Hi all.
This is the internals of a 15-20 year old Cary amp. Can anyone tell me what the purpose is of the yellow Kimber cap acrooss the filter cap (reduce ripple, I assume?)? Should this be changed considering it's age and does it contribute in any way to the sound of the amp? If I change the cap out, any recommendations as to what I should purchase?
Also, should I replace the two 220uf 100v electros in the pic? I was thinking about going with some Elna's here but won't consider it if it might be a waste of time and money. Thanks.
PS- I was in the middle of changing the coupling caps to Mundorf Silver/Gold's when I took the picture which is why they are missing. I decided against oil caps because of the reliability issues I've been hearing about especially when subjected to a lot of heat and this includes the Mundorf Silver/Oil. The Silver/Golds, btw, sound phenomenal with only about 30-35 hours burn in. Definately worth $21.74 each!
This is the internals of a 15-20 year old Cary amp. Can anyone tell me what the purpose is of the yellow Kimber cap acrooss the filter cap (reduce ripple, I assume?)? Should this be changed considering it's age and does it contribute in any way to the sound of the amp? If I change the cap out, any recommendations as to what I should purchase?
Also, should I replace the two 220uf 100v electros in the pic? I was thinking about going with some Elna's here but won't consider it if it might be a waste of time and money. Thanks.
PS- I was in the middle of changing the coupling caps to Mundorf Silver/Gold's when I took the picture which is why they are missing. I decided against oil caps because of the reliability issues I've been hearing about especially when subjected to a lot of heat and this includes the Mundorf Silver/Oil. The Silver/Golds, btw, sound phenomenal with only about 30-35 hours burn in. Definately worth $21.74 each!
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Thanks. That's what I thought.
Any recs for a replacement? And what about the small electros? Should I replace those also?
Don't know as I don't have the means to measure the caps. I'm basing the idea on the age of the amp but I'm also thinking about getting better sonics if replacing these caps with more modern versions would accomplish this. I guess that's my main question at this point.
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It is likely both the least important, and the least likely to fail, cap in the whole amp. You could probably take it out completely and not notice a difference.
The blue ones? Those are right in the signal path and have a huge sonic impact. Plus, being electrolytics, they are likely to dry out. They are a good choice for replacement -- maybe a big solen film cap?
Thanks and that's the question I wanted answered. Doing a quick search, I can't find any Solen films at 220uf 100v. Do you know of a source for these caps?
If the electrolytics are really 15-20 years old, they will be most probably degrading the sound. I find the sound goes bad long before the ESR or capacitance develops any measurable change.
for screw terminal reservoir/filter caps, the KEMET/BHC ALS series are well worth the look:
FEBG - Electrolytic Capacitors
for screw terminal reservoir/filter caps, the KEMET/BHC ALS series are well worth the look:
FEBG - Electrolytic Capacitors
What is the value of the two blue caps? If they are under 200V rating, they may not be inter-stage coupling caps but rather decoupling caps from the cathode to ground.
Still replace them.
Still replace them.
I believe that they are cathode bypass caps.
I do know that when I changed these in my 67' Fender DR guitar amp, it clearly affected the sound. The bass became tighter and the amp seemed to have a lowere noise floor so I'll probably change these caps anyway.
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