I have tried silmic2 with some chipamps but they seemed altered the sound in different ways like..
1. Lower mids have become rounded
2. Bass has that super lowend sweeps..
3. Highs were too soft and lost the spark sometimes i feel that it lost 4db or so...
Kickdrum attack is lost...
toms doesnt have that timbre
female voice seems be in control...
somehow I feel this is altering certain frequencies...
I called a mixing guy with 20 years of experience in playing instruments and also in studio mixing he just said one word..." Its muffled "
is this what everybody is facing... i have used 100uf/35v with opa549 but Nelson recommended Silmics
Did anybody see any drop in freq response in CRO
Did anybody checked the waterfall plot?
Did anybody tried it in Passdiy amps and got better results?
1. Lower mids have become rounded
2. Bass has that super lowend sweeps..
3. Highs were too soft and lost the spark sometimes i feel that it lost 4db or so...
Kickdrum attack is lost...
toms doesnt have that timbre
female voice seems be in control...
somehow I feel this is altering certain frequencies...
I called a mixing guy with 20 years of experience in playing instruments and also in studio mixing he just said one word..." Its muffled "
is this what everybody is facing... i have used 100uf/35v with opa549 but Nelson recommended Silmics
Did anybody see any drop in freq response in CRO
Did anybody checked the waterfall plot?
Did anybody tried it in Passdiy amps and got better results?
For my taste they are the best electrolytic you can get( I like them better than BG). I guess it is not a secret that they need some time and will sound different after 50-100hrs.
the prob is that i loved the transition from 1hr - 200hr now its 2000hr it sounds different...
now out of disappointment im altering the crossover..
infact when it was 100hrs i loved it too much decided to get few hundreds and store them so that if the production is stopped like BG it would be tough to get them... but now the scenario is different...
now im tweaking the crossover for the tweeter to reduce the attenuation and it seems doing good..
but with what amp and preamp you use in which among them you have changed...
now out of disappointment im altering the crossover..
infact when it was 100hrs i loved it too much decided to get few hundreds and store them so that if the production is stopped like BG it would be tough to get them... but now the scenario is different...
now im tweaking the crossover for the tweeter to reduce the attenuation and it seems doing good..
but with what amp and preamp you use in which among them you have changed...
its not assumed I have used Keltron caps before which were pretty bright and clear even the attack everybody loved it infact i didnt like that after adding silmic i fell in love guess what after adding 2 x 100uf/35v cap per rail for decoupling i loved it so much that I have added 14 x 100uf/35 per rail which made it softer but it was very very soft like 12db highs atten. I made it to burn for 400hrs and after that i took it out. Now its better to have two of them but still I remove one of the two caps now its just 1 cap but sounds much better but not the dynamic sound as without the silmics..
I got lots of Polystyrene .01uf/100v caps does it makes difference using as decoupling when compared with polyster caps?
This linked thread; elna silmic ii sound bad?? [Archive] - AudioKarma.org Home Audio Stereo Discussion Forums may be of interest to you. Comment such as that below sounds very similar to what you have described:
" rhing
06-06-2012, 08:47 AM
I use Elnas on all my amps. Use them on input stage. They do sound good at first then sound deteriorates until they are burnt in for about 80 to 100 hours. After that you'll hear sweetness. Fuller bass and no peakiness on the top end, very smooth.:music:
I've experienced similar results when I've installed Elna Silmic II's on CD player output stages, tube amp cathode bypasses and in SS amp circuits. They sound really clear and sweet initially, then turn into a muddy, dark sound, and then open up with sweet tonality and detail. Even worse are Black Gate N's (non-polar), which can take up to 200 hours to burn in. Once they settle in, the Black Gates are very nice, but I prefer the Elna's since they're easily obtainable and a lot less expensive.
Film caps can also take time to burn in. Wima MKP and FKP Polypropylene film caps in signal path applications sound dull at first almost making one regret installing them. After about 50 hours, they really start to open up and sound as good and warm as more expensive caps like Auricaps and Sonicap Gen II's. Interestingly, Auricaps sound great from the start. I just don't use them as much since they're more expensive, and I can't justify the extra cost."
