Thanks Cliff, that's good info. I also like to build amps from old parts.
I have been happy so far with Sozo caps too. All of the above beat the generic caps I was using before.
Cap Porn
Moderators: pompeiisneaks, Colossal
Re: Cap Porn
One more pic (well, OK, two). These are the Japanese PIO's that came out of the old Sony reel to reel.
I have done a lot of side by side testing between these, the Micamold PIO's, the yellow Astrons, and orange drops. I subbed them into the amp one by one with clip leads. Yes, I know, the capacitance of the clip leads could affect the overall sound, but it works to compare the different caps.
The differences between the different caps is quite noticeable. Frankly, I like them all, but the favorite probably remains the 0.1 uF Astron. It has the ballsiest sound with the best bass response - not surprising for a 0.1, but even compared to the 0.1 PIO, it is ballsier. The Astron caps have a "spicy" sound to me, with lots of mids/highs that the other caps don't have. Kind of a "cinnamon" sound, if you will.
The 0.1 Micamold PIO is a close second - really smooth sounding. The yellow Astron 0.05 is also great - less bass response, but more focused (less flabby) sounding, and really screams like a rock n roll amp when cranked. But I like lots of bass response, so the 0.1 is my fave.
The Japanese PIO's don't sound bad, but they do seem a little wimpy compared to the others. Maybe that is the flat response Cliff is talking about?
The SBC orange drop sounds kinda tinny in comparison, and the generic yellow IC cap even more so. I don't have any spare Sozo's around right now to compare, but the ones I have used in other amps sound more like the yellow Astrons (to my ears).
I have done a lot of side by side testing between these, the Micamold PIO's, the yellow Astrons, and orange drops. I subbed them into the amp one by one with clip leads. Yes, I know, the capacitance of the clip leads could affect the overall sound, but it works to compare the different caps.
The differences between the different caps is quite noticeable. Frankly, I like them all, but the favorite probably remains the 0.1 uF Astron. It has the ballsiest sound with the best bass response - not surprising for a 0.1, but even compared to the 0.1 PIO, it is ballsier. The Astron caps have a "spicy" sound to me, with lots of mids/highs that the other caps don't have. Kind of a "cinnamon" sound, if you will.
The 0.1 Micamold PIO is a close second - really smooth sounding. The yellow Astron 0.05 is also great - less bass response, but more focused (less flabby) sounding, and really screams like a rock n roll amp when cranked. But I like lots of bass response, so the 0.1 is my fave.
The Japanese PIO's don't sound bad, but they do seem a little wimpy compared to the others. Maybe that is the flat response Cliff is talking about?
The SBC orange drop sounds kinda tinny in comparison, and the generic yellow IC cap even more so. I don't have any spare Sozo's around right now to compare, but the ones I have used in other amps sound more like the yellow Astrons (to my ears).
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