Crossover Cap Comparison

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Posted by FredT [ 24.175.124.32 ] on February 16, 2006 at 16:38:51:

I was wondering if anybody has done an evaluation of different brands of caps in their speakers' crossovers, especially the caps in the tweeter signal path. Looking at the brands I hear about most often I see a broad price range. For example, a 10uF Solen is $4.48. The same value Northcreek Zen is $9.35, a Sonicap is $17.60, an Auricap is $24.95, and a 10uF Hovland Musicap is $43.85.

My experience with cap comparisons has been limited to Solens, Northcreek Zens and Auricaps. I replaced the Solens in my Maggie 1.6's with Northcreek Zens and heard a significant reduction in treble harshness. I also tried a single Auricap (they don't recommend bypassing) and they provided greater resolution, but they sounded artificially bright in comparison to the Northcreeks. Didn't like them at all. I have also heard good things about Sonicaps from others but have not done any comparisons with them.

Has anybody else upgraded caps in a speaker crossover? What did you replace, and what differences did you hear?


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