It seems like I am always reading about how something is better because it is older. With speakers I can understand why the cone, dope, and surround would loosen over time and affect the tone. But capacitors, is it true? The link below is to Sozo's explanation. But what do you guys think?
Thank You
http://www.sozoamplification.com/audio/break_in.html
Capacitor break-in
Moderators: pompeiisneaks, Colossal
Re: Capacitor break-in
I tend to be a skeptic for these sorts of claims. Having said that, I have heard it happen with my own ears with an amp loaded with Sozo Vintage caps. If it were not for the fact that the conditions were highly controlled I would have chalked it up to a change in the room acoustics or some other variable that had changed.
Last fall I built an amp using those caps. I am currently living in an apartment were I can't make much noise at all, basically nothing much above a normal voice conversation level and even less than that if it is late at night. So, after I built the amp, I set it up in the walk in closet in my bedroom. I had the speaker cabinet arranged so that it was immediately to my left and I sat on a pillow on the floor, back to the wall. The speaker cabinet was directly in line with my ear, about 24 inches away. I had the amp set at a very low volume. This was my escape pod for late at night. When I got done with the daily routine I would sit on the pillow, turn the amp on and noodle away for an hour or two. I never touched the settings on the amp. I don't know exactly how long it took, maybe a month or so, but at one point something started to change and the amp just opened up, became more clear sounding, more precision in the notes. I certainly heard it happen and it never regressed. Maybe it's something else that broke in? I don't know. I doubt it was the speakers since the volume level was way to low to be moving any air with them and also, I have had them a long time. They have to be broken in decades ago if they are gong to be broken in. Tubes? Maybe, but they are tubes I have used in other amps and pulled to use in this amp. Something else? I don't know. I certainly won't discount the caps breaking in though. And that is coming from a perpetual snake oil skeptic.
Last fall I built an amp using those caps. I am currently living in an apartment were I can't make much noise at all, basically nothing much above a normal voice conversation level and even less than that if it is late at night. So, after I built the amp, I set it up in the walk in closet in my bedroom. I had the speaker cabinet arranged so that it was immediately to my left and I sat on a pillow on the floor, back to the wall. The speaker cabinet was directly in line with my ear, about 24 inches away. I had the amp set at a very low volume. This was my escape pod for late at night. When I got done with the daily routine I would sit on the pillow, turn the amp on and noodle away for an hour or two. I never touched the settings on the amp. I don't know exactly how long it took, maybe a month or so, but at one point something started to change and the amp just opened up, became more clear sounding, more precision in the notes. I certainly heard it happen and it never regressed. Maybe it's something else that broke in? I don't know. I doubt it was the speakers since the volume level was way to low to be moving any air with them and also, I have had them a long time. They have to be broken in decades ago if they are gong to be broken in. Tubes? Maybe, but they are tubes I have used in other amps and pulled to use in this amp. Something else? I don't know. I certainly won't discount the caps breaking in though. And that is coming from a perpetual snake oil skeptic.
Re: Capacitor break-in
Jana, I think the amp got hot and reflowed all the solder joints 
Mark
Mark
Re: Capacitor break-in
Lol! That could very well be what happened.
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Andy Le Blanc
- Posts: 2582
- Joined: Sat Dec 22, 2007 1:16 am
- Location: central Maine
Re: Capacitor break-in
Electrolytic and oil/foil/wax caps drift, some of the precious metal foil caps are
only rated to their specs in thousands of hours, nearly perishable. jensens
are like that, in a good way,but the poly caps dont as much.
only rated to their specs in thousands of hours, nearly perishable. jensens
are like that, in a good way,but the poly caps dont as much.
lazymaryamps