Disclaimer- I cant hear (in blind test) two diferent (but same same voltage and same dialectric/conctruction for example MKP vs MKP , MKT vs MKT) capacitors in speaker crossover in high dolar system. I can hear slight diferencies, but not for blind test conditions for sure.
However electronics circuits is somewhat diferent. I get upset when changed caps in amps (black gate N to nichicon KZ ( but is nothing comared to last try.. I realy get ****** off last week when did maintenance change caps (10 years) for one of my dac.
1)in dac chip digital suply replaced 2psc elna silmic II with sanyo oscon SP (both same capacity, both have cooper legs and specified for audio by manufacturers )
2)in digital receiver , ASRC upsampler section cheap SMD polymer pansonic nichicons replaced with 20psc Same Sanyo oscon SP and before regulators to panasonic FR. . Some of the caps were after lm1117 regulators. I carefull studied datasheets to replace cap for the same ESR cap @100kHz and same capacity After replacing checked for any possible oscilations.all was fine. I turned it on and left for 3 days (24hours a day) without listening to so called “burn in”
I did not expected any changes,or lets say nothing extraordinary. So the other day went to studio for work. Put some music trought this dac. Something is very diferent from the first accords. Music sounded very soft, warm and weighty ans slow with increribly low frequencies 20-30hz amplification ,just tlike someone connected a sub to system and put too much in level
Due my job duties (speaker designing) I have quite good hearing memory for some musical excerps which I play sometimes 50-80 times a week. I played them. ALl sounded very diferent from what I get used from this dac/system. I measured speakers – maybe soemthing has appened- all fine. then Ithought I will measured speakers trought this dac – made setup where analog output device was this dac. it measured within 0.13db diferencies-measurement error diferencies)
Another option for myself was explanation that was that my hearing is temprarily changed(it could vary day to day a bit depending on how many hours work on audio or how loud listening and even how much rest/sleep- its normal for us humans sometimes to have “tired” hearing cells or strange CNS brain EQ ) so to have some current time reference I put another dac – which I know many years and compared many tmes with this upgraded , this reference dac was slow, mellow, bloated,untight bass , subjekctivelly rolled of 13-16khz. so I naturally expected that sound now will be even more what I am hearing.
Howewer. this reference dac was faster ,more trasparent. Before caps upgrade they wer so diferent(I specifically selected two very diferent sonic qualityes dac’s for job duties) that I always could quess which is which- just hear bass notes tightness and 12-15khz airyness in sound diferencies.
Today I find nearly all caps I desoldered and put them back. around 15% of them were lost however. put the dac,listend, from the very first notes it seems get back to me.
I never makes special attention to parts in amps, dac, I just put quality ones. I always chooses speaker /room interaction for most important factor . and if needed - crossover corections.
If I would try to bring modified dac to normal soncis I would need to change speaker xovers by 2-2.5db in hights, and around 5-6db in 20-40hz area. that is A LOT for us, audiophiles(when mixing music trackson mixer I can hear 0.5-0.6db SPL change in sound)
I usuly read threads about caps and diferencies. I would not consider myself as passive parts sonic changes believer. I dony want to hear, and I even don’t expect. I have stict and direct wiew. But sometimes I get hit by someone who’s name is Reality. Usualy. I get small hits, but this time was knockout.
this evening I played a bit with variuos capacitors to see how its impedance changes within human hearing range. of course all caps were matched to have EXACTLY same capacistance. there is not (much) diferencies in similar caps (bigest diferencies was between Panasonics NHG cap vs Nichicon KZ cap music top range where we have last bit of main intrument tones -10khz was 0.65 ohm vs 0.3)
I am am sure someone who makes seriuos measurement swould not find big dferencies in other parameters. but for some reason they do sound diferent. and its not oscilations. Life hits hard. I envy you, caps tuners and changers- you definatelly have what to do. 🙂
However electronics circuits is somewhat diferent. I get upset when changed caps in amps (black gate N to nichicon KZ ( but is nothing comared to last try.. I realy get ****** off last week when did maintenance change caps (10 years) for one of my dac.
