cap upgrade worth it?

rntlee · 3rd March 2012, 01:35 PM

Hi, I've got a Chinese amp here (Yaqin) and the only caps in the signal path are the coupling caps between the PI and the power tubes. The caps they used look to be these Pilkor (Philips) caps.
Do you think a noticable improvement could be made by changing these out for a higher quality cap? The sound is actually quite good, but could an upgrade remove any residual graininess to the sound? Any recommendations? Thanks.

KatieandDad · 3rd March 2012, 01:48 PM

Those film caps shouldn't be too bad.

Try bypassing them with some 1nF Polystyrene caps to see if that makes any difference.

Dimitris AR · 3rd March 2012, 11:50 PM

Hi , I use the Pilkor ( Philips 378MKP series ) in my OTL PL36 amp and they sounds very good to my ears .

rntlee · 4th March 2012, 02:31 AM

Thanks guys,
I guess I'll leave well enough alone!

DHT112A · 4th March 2012, 02:51 AM

The caps in your picture are rated X2 intended more for EMI suppression and probably not the best for audio.

rntlee · 4th March 2012, 03:59 AM

Thanks for the reply,
is it worthwhile to change them in your opinion?

rntlee · 4th March 2012, 04:04 AM

X2's are also a "safety" rated cap, right? Is this necessary for a cap that's coupling stages together?

lanchile · 4th March 2012, 04:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rntlee

Thanks for the reply,
is it worthwhile to change them in your opinion?

DHT112A is right! you should use the right ones for audio like:
Sonicap,Auricap,Mundorf etc

rntlee · 4th March 2012, 04:08 AM

Do you think they used X2's because they will fail open, and not shorted?

astouffer · 4th March 2012, 05:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rntlee

Do you think they used X2's because they will fail open, and not shorted?

More like they were the right price.

3rd March 2012, 01:35 PM	#1
rntlee diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2012	cap upgrade worth it? Hi, I've got a Chinese amp here (Yaqin) and the only caps in the signal path are the coupling caps between the PI and the power tubes. The caps they used look to be these Pilkor (Philips) caps. Do you think a noticable improvement could be made by changing these out for a higher quality cap? The sound is actually quite good, but could an upgrade remove any residual graininess to the sound? Any recommendations? Thanks.

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3rd March 2012, 01:48 PM	#2
KatieandDad diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: UK	Those film caps shouldn't be too bad. Try bypassing them with some 1nF Polystyrene caps to see if that makes any difference.

3rd March 2012, 11:50 PM	#3
Dimitris AR diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Athens	Hi , I use the Pilkor ( Philips 378MKP series ) in my OTL PL36 amp and they sounds very good to my ears .

4th March 2012, 02:31 AM	#4
rntlee diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2012	Thanks guys, I guess I'll leave well enough alone!

4th March 2012, 02:51 AM	#5
DHT112A diyAudio Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Tacoma , WA	The caps in your picture are rated X2 intended more for EMI suppression and probably not the best for audio.

4th March 2012, 03:59 AM	#6
rntlee diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2012	Thanks for the reply, is it worthwhile to change them in your opinion?

4th March 2012, 04:04 AM	#7
rntlee diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2012	X2's are also a "safety" rated cap, right? Is this necessary for a cap that's coupling stages together?

4th March 2012, 04:08 AM	#9
rntlee diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2012	Do you think they used X2's because they will fail open, and not shorted?