Capacitor log Mundorf Silver in Oil

Just a few hours and still trying to get a handle on the change. The first Duelund was a revalation. I am not hearing anything new and different with 2. Except maybe hands on the violin moving the strings. Somewhat higher noise floor and somewhat more dynamic but the sound is tilted upward but not as high as SIO/Duelund. I am not sure why but I enjoy the Duelund/Supreme combo better than Duelund/Duelund but a little quieter and easier to focus on and more natural. (but this may change as it is close and break in could come into effect)

I am very curious as to what the effect to the mid cap change is going to be? Eleanor Rigby on the vintage caps is almost not the same song! It is all cello (and sloppy cello) and you can almost not even hear the violin. You can not hear the layers from front to back or ANY interaction from the orchestra.

On the Duelund's there is a violin near Paul and 2 or 3 behind him and cello's farther back. On vintage there is no front to back of soundstage no primier violinist and back up ones.

The difference is astonishing from vintage to Duelund's.
There is no going back now. One can not go from knowing all what was happening in the song to hardly even hearing some instruements.

Help (Beatles) There is a playful bass line that does not even show up on the vintage caps!

So far it is
1. Duelund/Supreme
2. Duelund/Duelund
3. Supreme/SIO
4. SIO/Duelund
5. vintage
6. Supreme/Sonicap
7. Sonicap/Sonicap

5-7 could be changed for different reasons. But none of those combo's is near the top 4.

I will be ordering midrange caps and maybe inductors Friday or Monday. I have no idea what will work but will likely stick with some combo of Supreme/Duelund. I am just not sure whether to get inductors fisrt or caps?

Volleyguy, what's this jump to Sonicap's and Duelund? We were talking about Sonicap vs Mundorf....remember? You're also choosing to totally ignore the fact that any and all of the caps you're trying out need to burn in before any judgement can be made. Again, 30 hours on the Sonicap's isn't even close to what they will sound like after 300 hours. I guarantee they will sound very different than they do now, they all will. Please try to understand that because so far, you are not listening to the advice you're getting. That said, I'm out of this one. Good luck, have fun and enjoy.

My first post here, but found the topic very interesting so here goes:

I've done extensive comparisons of quite a lot of different capacitors, and have found the Duelunds to be without equal. Presently I use them in my home system and my car (I compete in pure passive car stereo).

The effect of using the Duelund caps (certainly also their resistors and inductors) has for me been akin to changing the entire system. I know how this sounds, but I am very very pleased with the results I'm getting.

Why they are apparently so much better beats me, it may be a combination of them using pure metal instead of the predominant use of plastic in the metalized designs and their brick like construction, but I don't know. To me anyway, the proof's in the listening.

By the way are you using the VSFs or the CASTs, I've got experience with both and the CASTs are really something.

Pics of my car if anyone's interested: http://www.buwaldahybrids.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=2797

Stormen thanks for the post. Some people have got mad with me for not yet going to full break in. But the results are so astonishing with the Duelund it is amazing.

I wish you would not have told me about the CAST's being even better. I can not imagine and yes am using the VSF's. (just kidding)

I do have to get new inductors and was not even considering Duelund. Are they that good?

I was also trying to get some debate on why they are so good? So real and natural sounding, I suspect the no plastic. I read something about all drivers being in phase as well. (Duelund)

Dear Volleyguy: Nice thread and a lot of fun you are having.

Speak about caps and caps's quality performance is almost always a relative subject opinion not an absolute one because any one of us have different music sound quality reproduction priorities and likes different kind of " colorations " due to audio system own limitations.

You are looking not for a " neutral " cap but for a " colored /distorted " one: +++++ " I want a warm not overly detailed sound .......they need lush smooth sounding caps " +++++
Nothing wrong with that it is your choice.

Of the passive electronic parts de caps IMHO are the ones that show more colorations/distortion and that you can hear it. Over the time I try several caps looking for the less " colored " one, looking for neutrality and one of the reasons that I was looking for neutrality was that a neutral cap ( in the speaker croosover ) is a way to know if the whole audio system is really right on target, a neutral cap can/could tell me if I have " problems " somewhere in the audio chain.
What happen if I choose a " colored " cap that with is own colorations hide those system quality performance in the audio chain?, well maybe I like it ( like in your case ) but what we are adding is more distortions to the final signal reproduction and ( at least ) for me this is not what I like to have and hear, my quest is to be nearer to the recording and this means: no distortions/colorations/noises/degradation on the signal trying to mantain its original integrity and this means too: accuracy and neutrality ( not analytical, lean or cold performance. ), looking for the less signal degradation in each link in the audio system chain.

Why I give you all this explanation?, well things happen ( and I'm not saying I'm right, it is only my opinion. ) that I already try/test ( over the time ) the Mundorf, Sonicap, V-caps, Duelund and many many other to name it here.

Till today I don't find any less colored/distorted cap that the Sonicaps. The Mundorf, Duelund and the like are not a neutal one items: far from there ( IMHO ).
I know that you don't like the Sonicaps and you know why you don't like it?, because it is telling you that your audio system has several quality performance " problems " in different audio links ( your vintage ones caps are too colored and yes I know the Scala: I owned it. ).

Do you know which is the signature quality difference performance between a distortion audio device ( cable, caps, resistors, inductors, tubes, etc, etc ) and other with less distortion?
well it is exactly what you report from the Sonicaps: " I hear less volume ", NO what you heard was not less SPL what you really heard was less DISTORTION that you " feel " like less SPL, believe me no doubt about.

Merganser already posted that you are not given the time to the different caps to settle down and I agree totally with him and I think that like me he is trying to help you.

In good shape let me to tell you how I'm looking you about this new " toy/game " to you: like a child with new toys that take it one and then other and the other and other: a lot of fun but almost nothing ( IMHO ) that really could help you in the long run, of course that it is your time and money.

Other thing that I'm worried about is that you are taking the opinion of those guys that made several test on 30+ caps ( the link that you posted ) where you don't know its real music/sound priorities and worse than that where you don't know how high or low are the distotions/colorations of their audio systems.
Along that the opinion of them about to " tame " the caps performance mixing different caps tell me that those people are not the best experts to take in count and let me explain about:

what they state and you follow is that you can compensate the distotions/colorations of one cap with the different distortions/colorations of other cap.
So what you have here is an absurd by any standard: that from two different colored/distorted different caps you achieve the right one!!!!!!
I'm sorry not agree with you about: from two distorted/colored caps ( adding its distortions ) you achieve a heavy distorted/colored performance not the inverse. That what you hear like it or not it is other subject but the reality is that you have more distortions. I don't like it but the important subject here is that like to you.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.