Input Cap upgrade.

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Stream

Stream

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Joined 2008
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#1
Hello.
I have Cambridge Audio Azur 340 amp. I have already replace almost all power supply electroytic caps from stock noname to Panasonic FM\FC, diodes to MUR860, half part of ceramique to epcos mkt. Now it's time to swap opamps and coupling caps...

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So... Input(coupling) caps.
Stock caps are 10uf polar electrolytics. R = 22k.

I haven't got much money to make some experiments, so I want You to tell me Your advice...

I can place here Wima MKS2 MKT but only 1uF. It will get about 7hz HPF filter freq, but As i know it's recommended to have this value set to ~1-3Hz.

Also i can buy Black Gate PK 50V 3.3 uF for only 1 Eur\pcs. If it's good deal?

And the third: buy some (2.2-4.7uF) polyproplene cap. No doubt PP has the "best" sound, but it has higher price, and big size and so it will have too long leads. I think it's not good.

Here is piece of shematic:
http://img261.imageshack.us/my.php?image=inbufnm7.png
http://img154.imageshack.us/my.php?image=powereo3.png

Thanks.
 
#2
Aren' t the WIMAs and Black Gates also PP caps? Metalized polypropylene foil that is.

You will probably gain more from using the correct value than from using a different brand. So, if you change the brand, it should be the correct value as well.
You will often find recommended to connect a film cap in parallel to the electrolytic. Then the value is not so critical, because it will only get higher, whichever you choose from your list.

What effect did you achieve by replacing the ceramics with MKTs? And what was their function in the first place?
 
#5
3,3uF Wima from Ebay (a pair of wima ~ 5$ + 10-15$ shipping) cost aprox. like cheap polypropylne (a pair of PP ~ 10$ + 7-10$ shipping) from one of russian store... So I thnik better to have long leads, than worse dielectric?

BTW about advice to replace with stock values... I can't understand what for using 10uF in this sheme. I think it's just standart CHEAP value, so many low cost amp has them...
 
#11
Hi, Andrew,

shipping cost from the shop to me are 6,50 €. If you are not in a hurry, I order them together with my own next order, then those shipping cost are on me. I will have to find out, what such a package will cost to the UK.


Hi, Stream,

is normal post a safe, reliable and sufficiently fast way to send such components in your country? Or should I choose a different path?

3,3 µF MKS-2 cost 0,54 €, if you want them with 5 % tolerance 0,55 €.

MKS-2 XL are not on offer in that shop. The biggest value for MKS-2 is 6,8 µF. 10 µF would be MKS-4 100 V at 1,55 €.
 
#13
MKS-2 XL are not on offer in that shop.
Click to expand...

I would have thought as wima are a German company that the MKS2-XL would be readily available? It seems they are hard to find and I have not seen any uk companies with stock of these. On PFM someone in the US offered a group buy as it was was so hard for others to find them.

The MKS 4 have a large lead pitch so they would be tricky to fit on the Cambridge PCB. You would have to solder leads on and fix the cap to the PCB with blu-tak or something. If you were going to take the trouble to do that you might as well use MKP's IMHO.

The wima FKP 02 polypropylene come in a 2.5mm lead pitch making them ideal for tacking under the board as a bypass.
 
#14
mjf said:
www.reichelt.de
Click to expand...
That's the one. For those interested, they also ship abroad - at 150 € minimum order.


mikesnowdon said:
I would have thought as wima are a German company that the MKS2-XL would be readily available?
Click to expand...
Demand is probably too low. You can always use MKS-4 with 10 µF and 100 V rating. Oh, and I just discovered MKS-2 10 µF with 16 V rating I had overlooked. 5 mm pitch, 8,5 mm wide, 7,2 long and 14 high at 2,95 €.
 
#15
Stream said:
I have already replace almost all power supply electroytic caps from stock noname to Panasonic FM\FC, diodes to MUR860, half part of ceramique to epcos mkt. Now it's time to swap opamps and coupling caps...
Thanks.
Click to expand...

Where did you get Panasonic FM\FC in Russia? I need them too.

Btw, I bought Wima MKS4 1uF 63VDC in Ukraine for appx. 0.22$. So, you can buy them even in Ukraine. However I tried to replace them with palladium 1uF caps and they sounded better then Wima. With Wima the sound is more dull as for me. Also I noticed that placing bigger than 1uF as input coupling cap, even with polypropylene ones, the sound became worse in higher range.
Likewise monolithic ceramics (COG, X7R) with lowest ESR and ESL are better in HF filtering than film caps which are not in signal path I suppose.
Btw, your links are broken.
Regards.
 
#17
Hi Pacificblue,

Could you find out also how much cost in Germany Panasonic FM/FC caps:

EEUFM1H560B;
EEUFM1H102B;
EEUFC1H222?

I'll be very grateful to you if you help me to buy these caps (if there is reasonable price). If you don't mind can you post price in USD or Euro. I don't know what previous currency you posted was.

Regards.
 
#18
€ means Euro.

FC Shipping from that shop to me depends on the weight and starts from 6,13 €. Shipping cost to you depends on the weight and size.

EEUFM1H102B Although it looks different it is the same shop as above. Interestingly though shipping starts from 5,89 €, when you order from that site.

http://dkc1.digikey.com/us/digihome.html seems to be the only source that offers the EEUFM1H560B here in Germany. They ship into 140 countries, so you can probably make a direct order there. They also have the other FM and the FC types.

Also try http://www.farnell.com/
 
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