Sonicap Gen I Vs Sonicap Platinum

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  • Face
    Face Posts: 14,340
    edited February 2008
    nikolas812 wrote: »
    A couple months.:eek: No way am I that patient. More like pop in the old tubes and let the thing run for about a week.:D
    Well, what are you waiting for? :D
    "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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  • nikolas812
    nikolas812 Posts: 2,915
    edited February 2008
    Its running as we speak. I do need to swap out the tubes though.
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,386
    edited February 2008
    nikolas812 wrote: »
    Really???:confused: I was under the impession that caps did not require any burn in time. So your sayin there gonna sound better?:confused

    Now, what gave you that impression?
    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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  • nikolas812
    nikolas812 Posts: 2,915
    edited February 2008
    F1nut wrote: »
    Now, what gave you that impression?

    Just general reading. I thought I read some where that caps did not require burn in time. I could be wrong. Wouldn't be the first time or the last.:D

    I can tell you this though. Theres probably close to 24 hours on the caps so far and it is NIGHT and DAY. All of my previous replies were based on about the first 15 minutes after the install. They sounded like pure **** at first compared to what they sound like now. I hate typing this because it is starting to make me feel crazy. One day it sounded like doo doo and the next day it has me floored. I am going to put some serious time on them and then do a full review of all the changes. I feel like if I keep talking nothing I say will be believable anymore. I am starting to doubt even myself. All I can say so far is that it was the best $50.00 I have ever spent! I know this is a BIG statement but I honestly think these caps took the amp to a whole other level. I can't wait to do a full review because so far the changes TO ME seem to be pretty major. This has been the most fun I have ever had in my audio journey. I can't get over how good it sounds.:D
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,386
    edited February 2008
    nikolas812 wrote: »
    Just general reading. I thought I read some where that caps did not require burn in time. I could be wrong. Wouldn't be the first time or the last.:D

    More than likely you read something from someone that doesn't believe in burn in, they are out there, but they are full of it as you are finding out.
    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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  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,137
    edited February 2008
    When I did my crossovers in my 1.2 TL with Sonicaps and Mills resistors it took 340 for them to burn in. After that time with each hour they sounded better and better. Anyone who says caps don't burn in and sound better is either and 'electrical engineering student of just has no experience with capacitors.
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  • schwarcw
    schwarcw Posts: 7,335
    edited February 2008
    nikolas812 wrote: »
    Just general reading. I thought I read some where that caps did not require burn in time. I could be wrong. Wouldn't be the first time or the last.:D

    If you ask Jeff Glowacki at Sonicraft he'll tell you the big difference will come in the first 100 hours. It will continue to burn in up to 200 hours and more. The burn in "affect" is exponential, so you will hear the biggest improvements very quickly. The improvement and changes will slow with time.
    Carl

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  • The Judge
    The Judge Posts: 60
    edited February 2008
    rskarvan wrote: »
    Ok... imagine this.... lets pretend that a more expensive capacitor has magical properties that make a speaker sound better. Why wouldn't some manufacturer capitalize on this technology and market it with their speakers?

    Example: Wasn't it Klipsch that a few years ago marketed some speakers with "Internally wired with Monster Cable"?

    I do believe that some capacitors are a little better than others. And, there is some merit to higher end capacitors on speakers with exceptional resolution. But, its only a capacitor guys. A cheap one may be just as effective as an expensive one.

    I'm sure quite a few people purchased the speakers that were marketed as "internally wired with Monster Cable". But, I doubt that anyone heard any benefit from it.

    Ron

    I think better caps make a difference.
    I also happen to know that speakers wired internally with monster or higher quality wire than stock DO sound much better. I happen to know this from my own experience. Yes, the speaker wires from the crossovers may be just a foot to 18 inches or so but it Does make a Hugh Improvement from generic cheap **** speaker wire.:cool:
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  • george daniel
    george daniel Posts: 12,096
    edited February 2008
    I'm going to have to agree with the three or four posters above mine,,having performed 6 crossover upgrades myself,I can say without hesitation that there IS a definate sonic improvement to MY old ears.What comes to mind is when using solens,the bass is dramatically improved,,sonicaps,,well the bass mids,and highs seem to benefit very well with these caps. I think the key is ,quality,yes,,burn in(if you have not done it, you don't know), and experience. Experience can't be bought,,listen to what some of the long time forum members have to say,,it's NOT an opinion,,rather it's the voice of experience. So,, yeah,,,I believe that caps DO make a difference,,,please note that this post is my contributation for 08,,;),,I'll also be posting pics of an Anthem Amp One,,after the cap upgrade,,, bet it sounds better too.:D

    George--out.
    JC approves....he told me so. (F-1 nut)
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  • Ricardo
    Ricardo Posts: 10,636
    edited February 2008
    You guys are all crazy; first you say that different caps actually made your component/speaker sound different. As if that was not enough, you have the balls to say that the sound will change even more with time??????? Haven't you paid attention????? :D:D:D

    Congrats Nikolas; enjoy your "new" Jolida. Your 7b's come next (If you haven't done those already).
    _________________________________________________
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  • nikolas812
    nikolas812 Posts: 2,915
    edited February 2008
    Ricardo wrote: »
    You guys are all crazy; first you say that different caps actually made your component/speaker sound different. As if that was not enough, you have the balls to say that the sound will change even more with time??????? Haven't you paid attention????? :D:D:D

    Congrats Nikolas; enjoy your "new" Jolida. Your 7b's come next (If you haven't done those already).

    You hit the nail on the head. The 7B's are defiantly next. But I want to Wait until everything is fully burned in before doing another upgrade.

