You know, when we have looked at caps for years, we know their weaknesses, and even hidden problems. To say that there should be no difference between a bipolar cap and a good film cap flies in the face of years of measurements. However, electrolytic caps are cheaper, smaller and generally more practical in a number of applications, so we still use them when we cannot eliminate them totally.
Of course, I'm just remembering back to many the back and forth about this or that capacitor. Surely, they're a lot hard to make "ideal" than metal film resistors and inductors are generally used sparingly (save output zobel) that they're overly focused as a passive.
My job?
Geez... how much are you paying me?
Benefits? Vacation?
Do I get a good office, and a lab, with assistant(s)??
Anyhow, that's a pretty silly thing to say.
Because, "what works" is rather relative to your point of reference.
Clearly many units have been made with electrolytic caps.
And many engineers & designers made that choice.
So, why would anyone pick an expensive film cap over a cheap electrolytic cap?
The point being is that some seem to argue that in almost all instances where you could substitute a film cap for an electrolytic, it either isn't audible, or the difference is too small to warrant the cost.
Have you "figured it out"?
_-_-
Btw, assuming ur using the Met 7s that were mentioned earlier - or any other speaker - why not waste yr time and money
by replacing the caps in there with some that are clearly spec'd better in all regards? OR conversely, replace them with some
that are spec'd not quite as good (like sub in some NP electrolytics in the tweeter or midrange for films) and see if you hear
ANY difference at all. While ur at it, ask in someone who has decent HF response to see what they or them hear? Promise,
it will be a waste of time and make no difference at all.
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Which reminds one of the quote from Gandhi: "There is more to life than increasing its speed."
There are applications, even in coupling audio, where electrolytics won't degrade the signal or compromise performance. However , like opamps or transistors, you can't just sprinkle them casually. The source and load impedance and the stray capacitance to other nodes in the circuit all need to be understood.
I asked the designer uber guru Mr. Seqerra and he told me that there was nothing I could do that would matter. Yup the horses mouth, cap swaps are the shiets etc.
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Heh, heh, heh.
Dick Sequera is an interesting fellow.
As one who has seen and heard his stuff, and knows personally someone who did design work for him, I have some insight into that.
Nothing more?
Yeah, perhaps there nothing that anyone can do "more" for those speakers.
Try it, Scott.
I'm not making an idle comment for the sake of being contrary.
Dick Sequera is an interesting fellow.
As one who has seen and heard his stuff, and knows personally someone who did design work for him, I have some insight into that.
Nothing more?
Yeah, perhaps there nothing that anyone can do "more" for those speakers.
Try it, Scott.
I'm not making an idle comment for the sake of being contrary.
Yes it is that omnipotence thing. An engineer after just a few years of education knows all and sees all. No need to keep on learning.
As the amplifier under discussion was one of mine I didn't notice the effect until it was pointed out to me. Then it became perceptable and yielded to measurement.
But as this was a bit in the past apparently I have now obtained the state of omnipotence and can clearly see why you post such things and the root of it. Being unusually polite I will not mention the base of it as it is clearly a personal issue to you and normally not discussed in polite or mixed company. 🙂
Derfy now you have it, you should always know which components to use without further discussion. (As I can see from my omnipotence you don't have that problem...yet.)
The MET7's are 'kiddie' speakers. I have 3 pairs from different years. Dick Sequerra is probably right. However, does he actually use a bipolar cap in the MET7? I am using 2 pair at this very moment to do a TV movie.
And on a totally off the wall non related topic, in my recent travels I picked up a rug made in Iran around 1940. About 6x9 feet. Sold at a large discount as it had a large almost black stain on the edge and a similar one a few feet away on the same edge, but not quite where it would be from rolled up storage.
I tested it for color fastnest to hydrogen peroxide with good results to a 3% solution. Applied to the stain gave impressive amounts of foaming and cleared much of the stain on the first application. Letting it dry and a few more treatments have a nice result.
Now the reason why I posted this is because I suspect the low price was not just because of the stain but what caused it!
So would anyone else use or even keep such a rug?
I tested it for color fastnest to hydrogen peroxide with good results to a 3% solution. Applied to the stain gave impressive amounts of foaming and cleared much of the stain on the first application. Letting it dry and a few more treatments have a nice result.
Now the reason why I posted this is because I suspect the low price was not just because of the stain but what caused it!
So would anyone else use or even keep such a rug?
Heh. Yeah, the mention of foaming made me think immediately of blood.
Sure, I'd keep it. Wouldn't let a little blood bother me.
se
Parenthetically (and to reduce the number of posts), I think omniscience (all-knowing) is the more apropos term. With omnipotence you have the power to make it happen regardless of logic and reason. OK my apologies...
Murray Gell-Mann complained that Feynman spent a lot of time inventing stories rather than doing physics, at least when they would work together. Of course both men were/are egomaniacs of the first water. Feynman was by far the more entertaining.
They were rivals at Caltech. One of my favorite stories is that, during a thunderstorm, Gell-Mann waited to see the flash of lightning and then timed his entrance into the lecture hall to coincide with the thunder.
A more apt analogy would be:. You just saw a reproduction of Mona Lisa. Can you, from memory, tell if the reproduction is accurate? Can you tell if it is the same size, if the original is not present? How much bigger/smaller would the reproduction have to be, for you to notice? Color balance? Shading? Overall illumination level? Texture? How much would the reproduction have to differ for you to notice the difference?
Yeah, can't think of anything else that would have an abundance of iron.
I'd keep it, then again, I'm a fan of Persian/n-stani/Kashmir rugs.
The difference between an amp with an A or B rating is what I spend most of my time on. In fact, it is the very concept of the difference that I tried to relate to everyone here over the years to the objections of SY, Scott, and many other of my critics.
As I said, going from B to A involves parts selection, subtle adjustments to any power transformers to minimize leakage, and finally circuit board layout along with wire, connector, and even solder. The schematic may not change at all in many cases, but the sound quality will. The measurements won't change much either, except in subtle ways, that only engineers like Ed Simon could possibly find and measure. Is it worth it? Not necessarily. But if I want to win design contests, I HAVE to do it, and so I do, when possible. My B amps, the A-21 and A23 do not have all these improvements, but they are pretty good for something like a MET7. When you have more difficult loads and a much better speaker, then they just won't do. My competition is Constellation, the new PS Audio power amp by Bascom King, Ayre, Pass and a few others. They are my competition, not you guys. '-)
As I said, going from B to A involves parts selection, subtle adjustments to any power transformers to minimize leakage, and finally circuit board layout along with wire, connector, and even solder. The schematic may not change at all in many cases, but the sound quality will. The measurements won't change much either, except in subtle ways, that only engineers like Ed Simon could possibly find and measure. Is it worth it? Not necessarily. But if I want to win design contests, I HAVE to do it, and so I do, when possible. My B amps, the A-21 and A23 do not have all these improvements, but they are pretty good for something like a MET7. When you have more difficult loads and a much better speaker, then they just won't do. My competition is Constellation, the new PS Audio power amp by Bascom King, Ayre, Pass and a few others. They are my competition, not you guys. '-)
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