Best electrolytic capacitors

I thought you would want to know what the function of those caps is so you can make an informed decision for replacement/upgrade.
I would look them up in the schematic to see if they are coupling caps, power supply caps, filter caps, etc.

Jan
Hi Jan,




Knipsel.PNG


As I already answered they are output capacitors.


(I don't know why Bryston used this symbol)
 
No, also coupling at the input section. What is going on lately? It seems being imprecise as much as possible is now a virtue.

If one is searching for fitting & adequate solutions being imprecise will give imprecise chaos. A bit like the "energy transition" or the way government people "solve" things. Always loose ends, always something to solve later on with more people 🙂

Possibly woke has found its way in electronics. "No matter who you are or what you learned, you can do everything. Just do something!"
 
Last edited:
No, also coupling at the input section. What is going on lately? It seems being imprecise as much as possible is now a virtue.

If one is searching for fitting & adequate solutions being imprecise will give imprecise chaos. A bit like the "energy transition" or the way government people "solve" things. Always loose ends, always something to solve later on with more people 🙂

Possibly woke has found its way in electronics. "No matter who you are or what you learned, you can do everything. Just do something!"
The idea is that you throw up a question without doing any effort yourself and let others figure it out.
I think it is called 'outsourcing' 😎

BTW 100nNP could mean Non Polarized.

Jan
 
You are right with that statement. I am such a fool that gives tailor made solutions for free. The other way around I usually have to pay nowadays or I am forced to still find my own way.

NP, Non Polar, bipolar give it a name. And as can be seen on the picture 6 pieces 100 µF 40V Philips axial bipolar electrolytic caps best replaced for film caps that fit exactly so PCB material stays OK.
 
The idea is that you throw up a question without doing any effort yourself and let others figure it out.
I think it is called 'outsourcing' 😎

BTW 100nNP could mean Non Polarized.

Jan
My intention was not to outsource, but to ask information about replacing some Elco's. You're right to ask for more information but it's a pity you make a laugh at other people. You already earned your money (otherwise you would not have been retired).
And what does it has to do with 'woke' @jean-paul ? Nothing, but to score cheaply.

No hard feelings I hope??

And hey what about the title of this topic "Best electrolytic capacitors", could it be more specific?
 
Scoring cheaply is what YOU do with your silly and erroneous assumptions and not giving any relevant detail to have YOUR issue solved by us. Anyway, you got your advice. Cheaply.

Ahem, you got advice tailor made for your thingie with way better caps than any electrolytic cap. Also what electrolytic cap to use and where makes that thread title a bit too generic.
 
Last edited:
Think about it. For power supply use, the electrolytic has to have a large capacitance, but losses are unimportant. In fact, a bit of loss is good and helps to damp ringing.
For a coupling cap you want an 'ideal' cap with no distortion, no losses, and you normally wouldn't use an electrolytic for that, unless the value is very high.
There are other uses like in a filter, crossover or whatever, and you can have other requirements for the 'best' cap.
So asking for 'the best' only leads to more questions.
Before asking for advice, try to collect as much info as you can. That way you have a better chance of getting is useful answer. If the question has not enough info you get all kinds of conflicting 'advice' and you only get lost more.

I realise that when you are a newbee you sometimes don't know what question to ask or what info is needed.
But posting a schematic and asking about a specific part normally can be done. And don't just post a cutout of the schematic with the part you need info about - the whole schematic plays a role!
Often people post a picture and ask about some part in the picture. That most of the time is useless - we need a circuit, unless the color of the part is important to you ...

Jan
 
Last edited:
:cop:Gentlemen, there is some substance in each post, but there's no need to get personal. Seasoned professionals struggle with inexperienced hobbyists and vice versa. Don't let these natural obstacles get under your skin. Be patient with each other (or don't reply).
Or, in other words, what Jan wrote above.
 
I guess very interesting next month:
An interesting 8 page article in March 2025 edition of Practical Electronics by Jake Rothman about "Using Capacitors for HiFi", this month covering the pitfalls of using capacitors in audio. It will continue next month with "the effects of physical capacitor construction on performance, a discussion of classic and special types of audio capacitors and a ranking of capacitors for audio use".

headings:
Capacitor non-linearity
Dielectric absorption
Bass effects
"Capacitosis"
Bigger is better
Low dielectric constant caps
Use electrolytics properly
Be careful with tantalum caps
Avoid most ceramics
Real differences
The only good capacitor is a dead no capacitor
Group delay
Edward Cherry
Biasing
Distortion cancellation
 
  • Like
Reactions: IWC Doppel
Wet slug Tantalum capacitors are very good. Solid Tantalum are good for power supply bypass and that's about it. Given a choice, I'll us the Polymer-Aluminum types over Tantalum types any day.

Using solid Tantalum, the old advice still holds. Use a much higher voltage rating than you need. They don't like current or voltage spikes.
 
Makes me wonder what’s out there industrial wise that’s good for audio.
The standard types were always the closest, but now with so many switching supplies the world is flooded with super low esr parts. Those very rarely sound good in analog applications, nice stuff though in the right position.

I won’t be needing any for a while however…