Audiocap Theta Audyn True Copper Mundorf Supreme

I had opportunity recently to change out and A-B the Audiocap Theta, Audyn True Copper, and Mundorf Supreme capacitors in my Kora Hermes DAC. Steve Sank of Talking Dog Transducer Company Tucson, modified my DAC with some screw in connectors which allowed me to change the Caps out with little difficulty.

The original Solen Caps in the Kora sounded good, yet not near as good as the Theta or True Copper and and are perhaps best served with use in the power supply rather than the signal path as used in the Kora Hermes DAC.

All of these caps are highly regarded. I am not going to engage in an exhaustive comparison, just give the general impression of these capacitors and compare some differences in my system which now consists of a Kora Hermes DAC or Cary 308T playing into an Almarro 318B Amp, with Zu Druid Speakers and Transparent MM2 Super speaker cables.

The Audiocap Theta and Audyn True Copper were the best of the lot. The Mundorf Supreme to me seemed a little less 3D and spacial than the others and sounded slightly glassy to me. Hard to pinpoint it, but something about the sound seemed a little off in my system.

The Audyn True Copper vs the Audiocap Theta was a more interesting comparison. They both sound wonderful and both excel at what they do and both project a different sonic signature.

To me, both the Audiocap Theta and Audyn True Copper are very alive, vibrant and musical. Both have great 3D imaging and have great bass midrange and treble presence. The Theta project a little more forward and revealing sound in the upper midrange and treble, and the Audyn True Copper have an impressively rich bass and midrange and are a little more linear in the treble region. The treble with the Audyn is still nicely present, open and alive , just a little less vibrant than the Theta. The True Copper do not sound dull at all. I would say that voices sound perhaps just a little warmer than real life in a very good way. The Audiocap Theta, seem to go ever so slightly the other way, rendering voices a bit more vibrant and detailed than real life, but never harsh or sterile or any of that.

Both sound wonderful. Which is better is probably system and taste dependent. If you want to maintain warmth yet want a little more detail in your system, the Theta is probably the best choice, if you would like to warm your system slightly with richer mids and a more linear upper treble which perhaps colors the sound slightly warmer than real life in a very nice way, the Audyn True Copper may be your capacitor.

Although I was hard put to find space for the mini beer cap and expensive Audn True Copper, I ended choosing the Audyn True Copper as I wanted a touch more texture, body, and richness in the midrange, and was still very pleased at how the Audyn Caps maintained a good treble presence and naturalness to the sound. However, the Theta offered a more energy and shimmer with a vivid portrayal of the sound from the upper midrange through treble that I would have liked to keep also. Apparently, there is always a tradeoff.

The difference in sound reminds me a little of the difference I heard comparing the Transparent MM2 Super speaker cable to the Acoustic Zen Satori. The Satori were very natural, warm, and revealing and never strident or harsh and the Transparent cable had mids which were slightly warmer, and gave up just a little in the highs.

It seems everything in your system balances others and contributes toward the net sound. I now wonder, having warmed the sound of my system with the Transparent MM2 Super speaker cables, and the Audyn True Copper capacitors, if I might have better synergy with the more open Satori speaker cables. With the Satori speaker cables in place, both capacitors would have sounded slightly more forward and my impression of both may have changed a little.

In a nutshell, if you do not mind coloring your sound slightly warmer than real life, I highly recommend the Audyn True Copper capacitors if you have space in your gear and the money for them. They a have great 3D soundstange and a rich and natural open sound to them across the sound spectrum with a full warm midrange presence that is the best I have heard.