    Edit: I am actually thinking of going with a Sonicap Gen II cap in the speakers. Sonicraft says these are more focused on the midrange spectrum of things VS the Gen I where they seem to be more focused on the top and bottom. That way I would have the Gen I in the amp and the Gen II in the speakers. Seems like the best of both worlds to me.
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  • nikolas812
    nikolas812 Posts: 2,915
    edited February 2008
    schwarcw wrote: »
    If you ask Jeff Glowacki at Sonicraft he'll tell you the big difference will come in the first 100 hours. It will continue to burn in up to 200 hours and more. The burn in "affect" is exponential, so you will hear the biggest improvements very quickly. The improvement and changes will slow with time.


    The change was so dramatic that you could almost here it change from CD to CD. I can't wait to put some more time on them. They have been burring all night. I am about to get into another listening session in a few minutes to see if I hear a difference.
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,386
    edited February 2008
    You're going to have a real problem trying to use Gen II caps in your speakers as the largest value is .82uF. ;)
    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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  • nikolas812
    nikolas812 Posts: 2,915
    edited February 2008
    F1nut wrote: »
    You're going to have a real problem trying to use Gen II caps in your speakers as the largest value is .82uF. ;)

    Hmmmm. I haven't even got that far yet. What are the values of the caps in the Monitor 7B's?
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  • Face
    Face Posts: 14,340
    edited February 2008
    Off the top of my head, the smallest one is 12uf.
    "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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  • nikolas812
    nikolas812 Posts: 2,915
    edited February 2008
    Face wrote: »
    Off the top of my head, the smallest one is 12uf.

    Was it you that was saying something about Auricaps in your 7's??
    I noticed the Auricaps have the values that are probably needed and they say they are known for there midrange bloom also.
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  • Face
    Face Posts: 14,340
    edited February 2008
    Not me. I put Solens in my 7C's and noticed a nice improvement.

    I also put Solens in my Tannoy HPD's, then recently replaced them with Sonics.

    Sonic Caps are available in the sizes you require. http://www.soniccraft.com/sonicaps.htm
    "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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  • nikolas812
    nikolas812 Posts: 2,915
    edited February 2008
    Face wrote: »
    Not me. I put Solens in my 7C's and noticed a nice improvement.

    I also put Solens in my Tannoy HPD's, then recently replaced them with Sonics.

    Sonic Caps are available in the sizes you require. http://www.soniccraft.com/sonicaps.htm

    Thanks. I guess I'll go with the sonicaps when I do the upgrade. Doesn't seem like you can go wrong with them. Also soniccraft is where I get all my DIY stuff. They have decent prices and rather large selection of different manufactures. They also usually have my stuff to me within a day. I am glad I cam across them.
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  • junaid
    junaid Posts: 1
    edited September 2010
    nikolas812 wrote: »
    Well I have my caps installed and have done a little listening. The difference was noticeable immediately. It did exactly what sonic craft said it would. It was like someone turned the bass and treble up. The mids are still the same or maybe a little less. But the lows and highs have changed the most. The lows are a little deeper and a little tighter. The highs seem a little higher but I am wondering if they are as smooth. I have a lot more listening to do but so far I am undecided if the change was favorable. I think it probably was. But it might be a matter of finding tubes to mate better with the new highs. But like I said I am going to do some more listening and report back. These were just initial impressions. I have also noticed the separation of instruments are better also. I think once I find the right tubes its going to be sweet

    I am thinking of going with a KT77 tube instead of the EL34. I here it is less compressed than the EL34. So I am looking forward to trying them.

    http://Picture098.jpg
    http://Picture126.jpg


    I have the Jolida 302B. Last night i have made the same upgrades as u did. But i have also upgraded the diodes & the resistors as well as added bypass caps in the power section. Im very confused at the pic u posted. Seems like ur Jolida has been modded for Triode operation. But the resistor that is used for Trioding must be between pins 3&4. WHereas i see from the pics that its between 4&6. Correct me if i am wrong. I am going to Triode my amp shortly, so any inputs regarding the same would be highly appreciated..
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  • kawizx9r
    kawizx9r Posts: 5,150
    edited September 2010
    You should post your own thread regarding said-mod that way it attracts more attention.

    That and you won't be posting on a 2 and a half year old thread ;)
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    heiney9 wrote: »
    Any clue how to use the internet? Found it in about 10 sec.
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  • pra
    pra Posts: 1
    edited November 2010
    My experience with changing power supply electrolytics in my Audio Note OTO SE is that they sound bright, hard and nasty when they are new. This s confusing as thats how the amp sounds when the power supply electrolytics go. I've had the amp for 16 years and had 4 cap changes now.
    As you play the sound remains nasty, it doesn't sweeten steadily, then,,,, all of a sudden over about 10-20 hours somewhere after 80-100 hours it breaks, improving markedly. The sound sweetens, the midrange in all its glory comes through, the soundstage opens up, sounds bigger wider, the hard edge goes.
    If your running the amp 24/7 then its usually in day 4-5 that this occurs.
    When a valve goes it goes over 10-20 hours, distorted, its a midrange distortion, most noticeable on transients. When the cap goes its slower, over months, higher frequency distortion, bright edge, again on transients. I recapped the power suppply with Mundorf HV, using 200uf instead of 220uf Samwah. They were much much better. Tighter deeper more energetic base, smoother mid range. They were immediatley better but broke in as above taking about 80 hours.
    I've now used Mundorf silver in oil for the coupling cap between 12AX7 and EL84's. That was and bright and tizzy to start, at 150 hours it was still the same, by 200hrs it was better, now at 240 its really settling in, the edge has gone, the detail in the highs is all there.
    As others state, these are not subtle changes they are night and day differences.
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