Can I get away with stacking capacitors like Legos? [message #46727] |
Sun, 17 April 2005 18:46 ![Go to next message Go to next message](/forum/theme/AudioRoundTable/images/down.png) |
BillEpstein
Messages: 886 Registered: May 2009
|
Illuminati (2nd Degree) |
|
|
I built 8 ohm 1200 Hz crossovers to day with existing parts. Please don;t ask how I came to have all these caps.........and more! Needing 11uF I combined a 6.2 and a 4.6; needing 33uF I combined, ta-daaaa.....16, 8.2, 5.4 and 2.2! I also used 1.0 mH coils for toot an woof instead of .8 and .7. Sounds maybe a little muffled and congested in the mids. There was also a good deal of brightness early on but that has settled out. Caps combine in parallel, right? So this should work? Has anyone else ever built a 2-way crossover with 8 caps?
|
|
|
|
Cascading [message #46730 is a reply to message #46727] |
Sun, 17 April 2005 20:48 ![Go to previous message Go to previous message](/forum/theme/AudioRoundTable/images/up.png) |
ToFo
Messages: 219 Registered: May 2009
|
Master |
|
|
Hi Bill, I am doing it the same way you did. I had a drawer full of high zoot caps and later learned how cool I was (lol). I believe it is referred to as "cascading". Using a spread of proportionally smaller caps that sum up to your target value. Usually done with 3 to 5 per cap stack. Some folks say large high power caps muck up the overtone range, even when bypassed, so they advocate "cap stacking" and bypassing. Some say a pile of the exact same cap can make the signature sound of that cap audible, thus "cascading" them is done to avoid either issue. I do not know if this holds water, but I happened to have what amounts to a cascaded stack for my highs and it sounds killer. I can't say if it "works" better, but I'm sure there is no harm in it. I have since read that some folks are using cascades to blend the sounds of different brands, conductors, dialectics, etc. Too much part rolling for me, but could be great fun for some. I already have enough solder and aligator clips stuck in the carpet for this lifetime ![](http://www.audioroundtable.com/emoticons/smiley.gif) Thomas
|
|
|