I was reading an interview with Peter Qvortrup where he said they abandoned the idea of carbon particles for good. Making too much of a mess and no manufacturer wants to do it anymore
I have an old Krell chassis with Borbely Millleniums in it biased at 100 watts Class A
Each channel has 200,000 uf Nichicons then 2 mh chokes then 4 x 10,000 uf FK Blackgates and 2 x 2200 uf 100v / N ( the biggest bipolar BG there was. ). It sounds wonderful, never tiring .......... the only problem is I had no money left for beer after buying the capacitors
Each channel has 200,000 uf Nichicons then 2 mh chokes then 4 x 10,000 uf FK Blackgates and 2 x 2200 uf 100v / N ( the biggest bipolar BG there was. ). It sounds wonderful, never tiring .......... the only problem is I had no money left for beer after buying the capacitors
Burn in time
What's your experience with burn in time for these caps? Some users seem to find that they sound quite good from the start.
I'm using the non-polars as cathode bypasses and am just curious how much they will still evolve. They have some 15 hours on them. Super detailed sound overall and nice timbre, but there's some edginess that reminds me of 'fresh' capacitors.
Not saying it's caused by the Kaiseis - I upgraded about every component in one go, and it might also be the circuit or combo with speakers. As for the other caps: the jensen pios for coupling were taken from amps last used in the 1970s & power supply has new clarity tc.
Cheers,
Simon
What's your experience with burn in time for these caps? Some users seem to find that they sound quite good from the start.
I'm using the non-polars as cathode bypasses and am just curious how much they will still evolve. They have some 15 hours on them. Super detailed sound overall and nice timbre, but there's some edginess that reminds me of 'fresh' capacitors.
Not saying it's caused by the Kaiseis - I upgraded about every component in one go, and it might also be the circuit or combo with speakers. As for the other caps: the jensen pios for coupling were taken from amps last used in the 1970s & power supply has new clarity tc.
Cheers,
Simon
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Hi Sumotan,
I experimented a lot with 'isolated' component / circuit changes in my student days and more recently on speaker x-overs. But I just don't have the time anymore to evaluate each and every modification when doing an entire amp rebuild... And (un)fortunately I'm still a long way from retirement
To put things into context: the amp sounds a hundred times better than before.
Let me add that it's indeed my past experience that lead me to the burn-in hypothesis.
Still very interested in your take on kaisei burn-in...
All best
Simon
I experimented a lot with 'isolated' component / circuit changes in my student days and more recently on speaker x-overs. But I just don't have the time anymore to evaluate each and every modification when doing an entire amp rebuild... And (un)fortunately I'm still a long way from retirement
To put things into context: the amp sounds a hundred times better than before.
Let me add that it's indeed my past experience that lead me to the burn-in hypothesis.
Still very interested in your take on kaisei burn-in...
All best
Simon
Thanks Sumotan! That coincides with the findings here: BLACK GATE VS KAISEI CAPACITORS REVIEW | SW1X Audio Design
Still hoping things will smooth out a little though... Will report later on, but I agree causality is a complex thing
Enjoy the music
Simon
Still hoping things will smooth out a little though... Will report later on, but I agree causality is a complex thing
Enjoy the music
Simon
Most of us feel as we do
Some corroboration here:
Leaving a component on continuously will NOT properly form the caps!!! They need to discharge and recharge over multiple cycles to do this. And it is not best to simply turn the component on and off in quick succession. The caps retain charge for several hours once the component is turned off and need to discharge that voltage over the same time frame, which is why cycling on-off, on a daily basis, with an overnight to discharge is by far the best way to form caps.
Do electrolytic caps need burn in? | Audiogon Discussion Forum
Some corroboration here:
Leaving a component on continuously will NOT properly form the caps!!! They need to discharge and recharge over multiple cycles to do this. And it is not best to simply turn the component on and off in quick succession. The caps retain charge for several hours once the component is turned off and need to discharge that voltage over the same time frame, which is why cycling on-off, on a daily basis, with an overnight to discharge is by far the best way to form caps.
Do electrolytic caps need burn in? | Audiogon Discussion Forum
Great tip, Sumotan! RJM Audio - The Cap Rack
Will try it when I upgrade dac electrolytics. I read that those can take forever to burn in (low currents).
Will try it when I upgrade dac electrolytics. I read that those can take forever to burn in (low currents).
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Hello,
A LITTLE bit of topic. I have a friend who has been using a 20 watt Hiraga amp with the original 68000 microfarad Novea capacitors in a CLC power supply. Recently he switched to a much bigger choke which was clearly an improvement. His amp is about 30 years old so i suggested him to try some Kemet caps which do have better specs.
On the pos and the neg leg after the choke there is a pair of 68.000. First he tried replacing one 68000 on each side to have a combination of Novea and Kemet. The sound wasnt that good. I told him to remove the Novea that did improve things BUT a pair of Novea is still the best and he described it as a big difference.
Adding the second Kemet might help ( the difference in capacity is rather small)
This amp runs in class A so i expect a rather short burn in time. And i think the differences he hears are surely not 100% related to burn in time.
I think after a few hours the Kemets ( if they are indeed better in every way) should be an improvement and might improve a little more in the first week or so.
The Kemets are not the typical audiophile caps ( Novea were regarded as well constructed quality caps back in the eighties and nineties) , just caps made to work and last a long time.
So i wonder what are we hearing?
Greetings, Eduard
A LITTLE bit of topic. I have a friend who has been using a 20 watt Hiraga amp with the original 68000 microfarad Novea capacitors in a CLC power supply. Recently he switched to a much bigger choke which was clearly an improvement. His amp is about 30 years old so i suggested him to try some Kemet caps which do have better specs.
On the pos and the neg leg after the choke there is a pair of 68.000. First he tried replacing one 68000 on each side to have a combination of Novea and Kemet. The sound wasnt that good. I told him to remove the Novea that did improve things BUT a pair of Novea is still the best and he described it as a big difference.
Adding the second Kemet might help ( the difference in capacity is rather small)
This amp runs in class A so i expect a rather short burn in time. And i think the differences he hears are surely not 100% related to burn in time.
I think after a few hours the Kemets ( if they are indeed better in every way) should be an improvement and might improve a little more in the first week or so.
The Kemets are not the typical audiophile caps ( Novea were regarded as well constructed quality caps back in the eighties and nineties) , just caps made to work and last a long time.
So i wonder what are we hearing?
Greetings, Eduard
Hello,
Just a mention for the Kaisei, I've used them in a couple of my SS Sansui amps now. I'd say they have a 3D like image, slightly tilted to the upper frequencies but not harsh. Mostly I use Silmic II and I find that these blend very well, better than Silmic + Nichicon FG and Muse.
I'm finding that one cap can make a nice change so I won't go heavy on locations.
BTW, first post!
Just a mention for the Kaisei, I've used them in a couple of my SS Sansui amps now. I'd say they have a 3D like image, slightly tilted to the upper frequencies but not harsh. Mostly I use Silmic II and I find that these blend very well, better than Silmic + Nichicon FG and Muse.
I'm finding that one cap can make a nice change so I won't go heavy on locations.
BTW, first post!