Sonic differences between super high end components.

[TheGuitarist]

I hear alot about, if you need film, go wima, need ceramic just make sure its cp0/c0g, etc but what about the other caps?

Like Mundorf Supreme's vs jupiter vintage tones or Red Astron's, or different resistors like riken vs takman or lytics like sprague atoms vs nichicon fw or panasonic fc. Or what about the old jensen PIO caps?

Anyone had experience with using any of these "high end" caps and resistors? Could you comment on any tonal differences? Or are any better in filter positions, PSU or audio.

 

[Kingston]

 

[strangeandbouncy]

;D ;D ;D

 

[Samuel Groner]

Anyone had experience with using any of these "high end" caps and resistors?

The difference between different manufacturing technologies/materials (e.g. aluminium electrolytic vs. polyester film) is vastly larger than the difference between various brands (of which I suspect at least some are fake brands, i.e. manufactured by someone else, anyway). Proper understanding of passives must hence start with the numerous manufacturing technologies and materials--this will keep you busy for the next couple of years.

However we should keep in mind: The placebo effect provides some relief for whatever the problem might have been.

Samuel

 

[sahib]

Chinese fakes flog re-packed nuts and bolts as capacitors.

Most of those so called hi-end brands flog re-packed ordinary capacitors.

 

[Gus]

There is always science.  You can measure differences in caps.  It matter sometime were in the circuit the cap is.  Is there a voltage difference between the plates and how much?  How are the lead attached to the plates?  What is the DA the ESR the leakage at voltage and other thing that can be tested?  Some times it matter other times not so much.

You just can't dismiss stuff until you test it.  I am not posting stuff is good or bad, just you need to test stuff with science.  If you heard a real change you should be able to document and measure it

 

[emrr]

If you really compare apples with apples, you can usually hear some difference on a really good system.  Many times it's so hair-splittingly small as to not matter, sometimes it's big. 

I have restored a pretty large pile of one particular Gates tube preamp over the years, and have done various pairs with different resistors, different caps, sometimes original resistors, sometimes original caps.  I had to use them for awhile to get a sense of the real differences, and could eventually identify which was which from a comparative standpoint.  In the end it was really too small to worry about.  The overall signature of the piece as a whole was still the predominate factor. 

That's only one example; others may be quite large, or impossible to distinguish. 

 

[okgb]

And the overall question of value
what is worth it ?
2% difference for 20% increase in cost ?
200% increase ?

I don't mind a little voodo if i'm not getting ripped off for it
everyone needs a starting point

 

[Schmilsson]

I'd be curious how I would be able to tell even if there was a difference.

I mean, we have a "sound memory" of a few seconds. We're also selective when we listen, as in, we'll listen to different stuff different times, hence why the same recording may sound different, from time to time. So I suppose one would have to hook up a circuit with and A-B switch for the caps. Preferably one that didn't click when switching, and have a friend switch(or not). I usually have a hard time telling different pres apart. Let alone something like a cap.

 

[abechap024]

I think a good balance is always a good starting point.
If you have money to burn there is no reason not to by the best of the best.
And I'm not talking about the companies that sell outrageously overpriced parts to feed off of ignorance. Im talking smartly choosing which components you think you can spend extra on and which don't matter nearly as much to the over all performance.