric with a dielectric constant probably in the range of 3.5, which is rather high. Polyester is a polar dielectric, meaning within the dielectric exist permanently charged electric dipoles. These dipoles create a frequency dependent loss, similar to magnetic hysteresis, that reaches into audio frequencies and, IME, creates a subjective veiling, but YMMV.
I've bought stuff from kwtubes before (here's his eBay store) and the transactions went very smoothly, with fast shipping, despite his location (no offense intended for Lithuanians of course).
Unfortunately, the russian Teflon capacitors only come in very small values, so they make good repacements for polystyrene and silver mica, but larger coupling caps means boutique ones such as the VCap, which are extremely expensive. The reason I suggested Auricaps is that they are about as good as those MIT Multicap RTX and I think a bit cheaper (but yes, I would also classify them as boutique parts).
I'm surprised no one here mentioned the vacuum capacitors used in high voltage and RF applications. Performance puts Teflon or anything else to shame. Unfortunately, they are absolutely huge for their capacitance, and you can spend a couple of thousand dollars for one of the larger commonly available sizes (5 nF).
Unfortunately, the russian Teflon capacitors only come in very small values, so they make good repacements for polystyrene and silver mica, but larger coupling caps means boutique ones such as the VCap, which are extremely expensive. The reason I suggested Auricaps is that they are about as good as those MIT Multicap RTX and I think a bit cheaper (but yes, I would also classify them as boutique parts).
I'm surprised no one here mentioned the vacuum capacitors used in high voltage and RF applications. Performance puts Teflon or anything else to shame. Unfortunately, they are absolutely huge for their capacitance, and you can spend a couple of thousand dollars for one of the larger commonly available sizes (5 nF).
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