During development of the autoranger I had a prototype with 0.15uF/350V ceramic input coupling caps. They actually worked very well (NPO) but were rather expensive, around $ 5 each iirc. They were the largest Mouser had on stock for 350V and NPO.
I went to film caps only for price reasons, they came in at $ 1 so I saved the builders $ 8.
Jan
OK - you obviously don't get the difference between "musical" as appose to music. I suppose that makes your audio life a bit easier than for others.
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Hi folks,
I am interested to get your (subjective) opinions about Tantalum caps in signal paths.
Tried various solutions (20 years ago) for recapping a big analog mixing desk, and they worked quite good, lot better than aluminium on a sonic point of view. And I had not so much other choices considering sizes and prices. I know some of them can create non negligible distortions, not those ones (non polarized, military grades) when I measured the overall result of an input slice + bus output slice. i was surprised.
The main issue that i founded at this time was a a significant fragility. We had to change may-be 10 of them in the first 3 months. After this, no more issues.
I am interested to get your (subjective) opinions about Tantalum caps in signal paths.
Tried various solutions (20 years ago) for recapping a big analog mixing desk, and they worked quite good, lot better than aluminium on a sonic point of view. And I had not so much other choices considering sizes and prices. I know some of them can create non negligible distortions, not those ones (non polarized, military grades) when I measured the overall result of an input slice + bus output slice. i was surprised.
The main issue that i founded at this time was a a significant fragility. We had to change may-be 10 of them in the first 3 months. After this, no more issues.
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If you analyze the steps they used to recreate a facsimile of a Rembrandt, it reminds me of the organic process by which most popular music is (re)created. In this respect I find that new faux-Rembrandt as worthless as most popular music: they were both created to hitchhike on another's creations while adding very little of the recreator.
And by pop music I'm talking about pop classical, pop jazz, pop rock, pop hip hop, whatever is popular in a tribe...true creativity does not come around that often, and is usually polarizing specifically because it is not a safe emulation of what is already accepted in a tribe. It separates out those who look to music as a form of enlightenment and deep shared experience from those who use it as background to their life.
Dang, I need more java....discuss amongst yourselves: music is or is not most often used as a social glue...
Howie
oh well, JC's thread have certainly turned quite colorful recently with such a vast array of topics, all in good spirit as usual. 
The day I put ceramics in the book of hall of shame was in the very early 90's when I test ran a sinus signal through one while observing the CRT scope (no distortion analyzer needed here), the signal came through with the crappiest "wtf" fidelity I thought I had done something wrong, quickly swapped it with some random plastic and the sinus signal looked as it should, in with the ceramic cap again and the same crap appeared, I have to admit I learned only many years later on this forum COG/NP0 dielectrics were much better and indeed suitable for audio applications.
ps. don't forget to enjoy your oil paintings in real day light, fluorescent and LED's have an Ra of only 80, I think I have to stock up a few more "vintage" filament bulbs before they are all gone.
ok. got get back to my favorite pass time on Youtube, Victorias Sceret!
The day I put ceramics in the book of hall of shame was in the very early 90's when I test ran a sinus signal through one while observing the CRT scope (no distortion analyzer needed here), the signal came through with the crappiest "wtf" fidelity I thought I had done something wrong, quickly swapped it with some random plastic and the sinus signal looked as it should, in with the ceramic cap again and the same crap appeared, I have to admit I learned only many years later on this forum COG/NP0 dielectrics were much better and indeed suitable for audio applications.
ps. don't forget to enjoy your oil paintings in real day light, fluorescent and LED's have an Ra of only 80, I think I have to stock up a few more "vintage" filament bulbs before they are all gone.
ok. got get back to my favorite pass time on Youtube, Victorias Sceret!
Well I would have assumed that you understand that a pice of equipment may or may not let the musical emotion come through.
My question was:
"So you never experienced that the same record did actually make more music through different system components or version of them?"
Your statement was "No, how could something 'make more music' depending on equipment?? That's daft!"
I never talked about a musical equipment or system.
But OK...
So you never experienced that the same record did actually make you more or less emotional, played through different system components or version of them?
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My question was:
"So you never experienced that the same record did actually make more music through different system components or version of them?"
Your statement was "No, how could something 'make more music' depending on equipment?? That's daft!"
I never talked about a musical equipment or system.
But OK...
So you never experienced that the same record did actually make you more or less emotional, played through different system components or version of them?
//
They have very bad reputation.
I did some measurements, years ago and again today. The cicuit is 4.7uF/6.3V tantalum cap loaded with 18k resistor. This has 1.88Hz(-3dB) cut off. Similar as when I tested the X7R. The result for tantalum is attached. The resulting distortion is in fact a copy of soundcard loopback behavior. That said, tantalum did not add distortion. There is no DC voltage across the tantalum cap in this test. Input AC voltage is about 0.5V, same as for X7R test.
Attachments
This is interesting, because every datasheet with detailed specs has always shown plots of capacitance vs. temperature, voltage and frequency. In other words, the non-linearity, distortion. I know that even 40 years ago, when I started as an EE, we knew which dielectrics were usable for signal path, though it was rather in instrumentation than audio. The field of use makes no difference, there is only one and same physics behind that. I have to say that I was wondering, those days, why in audio such issues were almost unknown and overlooked. People did not read and did not interpret the datasheets? Because every part has its optimal field of use. Even 40 years ago, I cannot imagine that I would put the X7R ceramics into active filters, that I used for instrumentation.
No. My emotional experience is related to the music, not whether it is reproduced with more or less THD, more or less damping, more or less flat FR.
I do know that equipment can and regularly does sound different from each other. But that does not alter my emotional connection to the music. Hell, even on the bedside clock radio music can move me. Or not. But that depends on the music.
Jan
Yes I know, but such reasoning is typical for marketing or economy departments. The designer should be firm enough to defend his view (of course in case that he cares and knows).
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