1)in dac chip digital suply replaced 2psc elna silmic II with sanyo oscon SP (both same capacity, both have cooper legs and specified for audio by manufacturers )
2)in digital receiver , ASRC upsampler section cheap SMD polymer pansonic nichicons replaced with 20psc Same Sanyo oscon SP and before regulators to panasonic FR. . Some of the caps were after lm1117 regulators. I carefull studied datasheets to replace cap for the same ESR cap @100kHz and same capacity After replacing checked for any possible oscilations.all was fine. I turned it on and left for 3 days (24hours a day) without listening to so called “burn in”
I did not expected any changes,or lets say nothing extraordinary. So the other day went to studio for work. Put some music trought this dac. Something is very diferent from the first accords. Music sounded very soft, warm and weighty ans slow with increribly low frequencies 20-30hz amplification ,just tlike someone connected a sub to system and put too much in level
Due my job duties (speaker designing) I have quite good hearing memory for some musical excerps which I play sometimes 50-80 times a week. I played them. ALl sounded very diferent from what I get used from this dac/system. I measured speakers – maybe soemthing has appened- all fine. then Ithought I will measured speakers trought this dac – made setup where analog output device was this dac. it measured within 0.13db diferencies-measurement error diferencies)
Another option for myself was explanation that was that my hearing is temprarily changed(it could vary day to day a bit depending on how many hours work on audio or how loud listening and even how much rest/sleep- its normal for us humans sometimes to have “tired” hearing cells or strange CNS brain EQ ) so to have some current time reference I put another dac – which I know many years and compared many tmes with this upgraded , this reference dac was slow, mellow, bloated,untight bass , subjekctivelly rolled of 13-16khz. so I naturally expected that sound now will be even more what I am hearing.
Howewer. this reference dac was faster ,more trasparent. Before caps upgrade they wer so diferent(I specifically selected two very diferent sonic qualityes dac’s for job duties) that I always could quess which is which- just hear bass notes tightness and 12-15khz airyness in sound diferencies.
Today I find nearly all caps I desoldered and put them back. around 15% of them were lost however. put the dac,listend, from the very first notes it seems get back to me.
I never makes special attention to parts in amps, dac, I just put quality ones. I always chooses speaker /room interaction for most important factor . and if needed - crossover corections.
If I would try to bring modified dac to normal soncis I would need to change speaker xovers by 2-2.5db in hights, and around 5-6db in 20-40hz area. that is A LOT for us, audiophiles(when mixing music trackson mixer I can hear 0.5-0.6db SPL change in sound)
I usuly read threads about caps and diferencies. I would not consider myself as passive parts sonic changes believer. I dony want to hear, and I even don’t expect. I have stict and direct wiew. But sometimes I get hit by someone who’s name is Reality. Usualy. I get small hits, but this time was knockout.
this evening I played a bit with variuos capacitors to see how its impedance changes within human hearing range. of course all caps were matched to have EXACTLY same capacistance. there is not (much) diferencies in similar caps (bigest diferencies was between Panasonics NHG cap vs Nichicon KZ cap music top range where we have last bit of main intrument tones -10khz was 0.65 ohm vs 0.3)
I am am sure someone who makes seriuos measurement swould not find big dferencies in other parameters. but for some reason they do sound diferent. and its not oscilations. Life hits hard. I envy you, caps tuners and changers- you definatelly have what to do. 🙂
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The differences between capacitors is so small its no wonder you dont do well at blind tests.
Some of these expensive component companies take advantage of the "Its more expensive so must be better" thinkers.
I cant hear differences between speakers with massive frequency troughs and peaks so will never tell two capacitors apart.
Some of these expensive component companies take advantage of the "Its more expensive so must be better" thinkers.
I cant hear differences between speakers with massive frequency troughs and peaks so will never tell two capacitors apart.
If you replace a high ESR cap with an ultra low ESR cap you will get undamped LC ringing with the other ceramic decoupling caps on the board.
when you change something in your system and you compare, the system is being tested
when you do ABX, its you under stress who is being tested, not the system
when you do ABX, its you under stress who is being tested, not the system