nickyboy6100 Posted October 15, 2022 Share Posted October 15, 2022 I recently had two sets of original La Scala AA crossovers recapped with JEM capacitors. I wanted to share my opinion because there is not a lot of information on the forum about them. I am in no way affiliated with JEM and was skeptical about them myself. I’m not an audiophile so my description might not be as in-depth as some would like. I did “break them in” for close to 24 hours at very low volume before I turned them up to really start listening. I’ve owned 3 sets of La Scala’s, one set had been recapped with Audyn capacitors. The two others are what I own currently. I was also sent a set of newly recapped AA’s with Audyn capacitors so I could compare them side by side. I played these at low volume for 24 hours before I started listening just like I did with the JEM caps. I first installed one AA with JEM caps in one speaker and one AA with the Audyn caps in the other. I could honestly tell a difference right away. The speaker with the JEM capacitors sounded clearer. After that experiment, I listened to both speakers with the Audyn capacitors for 3 days. Then rotated the JEM capacitors in and haven’t taken them out. The Audyn caps didn’t sound bad at all, but I much preferred the JEM capacitors for their clean and clear sound. I’ve been listening to both sets of La Scala’s for a couple months now and can say with confidence that I am really happy with the performance of the JEM capacitors. If you are on the fence like I was, try a set out. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. 7 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuzzzer Posted October 15, 2022 Share Posted October 15, 2022 I had the same experience with my Heresys. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the real Duke Spinner Posted October 15, 2022 Share Posted October 15, 2022 Interesting..thanks. 🙂 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted October 15, 2022 Share Posted October 15, 2022 16 hours ago, nickyboy6100 said: I wanted to share my opinion because there is not a lot of information on the forum about them. Almost all of the discussion has been over in Technical, but info is scattered across several threads. The capacitors are metallized polyester. They are made by Tecate. Jim at JEM sells kits, and I stock them for recaps and new builds. There is nothing really special about them, kind of pedestrian actually. However, materials, methods and winding technology are better than they were 30 years ago. When I suggested on a certain Facebook page that the right part isn't always the "best quality part", the torches and pitchforks came out. Anyway, Jim has sold dozens of kits and everyone is reporting back with the same results. I keep waiting for that negative review - and it's kind of surprising there hasn't been at least one. https://www.tecategroup.com/about/ Tecate 902 Datasheet.pdf 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the real Duke Spinner Posted October 15, 2022 Share Posted October 15, 2022 Completely interesting Sound .. It's not really quantifiable, is it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickyboy6100 Posted October 15, 2022 Author Share Posted October 15, 2022 2 hours ago, deang said: Almost all of the discussion has been over in Technical, but info is scattered across several threads. The capacitors are metallized polyester. They are made by Tecate. Jim at JEM sells kits, and I stock them for recaps and new builds. There is nothing really special about them, kind of pedestrian actually. However, materials, methods and winding technology are better than they were 30 years ago. When I suggested on a certain Facebook page that the right part isn't always the "best quality part", the torches and pitchforks came out. Anyway, Jim has sold dozens of kits and everyone is reporting back with the same results. I keep waiting for that negative review - and it's kind of surprising there hasn't been at least one. https://www.tecategroup.com/about/ Tecate 902 Datasheet.pdf 43.15 kB · 2 downloads I couldn’t find many threads with members who have actually used the JEM capacitors and reported their results. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwillie Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 I had the same good results in 3 separate pairs of HERESY I. Very attentive and quick service from Jim also. d. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 This is the first in use analysis I've seen of these here. Got layman's terms and a little technical info already! Much better than other mentions of the JEMs. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonicSeeker Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 I recapped my Chorus crossovers about 6 weeks ago and I am extremely happy with the results using the JEM's. I am one to usually spend what it takes to get the best quality "upgraded" parts but after speaking with Dean, who has built me some amazing exotic crossovers in the past, I took his advice and replaced the caps with the JEM's. The speakers have a wonderful clear, full and balanced sound. No complaints at all. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcn3 Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 I also put the JEM capacitors in my Heresy 1s - very pleased. Removed the grain of the original caps, smoothed things out while improving the detail. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KT88 Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 1 hour ago, SonicSeeker said: I recapped my Chorus crossovers about 6 weeks ago and I am extremely happy with the results using the JEM's. I am one to usually spend what it takes to get the best quality "upgraded" parts but after speaking with Dean, who has built me some amazing exotic crossovers in the past, I took his advice and replaced the caps with the JEM's. The speakers have a wonderful clear, full and balanced sound. No complaints at all. Clear, full and balanced are the key words to me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TubesGlo Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 Tecate is an importer not a manufacturer per se. Their caps are made in Asia and are very inexpensive but spec sheets indicate decent quality. I've used Cornell Dubilier WMF polyester caps for years and that won't change. Some of theirs are now imported also and manufactured to their specs. I do think a good polyester is a great choice in crossovers for horn loaded speakers, not far behind a good quality PIO. That higher ESR with polyester has something to do with balancing the sound we hear helping it to be more pleasant. Still clear but not bright. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 Agreed. Where is Asia mentioned? Their manufacturing plant is in Mexico. https://www.tecategroup.com/about/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OO1 Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TubesGlo Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 Shouldn't have made a blanket statement but all of the ultra c's our engineering team was using at the time were indeed made in Asia. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry4841 Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 Guys it is just a fact most all electronic parts are produced in China now and not just capacitors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OO1 Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 2 hours ago, TubesGlo said: made in Asia. there is no indication that TECATE is the Klipsch OEM for the Final Assembly to populate the PCB , and therefore who ? is that Vendor ? or where the PCB is assembled ? is unknown Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OO1 Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 On 10/14/2022 at 11:14 PM, wuzzzer said: I had the same experience with my Heresys. wuzzzer Posted January 10, 2021 So, I just finished a listening session where I replaced my left front speaker (1980 Heresy, stock drivers, Sonicaps - Naturalness. The JEM speaker sounded more natural across the board, more analog. Instruments sounded more like they sound when you hear them live. The Sonicap speaker sounded more 'digital'. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TubesGlo Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 20 minutes ago, OO1 said: there is no indication that TECATE is the Klipsch OEM for the Final Assembly to populate the PCB , and therefore who ? is that Vendor ? or where the PCB is assembled ? is unknown My reference was to the experience we had with certain individual Tecate components, not to Klipsch PCB's or their vendor. Relax, I wasn't on the offensive you can stop playing defense. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 21 minutes ago, OO1 said: There is no indication that TECATE is the Klipsch OEM for the Final Assembly to populate the PCB … Yeah, they do it all. One link I found says that they have distribution centers in Asia and Europe. These folks are pretty big. All that matters is that they put out a good product consistently. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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