Obbligato.. Solen.. or Mundorf MKP? 250v or 400v?

[langendorf]

Hi Matt

It will be interesting to hear your experience with bypasing. But i dont get why you wouldnt just order the solen from ebay. The caps you ordered are almost half the price. Sometimes its cheaper, to spend alittle more, one time, than cheap twice But if its just for good fun and testing, then thumps up

[matthewmckay]

So I just finished scouring ebay and I have no Idea what Solen caps you are referring to...  Could you post the link ? 

I see several listings for 47uf caps, and one listing for a single, used, 150uf cap...  nothing in the 100uf range.  the 100uf film power supply caps are usually in the $30-$45 range (parts express has them for $38), per cap, which is a little beyond the $9.60 I spent for the pair of audiocap theta and $4.40 i spent on the pair of solens. (+ $4 shipping on the order)

When I decide to buy the 100uf film, I can further experiment by using these little caps in another bypass application (speaker crossover, seduction, quickie, amps...) so im not at too much a loss with the current frugality..

I also just like to tinker with shit.. and good fun is definately on the agenda.  ; )

[Noskipallwd]

You might want to look at the Axon true caps, these are made by Solen but usually cheaper, I used them in one of my amps and was happy with the sound. You can pick them up at Michael Percy or Parts Connex. I have to say that I have found Obbligatos to be the best bang for buck.

Cheers,
Shawn P.

[Laudanum]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Solen-Fast-Cap-100-mfd-uF-capacitors-NEW-lot-4-/180761925714?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a16401852

Langendorf provided the link on page 1.   Listing is ended now however.  I was a great deal ... 42 bucks for 2 X 100uf Solens.   $21 each, free ship, pretty good!

[Grainger49]

You can go there and send a message to the seller.  If that link isn't on a completed auction, look at the "other items" link and ask him from one of those if he has other Solen Fast Caps.

[matthewmckay]

holy crap!   that was an amazing deal...

[langendorf]

If you look at the sellers fedback history you can see that he have sold several sets of Solen Fast Caps. And even cheaper at 35 usd.

So you can wait and se, if he puts up some more, or contact the seller and ask

[matthewmckay]

Yeah, its going to be difficult to consider other brands of caps if the solens can still be had for that cheap... I wonder if he's buying at a crazy wholesale bulk rate or if its from some liquidated shop stock.

Langendorf,

did you burn the caps in before you installed them?  have you noticed any improvement in the higher frequencies?

I seem to have great bass response with the stock electrolytics right now, but when I crank the volume up to dance party levels, i cant listen too long without fatigue, due a slightly brittle top end**... I am about 60hrs in with the speedball upgrade and NOS 5998 from tubeworld.


**which is in no way bashing the amp.... this thing sounded amazing even before the speedball.

[langendorf]

I haven

[Grainger49]

In case you two haven't seen this:

Fast Break In Post

In response to Desmond's post below, film caps are almost always going to be an improvement over an electrolytic in the audio path.  Electrolytics are a cost consideration, the film caps are an expensive investment to add more sophistication to the sound.

[Laudanum]

The film caps made for a bit smoother and more detailed high end.  I never found the stock electrolytics to be brittle up top, just a bit grainy, not as smooth when compared to the films. But I didnt find them fatiquing to listen to.  Of course, YMMV escpecially considering sources and tubes and headphones all the other variables. But the film caps definitely were smoother up top, atleast the Mundorf MKP's I used are.  The Solens should offer the same benefit compared to the electrolytics.

[matthewmckay]

Ahh...you're right, it is probably just my source components (laptop and *cringe* ipod)... I need to try it with some of the goodness in the other room.

[BNAL]

I ordered my Crack with the speedball upgrade during the black Friday sale. I figured I would start by building the amp without any upgrades to see what it could do, a first foe me. I must say that I was actually shocked at how good it sounded through my Senn HD650's. This was with all the parts installed as supplied by Bottlehead. The funny part is I don't feel the need to upgrade from a sonic perspective. Everything sounds great from the bass to the highs with great detail in the mids.

Well I can't leave enough alone, so I started by adding a 2 uF Clarity cap to bypass the last electrolytic cap in the power supply. It seems to have tighter things up a little. The mids seem a little more detailed. The next upgrade will be the Triad choke, but I'm going to hold off on that, so that I can just enjoy the great sound coming through my headphones in the current configuration.

The one area that I will be upgrading, but still not sure which cap to go with is the 100uF output caps. I have seen much written on the Solen, Mundorf, and Axon, but I have not seen anyone comment on using the Obbligato 100uF caps. I have had good experience using the film oil caps in my S.E.X. Amp so was thinking of giving them a try. Has anyone used them?

[Grainger49]

Brad,

Cheap mother that I am I would suggest the Black, Polypropylene In Oil (630V), cheapest Obbligato caps for the power supply.  I used them in my FP 2 and Seduction for the output caps.  Great bang for the buck in the audio path and truly incredible in the power supply.  Another Bottlehead on the old forum posted about these quite a few years back, I'm just a fan.

That is a real film cap!  Very smooth in the mids and highs.  It adds a sparkle the stock cap doesn't have (at least in the FP 2 and Seduction).  I can't imagine it is not a step up from an electrolytic.

Don't get me wrong, Bottlehead has to put in electrolytics at this point to make the kit reasonable, but a film is a big step up.  Even if you don't keep the Obbligato blacks there they are extremely cheap for the values and you will use them elsewhere.

Edit: The 70uF Film ($29 each) will be fine for a replacement of the 100uF electrolytic.

[Dr. Toobz]

The stock electrolytics don't sound bad, but I wholeheartedly agree that upgrading to anything film-based will be an improvement. It's not an Earth-shattering change, but is noticeable. I have even re-swapped the film caps I had put in with the stock electrolytics, just to see if the difference was real. The stock caps sounded somewhat more "nervous" and zingy to me, and the image had collapsed slightly in comparison to the Solens. So, the comments about smoothness and a reduction in "grain" are spot-on.

That said, the addition of the CCS boards and/or a change in tubes leads to a change of almost the same magnitude. It's nice to have so many options for "seasoning" the amp to one's individual tastes.