favorite bypass caps

[BobM]

I know, I know ... V-Caps or Duelands, any value up to .1uF

But what others have you tried and liked?

[rollo]

The Auri T Teflon. Mundorf silver/gold in oil are nice as well.


charles

[DaveC]

RelCap PCU sound nice and are affordable for copper foil caps.

In any case I have noticed copper foil caps sound nice, so I'd go with one of them. Jupiter is coming out with new copper foil caps that are supposed to be comparable to Duelund for much less $ so it might be worth calling.

[richidoo]

Vishay MKT-1822

[BobM]

Do you mean the Vishay MKP1837 Rich?

If not, then what's the diff between them IYO?

Anyone have any info on the Mundorf EVO series vs their Silver + Oil series? The Aluminum + Oil actually seem reasonably priced in small values.

[richidoo]

1822 polyester. 1837 PP. I tried 1837 after hype thread on AC. Didn't like it, butit was better than Solen, the worst.

[DaveC]

Yeah, I tried Solen MKP just to see how much worse a cheap cap would be and it's way worse than I thought it would be. It did a lot of damage to the sound.

BobM, the Mundorf S/O was pretty good in my amp but the RelCap PCU is quite a bit better, and 2x the price as well.

For less expensive (Mundorf s/o range) options Feastrex was offering a cap... Urushi I think... looked like a PP cap with some damping added. It was very, very good. I won a pair at rmaf 2 years ago and tried them out.

[BobM]

I've used the following myself:

- Russian teflons (very nice, open and transparent, but they have some grain and a bit of forwardness to them). Inexpensive.
- Sonicap Gen II - they are smooth but don't quite have the air and transparency of the teflons. Inexpensive
- Relcap RT's - also transparent but more forward sounding than I prefer
- V-Cap teflons - very nice and open and beautify, but terribly expensive
- Dueland Alexandria's - these are the nicest bypass cap's I have heard. They do it all. Unfortunately Partscoinnexion is out of stock and there is no other distributor (yet).
- Sonicap Platinums - I have these as coupling caps in my preamp. They don't need a bypass. More expensive than I want for an added bypass cap.

[richidoo]

If there is a big difference in quality bt main and bypass film caps then the two ranges are split and sound different. If the required capacitance allows decent film cap then I would pick something nice that doesn't need a bypass. I like the Jantzen SuperiorZ for good value with nice highs. But if the required capacitance is too large for film cap (>50-100uF) then a bypass around a good electrolytic is a good idea. Ideal ratio of bypass cap to main cap is 1:100.

[rollo]

  If money was no object then by all means a Duelund CAST [ copper] with CAST silver bypass.
   If one can change the input cap to a Aura T then use Duelund CAST at output it will give ya complete neutrality in and Duelund flavor out. Our club member Les has done this for two of his components. Excellent results.
   If using a SS amp then the cap used will have a larger influence on sonics. With a tubed component the tube used with cap is the key. Synergy. From my experience the VH audio teflons are great with the RCA 211 [ rich] output on the Consonance Cyber 211. When using the GE 211 [ bright ] the VH is just to much of a good thing. With the Duelund CAST and GE 211 heaven. Same experience with my Loesch & wWeisner preamp. When using a RCA cathode follower the MIT cap was just fine. When tube was changed to a Mullard the Duelund Alexandra was King.
    It is more than the cap that needs to be considered.


charles

[Response Audio]

I notice some mention of bypassing caps in amps. I have never had good results in doing this with coupling caps unless there is a large value electrolytic. Cathode bypass is a different story.

Preamps on the other hand provide a lot of options. I do prefer to bypass coupling caps in preamps unless a high quality cap that provides tbe sound you want is already used. Caps such as Duelund or V-Cap Teflon do not require bypassing IMHO.

The Purity Ultra preamp uses a large Duelund copper foil cap with .50uF Silver foil bypass built in. Not a cheap cap by anybody's standards but the best cap I have ever come across.

I have found that the V-Cap TFTF or CUTF is a great bypass capacitor for most any application. I especially like the OIMP with a Teflon bypass.

I would like to hear opinions from anyone who has any experience with the Mundorf EVO oil capacitors or the new Deulund Alexandria.

[BobM]

I am using a small Alexandra as a bypass to the transistors in my amp. right on the center pin. they are very natural and just give the amp that extra little sparkle but in a relaxed way.

[rollo]

What about for power supply caps ? Bill is it a good thing to bypass power supply caps or just change out the cap ?
    Looking to try some Audience Aura T. Or ?? A Solen is in now. Would the Teflon have any advantage ?


charles

[Response Audio]

What about for power supply caps ? Bill is it a good thing to bypass power supply caps or just change out the cap ?
    Looking to try some Audience Aura T. Or ?? A Solen is in now. Would the Teflon have any advantage ?

The power supply caps are electrolytic, then yes, bypass has many advantages. Some will argue about the use of Teflon caps as bypasses on power supply caps but I have found there to be a beneficial difference over inexpensive poly caps.

Just remember that the power supply is every bit as important as any other part of the circuit.

[rollo]

What about for power supply caps ? Bill is it a good thing to bypass power supply caps or just change out the cap ?
    Looking to try some Audience Aura T. Or ?? A Solen is in now. Would the Teflon have any advantage ?

The power supply caps are electrolytic, then yes, bypass has many advantages. Some will argue about the use of Teflon caps as bypasses on power supply caps but I have found there to be a beneficial difference over inexpensive poly caps.

Just remember that the power supply is every bit as important as any other part of the circuit.

  Thanks Bill. Got that right. The power supply IMO is what we really listen to. The better the power supply the better the sound.



charles