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Old Capacitors


Marquez

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Hello all,

I've been a member of the forum for a while, and this is my first posting. I don't have an electrical technical background, however I hope this question is not too elementary.

Serious question inspired by a listing in "Garage Sales."

 

What value are old capacitors if the are recommendations to replace them as they age?

 

Thank you
Steve

 

 

 

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I think any answers to this may be treading on sacred ground.

 

It is forum etiquette not to dis another’s aspirations in THIS forum’s Garage Sale. A little respect goes a long way.

 

Now having said that, I recently sold a pair of Chorus 2s to a gentleman that turned out to be, amongst other notable things, an electrical engineer. He said without reservation that he would jump at the chance to get his hands on old oil cans and if they tested ok would not hesitate to use them. 

 

 

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21 hours ago, Marquez said:

Hello all,

I've been a member of the forum for a while, and this is my first posting. I don't have an electrical technical background, however I hope this question is not too elementary.

Serious question inspired by a listing in "Garage Sales."

 

What value are old capacitors if the are recommendations to replace them as they age?

 

Thank you
Steve

 

 

 

 

They are listed for their fair value.  This was a nice gesture by a member in case anyone wanted them.  I save mine in case I ever sell speakers, keep them in  a plastic bag, the new owner can have them.  Kind of like saving old motor oil but a new owner might perceive some value in them. 

 

 

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Well as the poster for the item in question the value to me is obviously zero. I replace all old capacitors. The offer was to those who might want them for any reason and some have expressed interest in these in the past. Some really old WW2 metal can caps have some value to collectors who want them for whatever reason. I personally would never use these in crossovers though some do measure OK for use.

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Those who restore old radios often cut the bases of the chassis-mounted cap cans off with a Dremel, remove the old guts, and "re-stuff" with new caps.Then the base is soldered on, the can is mounted back to the chassis, and the radio's appearance is not altered. 

 

I see no reason to do this with old crossovers. PWK went to film types when they were available .

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19 hours ago, geoff. said:

He said without reservation that he would jump at the chance to get his hands on old oil cans and if they tested ok would not hesitate to use them. 

I have a plastic tote full of Aerovox cans of various values if that gentleman (or anyone else) is interested.  They are all tested for capacitance and ESR.

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12 hours ago, boom3 said:

I see no reason to do this with old crossovers. PWK went to film types when they were available .

 

Many think the Aerovox cans are paper in oil, but they aren't - they're polyester film and foil. I think they were first used in 1971. Sure, if they aren't leaking and test out, there's no need to mess with them, but I sure have had my fill of leaking and rusted cans.

 

Later networks are mostly victims of bad soldering.

 

I kind of look at this like dealing with any other component in the chain. While you're waiting for it to die or create an issue, there is a gradual degradation in performance. Of course, your hearing is going downhill too, so ...

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I respect everyone's opinion and perspective, and meant no malice to Dave A with my question. 

 

While exploring crossover options for my Fortes I've come across many posts on this site regarding capacitors and I am trying to learn as much as I can. 

 

Thank you everyone for the replies and lively discussion.

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On 3/31/2022 at 7:52 PM, Crankysoldermeister said:

 

Many think the Aerovox cans are paper in oil, but they aren't - they're polyester film and foil. I think they were first used in 1971. Sure, if they aren't leaking and test out, there's no need to mess with them, but I sure have had my fill of leaking and rusted cans.

 

Later networks are mostly victims of bad soldering.

 

I kind of look at this like dealing with any other component in the chain. While you're waiting for it to die or create an issue, there is a gradual degradation in performance. Of course, your hearing is going downhill too, so ...

You're correct about the Aerovox. When I updated the caps in my Corn II networks, I was appalled by the crudity of construction. 

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Like everything in this hobby trust your ears and compare as much as possible. I replaced the original cans/crossovers in my ‘77 La Scala’s with new Crites crossovers w/ Sonicaps. Listened to them for about a month and didnt have any serious issue with them. Then one day decided to swap back in the originals and after just a few minutes I knew I preferred them. It’s hard to say why other then to my ears with my gear in my room they just sound right. When I bought the LS’s from a friend several months ago he had tested them and they were within spec according to him. I have no way to test them myself but it’s irrelevant to me. I’ve been doing this audio thing for over 50 years and learned that while I respect the opinion of others particularly those with more technical know how then me, and use those opinions to establish some baselines in what gear might be right for me ultimately, when I can I try to compare as much as possible to choose what makes me want to listen the most. And in this case the original caps do. 

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2 minutes ago, svberger said:

Like everything in this hobby trust your ears and compare as much as possible. I replaced the original cans/crossovers in my ‘77 La Scala’s with new Crites crossovers w/ Sonicaps. Listened to them for about a month and didnt have any serious issue with them. Then one day decided to swap back in the originals and after just a few minutes I knew I preferred them. It’s hard to say why other then to my ears with my gear in my room they just sound right. When I bought the LS’s from a friend several months ago he had tested them and they were within spec according to him. I have no way to test them myself but it’s irrelevant to me. I’ve been doing this audio thing for over 50 years and learned that while I respect the opinion of others particularly those with more technical know how then me, and use those opinions to establish some baselines in what gear might be right for me ultimately, when I can I try to compare as much as possible to choose what makes me want to listen the most. And in this case the original caps do. 

I recently had a similar experience, replaced Sonicaps with NOS PIO cans imported from Europe, posted about it this morning. Subjective as it may be I do like what I'm hearing much better and it's not a small difference. I lived happily with the Sonicaps for 7 months but after a month with these PIO's I won't be trying anything else, I'm very happy.

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