Counterfeit ELNA Silmic II or genuine Elna ???

[N101N]

Why would anybody want to use a 1 uF electrolytic capacitor in the first place?

 

[Soundhappy]

Those that I have received have not: the top is 100% uniformized:

https://www.casimages.com/i/210318101309192572.jpg.html

If small capacitor then OK.
My 10uF Silmic II top from Mouser is flat too. 🙂 Have a nice day

 

[sumotan]

I have read somewhere that silmic 2 which are brown are made in Japan the others colors somewhere in Asia either Taiwan or China. Then the legs are thicker on silmic 0.8 mm but how thick they are on the smallest versions I have no idea.

But there are certainly counterfeits of silmic I myself have not encountered any even though I have had my suspicions that turned out to be wrong.

Correction the Brown Silmic ll are all made in Thailand. Authentic Silmic ll in black/gold are Japanese made & generally meant for their domestic market only.

 

[K.A.B]

Correction the Brown Silmic ll are all made in Thailand. Authentic Silmic ll in black/gold are Japanese made & generally meant for their domestic market only.

Okay, it was the other way around the memory sometimes fails it's lucky that there are awake forum members.

Thanks Sumotan.

 

[Andersonix]

I'd just like to add that i have had two batches of counterfeit components from mouserin the last year so i wouldn't be surprised if those were conterfeit. The best thing to do i email mouser with your concerns and request a return. However, it is likely they will say that because you have opened the packet they cannot accept returns and they will pass you over to the technical department who will ask you to perform all manner of tests and even go as far as criticising your schematic. The best thing and the ting that worked for me was to contact the credit card company that you used to purchase the items.

good luck.

Counterfeits from Mouser? I don't believe you!

 

[Julian RO]

I have never got a single counterfeit part from Mouser over the past 12 years, but these do not come from mMouser: they come from a Chinese store...

I am surprised that a magnet does not attract them if they are counterfeit (!?)...

 

[ClaveFremen]

Hi,
I have been ordering ELNA Silmic II capacitors for years (from Mouser), and to date all the Silmic II that I have received have a brown jacket.

Recently I have been obliged to order a few Silmic II from another store and curiously the capacitors do not have a brown jacket but a Black/Gold jacket that I had never seen before: see the attached photos.

Do you know if they are counterfeit or genuine Elna Silmic II ???

Thank you very much for your reply,

Those black/gold Silmics can be sourced only from Asia, I think they're a custom version.


In the last years I've always bought those black/gold because they sound better (fuller) than the brown/white counterparts.

 

[Kotter67]

ELNA also has a black/gold LAO series. Not Silmic, but they have used that color scheme. The ones I have say THAILAND, so the colors are not restricted to Japanese product.

 

[phase]

Non-magnetic leads should be a good sign I would think, if there’s a question of legitimacy.

 

[sumotan]

Hi Guys,
Just to help reduce the confusion. Cap on the left are what you guys get when purchase from Mouser etc these are from Thailand, next Black/Gold from Japan,
as you can see even the little cap will also has the stamped top. Now comes that big cap, bet many have never heard of this one its called Super Gold limited & only for Japanese market.

Cheers

 

[Nounours18200]

Cap on the left are what you guys get when purchase from Mouser etc these are from Thailand, next Black/Gold from Japan,

So it seems that they could be authentic coming from Japan, but it is difficult to be sure....
I have written to Elna.co.jp, Elna has redirected me to the French office, and I have still not get any answer, not sure I will get one...

I am a little bit afraid to use them in audio application until I am not 100% sure they are not counterfeit !

It seems that there is no way to be sure...

 

[Nisbeth]

I am a little bit afraid to use them in audio application until I am not 100% sure they are not counterfeit !

What are you afraid of?

 

[Nounours18200]

What are you afraid of?

The caps were supposed to be used in a high quality audio device: if I a mnot sure they are authentic, i will not take the risk to degrade the sound quality and will wait until I receive genuine ones from Mouser...

 

[Nisbeth]

The caps were supposed to be used in a high quality audio device: if I a mnot sure they are authentic, i will not take the risk to degrade the sound quality and will wait until I receive genuine ones from Mouser...

What if you just tried them and you happened to think that the sound quality with the counterfeit caps was still excellent? 😉

Remember the difference between "counterfeit" (or "of unknown origin") and "unfit for purpose" 🙂

 

[analog_sa]

I am a little bit afraid to use them in audio application until I am not 100% sure they are not counterfeit !

А listening test will take you less time than reading through this thread...even if caps are unbroken. If you are unwilling to conduct such a test what is the whole point of obsessing about caps? Just to know they are genuine for the sake of cap-conformity? 🙂

 

[sumotan]

Frankly what do you expect even if they aren't fakes, heavenly sound after install ????
For me I don't know what the hype is all about this Silmic ll. If your building SS stuff & want to add something tubey to it, yes you can use some but for me especially the highs even after 100 hours are shut inn unnatural sounding when listening on high hats or cymbal crashes oh bass also sounds tubey.

Cheers

 

[Alan Rutlidge]

I think the point is if you pay for the genuine part and get a counterfeit you're getting ripped off. It's like comparing gold with iron pyrites (fool's gold). Might look the same but not the real deal.

 

[flegal]

Elna Silmic II (RFS series)

White/silver print on brown sleeve : standard ROHS version, current
Yellow/gold print on red sleeve : non ROHS version, obsolete, wasn't widely exported outside Asia

 

[Abartels1965]

The Silmic II caps with black sleeve and gold markings are the real deal. They probably are manufactured in China by Jianghai which has a joint venture with Elna since more than a decade. They are producing in License for Elna. They even have a plant in Germany near my home.

Just to be sure I opened-up a brown 100uF-50V from Mouser and compared it with a black-gold 220uF-25V from China. See picture

They are exactly the same. Same build, same leads (tinned red copper) etc.

 

[Abartels1965]