I'm anti-expensive audio parts but man, a good capacitor can make a difference

[jduffy]

On the advice of the good Dr. Kofi Annan I made my way to Michael Percy's and grabbed some signal output capacitors. Nothing terribly expensive, merely some Solens. My, what a difference in my simple two tube preamp.

I'm listening to Ella and Louis and it's just nuts how good it sounds.

Clearly I don't think of myself as a Mundorf man, it runs counter to my current audio beliefs, but I can see how the pursuit of perfection could get one to drop more and more money on expensive caps.

Anybody want to spring for an early birthday present for me?

Much thanks to the good doctor and his many posts here.

[dsavitsk]

For a treat that won't cost you very much more at all, pick up some small high quality caps and put them in parallel with the Solens. Something like the Russian Teflons that are all over ebay, or some vitamin Q's, or even a pair of .1uF Auricaps or Sonicaps. For a $2 to $5 investment, you will transform those Solens.

[jduffy]

Right on, thanks for the cool tips.

I'm going to try and keep the costs in check because I can see how this could lead to a serious capacitor addiction.

[kstagger]

there was a time that MIT RTXs were considered silly expensive - now some of the smaller values are actually almost the same price as Auricaps, etc. The V-Caps and MIT Teflon caps are VERY expensive... never heard 'em yet... but I've been using the TRT Dynamicaps and RTXs with good results.

I've had hit and miss results with oil caps for coupling - but I use them in the last stage of my preamp power supply.

[Jeb-D.]

Yeah, good caps in the signal path is a must. Your right in saying things can get expensive. Not so much just for coupling caps, but one thing can lead to another.

[Eusebius]

Well, today it may be trying out capacitors, but tomorrow it may be transformers. With the Edcor priced at $8 you may be tempted. I'd take a good trannie over a good cap any day.

[crispycircuit]

It's true... Caps make a difference. It's another tweek that can fine tune your system. I'd like to borrow some V-caps or other costly caps for my own ears to see if they are really worth the money? I need a test drive... We all have different tastes and who am I suppose to believe?? A money back guarantee is the answer....... Maybe first time orders, 1/2 off??