Newbie-question: Nichicon RNL or UKZ

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Good morning everyone!

I recently built my first piece of gear (ACA of course :) ) and got heavily infected by the DIY-virus. So, I now must take steps to make "my own" experiments by following one very good documented "upgrade", where several parts are changed for quality, brand, and/or value. For my lack of understanding, I'm following it very narrowly, but...

While it is easy to understand why to swap brands (a matter of taste/fashion), it gets complicated to see why the various types of capacitors being used, and I believe this is quite fundamental because there is a logic to it, which I haven't yet understood.

Like,
4700 uF 35V Nichicon KG @ C1
1000 uF 16V Nichicon RNL @ C2
100uF 35V Nichicon RL8 @ C4

Why are 3 different series being used? (KG/UKZ is praised as best and the 1000 uF and 100 uF are available as UKZ)

Is there, besides diyaudio, a source where I can learn about all this the soft way—by reading, not by frying parts) ? I know I should understand the basics of electronics first, (I'm trying to) but this is huge and complex, and I am of the kind of character who has to understand the whole thing down to the atom (so to speak) before I feel confident to make my first steps on my own...

The thread is here: ACA with premium parts by TungstenAudio.
 
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All decisions about capacitor choice ought to be based on datasheets and price! The series resistance, inductance, max ripple current, leakage, temperature rating, size, etc etc are listed, list your requirements/preferences and go hunting the right part. Cost and availability are factors not in the datasheet that also have to be figured in.


Once people find good series of parts they tend to stick to them to save searching again. Often low ESR and high temperature ratings are desirable, so series with good performance here are sought after.


If taste or fashion are influencing you, you are not paying attention to what matters.
 

PRR

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> doubt those factors (taste 'n fashion) have a real effect

Why does my local store carry 99 brands of beer? They are ALL water, a little alcohol, and some color/flavor. They all do pretty much the same thing to the user (noting differences like low-alcohol or high-proof or extra dark). So why so we need 99 brands? "taste 'n fashion."

No, I would not expect a meaningful "read" on beer-brands. Or caps for audio. (Caps for motors or bombs, there *are* objective differences.)
 
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HA! Good argument, down to the point!
Although I can't agree or disagree without having conducted those … tests. (best of ebay, @jan_didden ;) )

I have to say that I'm totally fine with having fancy boutique-parts stuffed in cool electronic-gear, and I'm totally fine with sticking to the rules of physics/electronics. Either way there's always this slight shadow of doubt wether it'd had made sense to or not to... It sometimes makes sense to make compromises, just like it's okay to serve a micro-brewery beer here and then. At least, as long as it's not for hiding design-flaws. Both approaches are fascinating and have their respective justification: I love fancy gear, and I love that dry, nerdy technical approach just as much. (and I somehow still smile at those cable-elevators)

That being said, I have my mouser-window open, ordering a st of different parts just to see what it gives.

(Imagine how Nelson's—or Cello, Onix etc.—gear would look like.)
 
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