forte' 4a caps (4 blue ones...)

[forte123]

hi there,
not sure if this is the right forum but i'll start here.
i own a forte' 4a , a wonderful wonderful little devil.
i am trying to find the type of caps this amp has in order to replace them. the amp is some 13 years old and i think it's time.
there is no problem wit the sound so far but i just want to be ahead of the game.
i've had it for 6 months and totally in love with it's clean sound.
anyone can help ?
thx,
amir
p.s
just to be sure , i am talking about those big chanky caps blue colour.

[jacco vermeulen]

check with Arif, aka K-amps, he may still have some suitable ones for you.

Echowars offered a quartet of the original ones as used in the Forté 4A a couple of days ago : Here

[forte123]

just posted a request for the caps.
hope they fit.
thank you anyway !
amir

[AMV8]

Hi

I have a Forte 4a. (and a 1 and 5 )

I replaced the power supply caps about a year ago.

I would recommend using new ones which I found better than the ones originally fitted in the 4a.

I tried ALS40a 22,000uf 64v and also tried 2 x 15,000uf 100v Kendeil. Both equally good ( and much improved over the original )but only Kendeil are available new these days.

If you need more info or circuit info contact me.

Don

[forte123]

thx !
that's good news.
yes, i would love to get as much info as you can give on where to buy these caps and how much they cost.
can you feel a big difference in sound ?
what is the major difference ?
i envy you for having all these forte's.....
thx
amir

[AMV8]

Hi

There is normally a big difference in sound when I change out electrolytic capacitors on older amps. ( over 10 to 15 years old ) The sound difference is that the mid and high become cleaner but the main difference is usually that the base becomes much tighter and faster.

You may also need to change out the electrolytic caps on the pcb. However I found that the electrolytic caps on the pcb's on all the forte amps were high quality and did not need to be changed. They were Elna 105 degree and of the highest quality. However I have not found the power supply caps to be of that same quality and they all benefited from a change.

I used 2 x 15,000uf 100v Kendeil caps to replace each of the old 15,000uf 100v caps. ( although 64v would be ok ). I used Kendeil no 2's. Good power supply capacitors are expensive. The Kendeils retail for £25 each. I bought a lot at auction and I can sell you some for £15 each plus postage. Let me know if you are interested.

I find it one of the best power amplifiers I have ever listened to. I think it is worth refurbishing.

Don

[forte123]

first of all let me agree with you right away....the 4a is one of the best and i've listened to all sorts of amp during my 20 years of this starnge sound quest....

so, you say i need 8 of them ?
can i do with just 4 ?
when i opend the amp it had 4.
the other brand you mentioned...do you have those for sale as well ?

can i change them my self or do i need to go to a lab ? no problem, but just so i know.

looking forward,

amir

[forte123]

http://www.kendeil.com/View.asp?ID=267

are these the caps ?
if so, i want to buy them...
could you go for 50 pounds for the 4 of them ?
shipping should be 5 to 10 pounds, i think.
thx in advance...
amir

[AMV8]

Amir

You do not seem to know when people are offering you a good turn. I am not interested in negotiating. Also please forget the original offer.

Don

[forte123]

sorry.
i do not know the prices.
i only know what i wanted to spend.
i apollogize if you thought i was trying to bargen.
rgds
amir