" rhing
06-06-2012, 08:47 AM
I use Elnas on all my amps. Use them on input stage. They do sound good at first then sound deteriorates until they are burnt in for about 80 to 100 hours. After that you'll hear sweetness. Fuller bass and no peakiness on the top end, very smooth.:music:
I've experienced similar results when I've installed Elna Silmic II's on CD player output stages, tube amp cathode bypasses and in SS amp circuits. They sound really clear and sweet initially, then turn into a muddy, dark sound, and then open up with sweet tonality and detail. Even worse are Black Gate N's (non-polar), which can take up to 200 hours to burn in. Once they settle in, the Black Gates are very nice, but I prefer the Elna's since they're easily obtainable and a lot less expensive.
Film caps can also take time to burn in. Wima MKP and FKP Polypropylene film caps in signal path applications sound dull at first almost making one regret installing them. After about 50 hours, they really start to open up and sound as good and warm as more expensive caps like Auricaps and Sonicap Gen II's. Interestingly, Auricaps sound great from the start. I just don't use them as much since they're more expensive, and I can't justify the extra cost."
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but nelson why polystyrene is not being used in bigger values?
Infact I really dont see any picofarad values being used in any Nelson amps..
Infact I really dont see any picofarad values being used in any Nelson amps..
I have adjusted the Lpad for the tweeter it sounds good now... made little bit brighter and seems fine to me but still the striking mids and glittering highs are not there but guess what If im removing these caps and switching to old I can even listen for 5 mins... do you call this love? 🙂...
just put 10-100nF MKC in bypass and stop harassing your self
Not so easy to find :-(
Probably they are called differently outside of Europe, MKC is a designation used by Wima (as well as Röderstein and Siemens I believe) for a capacitor with polycarbonate dielectric. Wima does not make them any more ( WIMA ) so you will need to find some NOS.
Maybe FKC would be usable too:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_capacitor#Polycarbonate_.28PC.29_film_capacitors
Maybe FKC would be usable too:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_capacitor#Polycarbonate_.28PC.29_film_capacitors
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yup - polycarbonat
MKC preffered , but FKC are good too
M means metalized foil (isolator foil is base for electrode layer)
F means pure foil , meaning separate foils for dielectric and electrodes
MKC preffered , but FKC are good too
M means metalized foil (isolator foil is base for electrode layer)
F means pure foil , meaning separate foils for dielectric and electrodes
As far as affordable 1nF to 15nF values caps, are concerned, I've had very excellent results with Wima FKP2 series (polypropylene film & foil). Available from Mouser, here in the states.
I hate Silmic IIs. Have used them in the feedback position of amps, and DC input blocking caps in several projects over the years - in each case they 'softened' the sound in a way that made the music bland and strangely uninvolving for me. Really cannot understand why they're so popular - much prefer the Cerafines. Each to his/her own though 🙂
john M at inputstage they really soften the sound but at decoupling remember to reduce the value to too low like take 22uf or 10uf you will find the difference better.
I believe elnas strategy was most of the amps were sounding harsh and irritating so they gave higher dosage so I think they suit well for rough amps not as smooth as good highend amps...
But i think its all about cooking use the right volume of caps you will settle back at one stage... but still its matter of taste...
at the first i used them and found its very good now adapted but not satisfied but when i revert back to old now cant live without the silmics but now decided to use smaller values at decoupling stage but one word it will remove the spark in the sound... like in playing guitar the higher notes will never be crispier...
I believe elnas strategy was most of the amps were sounding harsh and irritating so they gave higher dosage so I think they suit well for rough amps not as smooth as good highend amps...
But i think its all about cooking use the right volume of caps you will settle back at one stage... but still its matter of taste...
at the first i used them and found its very good now adapted but not satisfied but when i revert back to old now cant live without the silmics but now decided to use smaller values at decoupling stage but one word it will remove the spark in the sound... like in playing guitar the higher notes will never be crispier...
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