earth tones
Member
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2011
- Messages
- 20
I've read so many posts on the GroupDIY forum about capacitor selection, and I know that it mostly boils down to personal preference and simply listening to determine what you like, however, as a relative electronics neophyte, I find myself in a gray zone where I don't have enough experiental data to make informed decisions and I don't have the financial freedom to buy numerous capacitor types and experiment with them in circuit.
Therefore, I am wondering how more experienced builders determine right off the bat, roughly, what capacitors they will use for various blocks in a project's circuit board...especially when cloning vintage units where original components may not be readily available for purchase.
For example, when building a Pultec EQP-1A. The perceived sonic consequences of capacitor choice will vary based on the choices made for transformers/inductor and tubes, however I really could use some help in establishing a basic jumping off point for what capacitors would best service various sections of a circuit.
With the Pultec I've seen so many recommendations, for the audio sections polystyrene for lower capacitance values and polystyrene for higher values. I've seen recommendations for certain capacitors in the high frequency filter vs the low frequency filter. And then there are untold options for brands....Sprague Orange Drop, Mundorf, Wima, russian paper-in-oil.
I'm confused about where in any particular circuit it is worth it to "upgrade" your capacitor choices. In the EQP-1A, would it make sense to upgrade the capacitors in the audio filter only or are there places in the amplification or power section that upgrades would make sense? For instance, in the power section does it makes sense to upgrade from Rubycon 47UF 450V to Sprague Atom's?
How can I bridge this gap of uncertainty when looking at a schematic filled with a clear blueprint of capacitor values but having no idea how to select from the numerous brands and types of capacitors?
With the Pultec there are several distinct sections of the circuitry....the passive filter, the input and interstage transformers, the push/pull amplifier, the high-voltage power supply and the heater supply.
I truly appreciate any clarity or wisdom that more experienced builders can offer. I really want to learn.
Therefore, I am wondering how more experienced builders determine right off the bat, roughly, what capacitors they will use for various blocks in a project's circuit board...especially when cloning vintage units where original components may not be readily available for purchase.
For example, when building a Pultec EQP-1A. The perceived sonic consequences of capacitor choice will vary based on the choices made for transformers/inductor and tubes, however I really could use some help in establishing a basic jumping off point for what capacitors would best service various sections of a circuit.
With the Pultec I've seen so many recommendations, for the audio sections polystyrene for lower capacitance values and polystyrene for higher values. I've seen recommendations for certain capacitors in the high frequency filter vs the low frequency filter. And then there are untold options for brands....Sprague Orange Drop, Mundorf, Wima, russian paper-in-oil.
I'm confused about where in any particular circuit it is worth it to "upgrade" your capacitor choices. In the EQP-1A, would it make sense to upgrade the capacitors in the audio filter only or are there places in the amplification or power section that upgrades would make sense? For instance, in the power section does it makes sense to upgrade from Rubycon 47UF 450V to Sprague Atom's?
How can I bridge this gap of uncertainty when looking at a schematic filled with a clear blueprint of capacitor values but having no idea how to select from the numerous brands and types of capacitors?
With the Pultec there are several distinct sections of the circuitry....the passive filter, the input and interstage transformers, the push/pull amplifier, the high-voltage power supply and the heater supply.
I truly appreciate any clarity or wisdom that more experienced builders can offer. I really want to learn.