Harshness of new caps

canadianicon25
canadianicon25 Posts: 200
edited July 2012 in Vintage Speakers
Replaced the stock caps in some mon5's not long ago with some Solens. Good sound but a little harsh/grainy at some frequencies. How much playing time does it usually take to break them in?
Post edited by canadianicon25 on
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,165
    edited July 2012
    150-200 hrs. Solens should be better than the stock electrolytics, but not the top choice even on a budget. I found the Clarity Cap PX to be a better choice, but the Solens should be decent enough compared to the worn originals.

    Give it some time. Which M5's? Sl2000 tweets? or other tweets?

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,561
    edited July 2012
    Good sound but a little harsh/grainy at some frequencies.

    That's what Solen's sound like. Get something better for the high frequency circuit.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • canadianicon25
    canadianicon25 Posts: 200
    edited July 2012
    my mon5 have peerless tweets

    if that's what solens sound like they suck
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,165
    edited July 2012
    How much time you have on them? I think F1 is little harsh on them, they aren't horrible after they break in. But if you compare them to some other caps in about the same $$$ their weaknesses start to show through.

    Give them a full 200hrs before deciding. That's waht I did and finally put in some Clarity Cap PX's.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • canadianicon25
    canadianicon25 Posts: 200
    edited July 2012
    i don't have 200hrs on them yet. where do you get clarity caps from?
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,165
    edited July 2012
    I got mine from Madisound and I believe Partsconnexion carries them as well if you are Canadian.

    I can't remember if Parts Express carries them or not.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • canadianicon25
    canadianicon25 Posts: 200
    edited July 2012
    thanks fellas

    out of these series which one would be the best buy:

    MR
    ESA
    SA
    TC

    partsconnexion because i'm in canada
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  • PolkMaster1
    PolkMaster1 Posts: 847
    edited July 2012
    Dont forget Sonic Caps. I use them on my tweeters. They are probably the best of the bunch.

    On a seperate note, has anyone compared the Clarity Caps to Sonic Caps? How would you rate the two?
    Statistics show that 98% of us will die at some point in our lifetime.

    The other 2% will work for WalMart.
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  • soundfreak1
    soundfreak1 Posts: 3,414
    edited July 2012
    I put the SA'S in my 5jr+ xovers and they are sweet. Cant compair to othera as these were my only prob. Is they are huge! first cap mod.
    Main Rig:
    Krell KAV 250a biamped to mid/highs
    Parasound HCA1500A biamped to lows
    Nakamichi EC100 Active xover
    MIT exp 1 ic's
    Perreaux SA33 class A preamp
    AQ kingcobra ic's
    OPPO 83 CDP
    Lehmann audio black cube SE phono pre, Audioquest phono wire (ITA1/1)
    Denon DP-1200 TT. AToc9ML MC cart.
    Monster HTS 3600 power conditioner
    ADS L1590/2 Biamped
    MIT exps2 speaker cable
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,647
    edited July 2012
    I might be able to help out anyone looking for Clarity Cap, let me know! :)
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • PolkMaster1
    PolkMaster1 Posts: 847
    edited July 2012
    soundfreak1 wrote: »
    I put the SA'S in my 5jr+ xovers and they are sweet. Cant compair to othera as these were my only prob. Is they are huge! first cap mod.

    That's not a cap. That's a can of TNT you have there on your crossover.

    Are those solen caps for the mid-range? I heard that the Solens are a pretty good choice for a budget cap when used for the low and mid-range areas of the crossovers.

    I take it that's a duelund resistor that you are using.
    Statistics show that 98% of us will die at some point in our lifetime.

    The other 2% will work for WalMart.
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  • cnh
    cnh Posts: 13,284
    edited July 2012
    Cap away boys! I really don't see how a Peerless tweeter can sound harsh regardless of what you put in there. I've run mine on half a dozen amps and receivers and I have yet to hear anything "bad".

    I'd go with Brock on this and just give them some more time.

    cnh
    Currently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!

    Polk Lsi-7s, Def Tech 8" sub, HK 3490, HK HD 990 (CDP/DAC), AKG Q701s
    [sig. changed on a monthly basis as I rotate in and out of my stash]
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  • canadianicon25
    canadianicon25 Posts: 200
    edited July 2012
    the graininess sounds almost like it's between the mid and tweeter. i notice it more with guitar sounds
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  • canadianicon25
    canadianicon25 Posts: 200
    edited July 2012
    has anyone used a bypass cap on a solen? i did a little reading and apparently this can actually clean them up a bit.
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  • canadianicon25
    canadianicon25 Posts: 200
    edited July 2012
    actually scrap the bypass idea. has anyone used the Axon caps for the highpass?
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,165
    edited July 2012
    canadianicon25 wrote: »
    actually scrap the bypass idea. has anyone used the Axon caps for the highpass?

    Axon are made in the same factory as Solen, fine for low pass, but the same as Solen for high-pass. Go with Clarity PX caps, it's the best choice for the $$$ and better than Solen, Axon, Dayton, Jantzen, etc. Don't use a bypass cap, it adds some artificial artifacts that over time sound unnatural.

    Those that have suggested idea's here have been down the same path you are going. Please listen and benefit from our experience's. You won't be sorry.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • canadianicon25
    canadianicon25 Posts: 200
    edited July 2012
    i'm sort of leaning towards getting some Clarity Cap ESA 250V for the high pass. i can't seem to find PX series from an online store in Canada
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  • canadianicon25
    canadianicon25 Posts: 200
    edited July 2012
    it's not the caps. i have a bad tweeter. one speaker sound good the other doesn't. :-(
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  • cnh
    cnh Posts: 13,284
    edited July 2012
    Well there you go. Have you checked the fuse?

    cnh
    Currently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!

    Polk Lsi-7s, Def Tech 8" sub, HK 3490, HK HD 990 (CDP/DAC), AKG Q701s
    [sig. changed on a monthly basis as I rotate in and out of my stash]
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  • canadianicon25
    canadianicon25 Posts: 200
    edited July 2012
    the fuse is okay. its the Peerless. time for a 'new' one.
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  • dudeinaroom
    dudeinaroom Posts: 3,609
    edited July 2012
    Double check your x-overs, might have put the wrong value in the high pass section of the crossover, just a thought.
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  • canadianicon25
    canadianicon25 Posts: 200
    edited July 2012
    i though or that too. i swapped the tweeters and the bad one still sounds bad in the other speaker.
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  • dudeinaroom
    dudeinaroom Posts: 3,609
    edited July 2012
    good deal, at least you know what's wrong.
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