aikido noval all in one caps upgrade

[ad010685]

Dears, do you advise me to invest more in the coupling caps or the so called aikido capacitor?
thanxs for advise me

Ps do i excess the worth using a mundorf silver oil in the coupling caps?

 

[Nobu9]

I've built a few Aikido circuits and (if I understand you correctly) the "Aikido Cap" serves to feed the power supply noise into the bottom grid of the output section. I can't see the sense using the expensive stuff there. I use Solen or Sprague orange drops in that position. Maybe I'll get a chance to try the mundorfs for coupling caps - but I have only Jensen copper foil budget, max. Some vintage PIOs sound good to me as we'll. Not all, but some.

Nobu

 

[Ken Newton]

That is a difficult to answer question, I think. I really comes back to the larger question of the audibility of capacitors in A.C. coupling applications. Although, in the Aikido circuit, it is power supply noise that is being A.C. coupled, a component of that power supply noise will be due to modulation of the power supply by the music signal itself. So, I think it's conceivable that the capacitor quality may be audible. The only way to know for sure is to try installing a better cap. and listen for any improvement to the sound. That's what's both fun and frustrating about this hobby, ultimately, everything must be judged by listening.

 

[DF96]

Capacitor quality is almost irrelevant when it is handling a large audio signal. It will be completely irrelevant when all it is doing is handling a small correction signal.

I don't advise the OP to spend 'more' on any caps. Just make sure the coupling cap which sets the LF rolloff has an appropriate dielectric (e.g. perhaps not polyester), and is of normal good commercial quality.

 

[ad010685]

aah ! In fact the actual one is a MKT Vishay 1813, which is a polyester type...Thanx

 

[Bas Horneman]

Ps do i excess the worth using a mundorf silver oil in the coupling caps?

It surely is worth investing in a good coupling capacitor. I would suggest Mundorf M-Cap Supreme Silver/Gold/Oil.

But only as the output cap!

I would not invest that much money in the "other" cap. Perhaps that is the Aikido cap you actually are asking about.

If you don't like the improvement. You can always sell it again.

 

[Bas Horneman]

A cheaper alternative would be to bypass your current output capacitor with a small value Vishay MKP1837 (a.k.a. ERO MKP1830) 0,01uF. They are $0.99 US.