Cut-Throat Posted February 27, 2003 Share Posted February 27, 2003 There seems to be a lot of vintage Oil Caps on E-bay. Does anyone have any tips for buying these caps? - What to look for etc. as far as Klipsch crossovers are concerned. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted February 28, 2003 Share Posted February 28, 2003 My tip is to avoid them. Frankly, Klipsch just used about any motor capacitors that were available. I have seen many brands in Klipsch Heritage series speakers. There was nothing special about them. If you just want a replacement, IMHO any paper in oil cap with the appropriate capacitance and voltage rating will work as well. If you want an improvement, go with a good polypropylene cap. If you really believe in paper in oil caps, you might get better results with one of the modern "audiophile" brands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brother Posted February 28, 2003 Share Posted February 28, 2003 If you are looking for an oil cap, Madisound has Jensen caps that are highly regarded. ALK uses Hovland film and foil caps that sound great. Solen makes a polypropylene cap that uses thin film deposition to get the metallization on the film. The Solen is the least costly. Most folks say the film and foil caps sound the best. I know the Hovlands are exceptional in my LaScalas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brother Posted March 1, 2003 Share Posted March 1, 2003 Note a correction on the location of the Jensen paper in oil caps: see www.welbournelabs.com. They do sell them in matched pairs, but you'll have to request them and they add a buck each to the cost. Costs for the common ranges the Klipsch speakers use (for upper end freq, 2-3 mFd) will be slightly under $30 each. 20 micro Farad seems to be the largest value they stock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tubelion Posted March 2, 2003 Share Posted March 2, 2003 Hi, I have my all western electric oil caps ready now, together with the 3619 transformer, will let you know how good they are for a type A crossover. The WE caps are very expensive, people did not try them , will never know the quality, it is interesting to compare we with motor run. Tubelion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TubeCraft Posted March 2, 2003 Share Posted March 2, 2003 I've tried lots of plastic caps in tube audio circuits, Solen, Auricaps, Musicaps, etc. and I always seem to come back to paper in oils, wherever they fit and whenever I can find the appropriate value. And when I use plastics, I can't really tell the difference between Solens and anything fancier... If the price is really right try the ebay PIO's.... even if they're vintage, as long as they're still sealed, they'll probably work great... that goes for the ones that came in your Klipsches, as well.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamonrye Posted March 3, 2003 Share Posted March 3, 2003 One of the things I was told many years ago and finally learned the hard way is that capacitors can be one of the weak links in any electronic component. I just can not understand getting excited about buying "vintage" capacitors. I rarely keep original caps in any vintage piece of equipment, let alone go out of my way to purchase someone else's old stock, new or used. I guess I just prefer experience over hype. And I don't own an internet auction site that needs to be fed with the above mentioned items. I have built a number of amps,... and recall spending many hours, weeks, and in some cases months listening for differences in circuit components. There are real differences from type to type of caps, resistors, iron, cables..., IMHO.I prefer the simplest circuits I can get away with in each component. Of course, if I used a complex preamp/amp package that had tone controls, multiple selector switches, told the time in London and Tokyo, and made toast, hell I'd as soon throw a pair of wool blankets over my speakers and call it good. Once you get a significant collection of audio related technical publications/ schematics, and building/listening experience, it will become obvious that iron was slowly supplanted by capacitors as technology improved. Caps are very hard to get right at anything like reasonable prices that would be attractive to manufacturers. Now iron is more expensive, but improved, and many hobbyists are trying to eliminate caps because of the newer iron designs. We keep going in circles, chasing that holy grail of sonic purity. Although I prefer Hovland or copper foil-in-oil Jensen/Audio Notes, that's just me and my system. Excuse me; I use the above only if I absolutely have to use a capacitor. Avoid them if at all possible. Hammy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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