better capacitor brand?

[mkruger]

so i want to get everyone's opinion what brand electrolytic capacitors they like more... or rather are know to be better sounding in the DIY rehlm. these brands are all about the same price range, and perhaps most important to this post is that they are widely available.

Rifa
ELNA
Rubycon
Nichicon
Vishay / BC Components / Roderstein
BHC Aerovox
EPCOS
Panasonic

if you know others please let me know. thanks for your answeres!

 

[Ethan]

I tried to pose this question a while back and got nowhere.
So instead I started paying close attention to spec sheets and comparing brands in terms of specs. It's actually pretty strange the UN-uniformity across brands. For instance I've found certain values and voltage ratings of Xicons to be rated for longer life, able to tolerate higher ripple current, etc than the same values of Nichicons (although most of the Nichicons were rated better in most of the other values). I actually spent a few hours doing this last night. So, if you were to go on specs, there doesn't seem to be any one BEST company for all caps...

Sound is subjective, so you'll get any number of different answers.

 

[SonsOfThunder]

Okay, I'll throw in what has been my experience and observation...take it for what that might be worth...

The following brands are what I would consider to be very good "production" types:
Nichicon
Panasonic

Next would be high end "production" type
Vishay / BC Components / Roderstein

The remainder of these I don't know so well and might be considered "esoteric" grade
Rifa
ELNA
Rubycon
BHC Aerovox
EPCOS

But of course, these are sweeping statements...there are several varieties of capacitors within each manufacturers lineup.

HTH!

 

[mkruger]

part of the reason I asked whay sounds the best is because of exactly what you said Ethan. I have looked at the spec sheets a bit and saw that the numbers just caused me to do more and more and more comparing... so I thought maybe our fellow audio DIYers would have have opinions.

 

[CJ]

Unfortunately, spec sheets are just a piece of paper with words on it.

I asked Tony of SP microphones about the equipment and test methods he used for testing the mics.
He just pointed to his ears and said "Best piece of test equipment there is."

I think this would apply to cap selection also.

 

[Gus]

electro caps

I miss the panasonic hf, The fcs don't measure as well sound is ok
most of the low z elna, rubycon, nichicon,panasonic,atoms,CDE sound ok

I am not a fan of hitanos ,united chemcon,Xicon and IC brands

The samwha and samyoungs seem to be ok (more for tube guitar voltages)

Like Chris said just numbers on paper. don't alway match readings

The specs are a hint.

I think sometimes the temp is just stamped on some stuff. I try to measue all of the caps I use on a lc102. As a rule the bigger the better, the more mass the better. The greater the dia to L tends to be lower ESR . The tricky one is the seal only time will tell how good the seal is, this affects the life.

I once tested a bag of 100 electros of a brand people seem to buy because of cost and paper specs not one measured good.

 

[CJ]

FYI: I talked to D.W Fearn about his choice of caps in his eq and he said a certain line of Panasonics-did not say which for obvious reasons. These were probably non lytics, so sorry for the OT. He also said that cap lines come and go, so he is praying these will stay around a while.

 

[owel]

I also use a certain line of Panasonic caps... if the value is available in that line. On the digikey website, some Panasonic caps are noted by the manufacturer as "can be used as tantalum substitutes". They are electrolytics.

I used them on my discrete preamp and they sound great. I wrote months before what series they were (somebody asked me)... just search the board.

 

[mkruger]

That's good to hear... I also have been using Panasonic. Now I wish I knew which lines you're talking about, just to compare...

 

[Flatpicker]

[quote author="Gus"]I miss the panasonic hf...[/quote]You miss it? When did they stop making it?

 

[jrmintz]

Yes, the HF and the HFQ have been gone for a while. I liked them a lot.

 

[tk@halmi]

Anyone has experience with the Nichicon Muse ES (nonpolar) series?

Thanks

 

[CJ]

Here is an article on caps and DA:

http://www.nutshellhifi.com/library/capacitor.html

 

[Svart]

so what series Panasonics are they? :green: time to spill the goods..

 

[V9977]

Hello everyone.
I'm a new member and this is my first post. :roll:

Yes, I think the Nichicon MUSE BP is a very good cap indeed.

I believe it is named after an ancient deity; The 9 Muses (Greek mythology) which
would inspire/entrance their subject through "special Music".
- Simillar to the Syrens of Odyseus.

I've pulled some of these out of a Nakamichi and they sound really excellent.
Unfortunately there were only eight inside..

 

[scott_humphrey]

For coupling caps I think that the WIMAs sound pretty good. Mouser now stocks them.

 

[jrmintz]

Has anyone tried Black Gate electrolytics or Elna Cerafine? I know the hi-fi guys rave about them, I'm just wondering if anyone has actually tried them. I bought a few Black Gates to check out but I haven't had a chance to put them in yet.

:sam:

 

[Sam Lord]

[quote author="jrmintz"]Has anyone tried Black Gate electrolytics or Elna Cerafine? I know the hi-fi guys rave about them, I'm just wondering if anyone has actually tried them. I bought a few Black Gates to check out but I haven't had a chance to put them in yet.

:sam:[/quote]

Yes, Black Gates are outstanding; some folks use them as coupling caps (there are several grades), but I would certainly look at RelCap's RT Tin foil/Polystyrene series, which were once discontinued, now back. For small values COG/NPO monolithic ceramics are unbeatable, though you need to test each model *yourself* with a magnet to avoid magnetic leads--Kemet won't give accurate info on that. These caps are good for 100V or 200V, double their respective ratings, when kept under 70 deg Celsius. The C350 series (biggest boys, 0.1 uF and 0.047uF) are the best--no magnetism. Good luck, Sam

 

[Gus]

Sam lord have you tried the caps you posted about? I don't mean this as an attack that was your first post? Alot of us post what we know from use and years of playing with circuits. I find alot of the crap on the web is crap when you test it yourself. Sometimes it is people just repeating things without testing.

FWIW I have not heard a ceramic I liked

I for one don't hear the magnetic lead stuff, maybe at amp to loudspeaker levels. I can't hear it there. Have you tried a test for magnetic lead stuff? Walt Jung wrote something about not liking magnetic lead parts years ago in TAA 1980s maybe in one of the pooge articles.

Take a magnet to some ICs etc alot of stuff is plated,coated steel.

 

[rafafredd]

[quote author="Gus"]
FWIW I have not heard a ceramic I liked
[/quote]

Even the so praised COG/NPO types, Gus?