Recommendations for best type of Nichicon & Elna caps for Amplifier restoration

[Wakefield Turntables]

Guys,

As you know I'm doing a Sansui restoration and the main caps are Nichicon & Elna. There are many differing capacitor ranges, do you guys have any specific recommendations?

Andy

[The Barbarian]

The low ESR Panasonics ae good

[awkwardbydesign]

Can you research the specs for the original caps? Low ESR caps are good in some applications, but not in all.

[User211]

Elna Cerafine were as good as Rubyicon (not black gate) in my Beard BB100.

[fatmarley]

Can you research the specs for the original caps? Low ESR caps are good in some applications, but not in all.


This +1

Read here to get an idea of how different caps effect the sound in a Naim preamp. LINK (http://www.acoustica.org.uk/t/naim/preamps.html) - For example, Put some Silmics in the decoupling position of a Naim preamp and wonder why the sound has gone all dull and bloaty. Replace the Silmics with Oscon SP and now the sound is fast and lively. Replace the feedback capacitor with a Mundorf Mcap polyrop (white one) and the sound goes harsh, replace the Mundorf with an Ansar polyrop and the sound is clean and detailed.
Don't ask me why two polyrop caps can sound so different in the same position but I know I'm not the only one who had the same results as me and the difference was too large for it to be imagination. But what it does show is how one wrong cap in the wrong position can completely ruin the sound.

This is all stuff I learned from years of messing around with a Naim preamp. Other amps could and probably would give different results with the same cap changes.

[awkwardbydesign]

This +1

Read here to get an idea of how different caps effect the sound in a Naim preamp. LINK (http://www.acoustica.org.uk/t/naim/preamps.html) - For example, Put some Silmics in the decoupling position of a Naim preamp and wonder why the sound has gone all dull and bloaty. Replace the Silmics with Oscon SP and now the sound is fast and lively. Replace the feedback capacitor with a Mundorf Mcap polyrop (white one) and the sound goes harsh, replace the Mundorf with an Ansar polyrop and the sound is clean and detailed.
Don't ask me why two polyrop caps can sound so different in the same position but I know I'm not the only one who had the same results as me and the difference was too large for it to be imagination. But what it does show is how one wrong cap in the wrong position can completely ruin the sound.

This is all stuff I learned from years of messing around with a Naim preamp. Other amps could and probably would give different results with the same cap changes.

And you may need to try more than one type before finding the right on. Welcome to decades of trial and error!

[Wakefield Turntables]

I will update tonight.

[Yomanze]

Guys,

As you know I'm doing a Sansui restoration and the main caps are Nichicon & Elna. There are many differing capacitor ranges, do you guys have any specific recommendations?

Andy

Yes, I would try to keep to the same caps as before, Nichicon and Elna are already "premium".

The only exception would be the main filter caps, where I'd use Kendeils. Be careful with Cerafines as they add a lot of flavour in certain places, so the balance of the sound can change. Same with using low ESR caps in places where a bit of ESR is actually desirable. Best to use like-for-like as much as possible *unless* you go down an extremely long-winded tuning route.

[Wakefield Turntables]

I'm recapping both left and rig driver boards at the moment in my sansui au719. The Elna and Nichicon caps are suffering from sansui glue corrosion. I like the sansui sound and don't want to deviate. I don't intend reviewing and assessing different cap types as I intend to replace like for like, so that would be Elna silmics and Nichicon KZ's at relevant values. I'm hoping that this is good common sense. :)

[awkwardbydesign]

I'm recapping both left and rig driver boards at the moment in my sansui au719. The Elna and Nichicon caps are suffering from sansui glue corrosion. I like the sansui sound and don't want to deviate. I don't intend reviewing and assessing different cap types as I intend to replace like for like, so that would be Elna silmics and Nichicon KZ's at relevant values. I'm hoping that this is good common sense. :)
Common sense? Restoring a Sansui amp? You left common sense behind a long way back! :lol: Welcome to the loony side.

[Wakefield Turntables]

Common sense? Restoring a Sansui amp? You left common sense behind a long way back! :lol: Welcome to the loony side.

Yep I agree with that :).

[ListeningEar]

Have you tried Nick at Hi-Fi Collective, he is extremely helpful and carries a very large range. I will join you on the Looney side as I am about to restore a pair of Trio/Kenwood L07-M Mark II's monoblocs lol

[Wakefield Turntables]

Hi Craig,

yeah I'm of to hifi collective and I already spoke to Nick. Thanks for the heads up.:)

[kcc123]

Years ago, I used to buy quite a few components from Nick, for instances, Silmic and Blackgate NX bipolar capacitors, Audio Note and Shinkoh tantalum resistors etc.

[337alant]

Years ago, I used to buy quite a few components from Nick, for instances, Silmic and Blackgate NX bipolar capacitors, Audio Note and Shinkoh tantalum resistors etc.

I still do, all good stuff
The muze KZ and Silmic2 and very nice caps in the right places, I also think the Nichicon Fine Gold are nice, but as others have said it depends where exactly you intend to use them?.
For power supply duties the Panasonic FC are very good, I use lots of them when recapping my R2Rs

Alan

[kcc123]

Quite a few years back, I made two power supplies for my Audio Alchemy DACs (Digital Decoding Engine V1.1, DAC in the Box and Ultra +), one with Panasonic HFZ capacitors and another with Rubycon ZL capacitors. The Rubycon power supply just blew the Panasonic away, simply no contest.