V-Cap ODAM: What the Future Sounds Like


The evolution of the capacitor has led manufactures to utilize copper foil in the finest of capacitors. There’s a new kid on the block that might turn the capacitor world on it’s head but it’s too small and too affordable to be a copper foil cap. At first sight, one can brush off this new cap as just another insignificant option to the plethora of capacitors that are already on the market. The ODAM is much more than just another capacitor, it’s revolutionary.

The VCap ODAM capacitor is quite possibly the most transparent capacitor on the market. It will allow your system to perform in a way that you’d never expect from a capacitor upgrade because we’ve become accustomed to the limitations of conventional capacitors. It unlocks the potential of your system and you can experience your music collection in a new way. The ODAM will show you that there’s so much more information in your music. You have no idea what you’ve been missing.

My first experience with the ODAM was when I tested it in my backup DAC, the MHDT Pagoda. This DAC is known for having a wide soundstage but I had no idea how much wider it can get when the restraints were removed by the ODAM. It was quite a revelation. There are so many adjectives to describe what improved and how much they improved. I’m going to fast forward that part to tell you that the key takeaway here is that I’m able to hear and experience the recording more than ever before.

The second revelation that the ODAM provided came from a power conditioner tweak. Use your favorite search engine and search for "Audience conditioner". You can find several images of the internal circuitry of these power conditioners and notice that there are capacitors installed in parallel to the receptacles. You may also notice that each capacitor is slightly larger than the next within the same series of receptacles. This is a simple trick to filter noise at different frequencies. I’ve used this technique in my conditioner for several years now and I’ve concluded that Teflon caps were the best cap type in this position but then the ODAM came along. I installed a 0.47uf and a 0.1uf ODAM @ 600V (one cap on two of the three receptacles of my conditioner) then I had a listen. This was an "OH SH*T" moment. I did not expect this much of a leap in sound quality. The noise floor vanished. My system was already very dimensional but now it’s like wearing 3D goggles for my ears. It was shocking to learn how awful my system’s A/C was all these years.

I was a teenager the first time that I experienced a soundstage through a stereo system although I must admit that I was under the influence of cannabis. I really enjoyed how the high accentuated my hearing ability but I quickly grew out of this smoking phase in my life. I eventually got a job, I bought a car, and had a sound system installed in it.

I followed what members of an online mobile audio forum were doing by installing SEAS or Scanspeak/Vifa drivers into the vehicle. That’s how I was introduced to high end audio and that’s when I realized that this hobby is the gateway into experiencing an audio high without being high. I chased that high ever since.

Most of us in this hobby can relate to the chase for better sound but the chase recently came to a conclusion for me. I’ve finally reached that sonic high that I’ve been chasing and the ODAM helped get me there.

The ODAM couldn’t achieve so much alone. It allows my Pass XA25 and the JCAT FEMTO USB card to shine. The ODAM is the closest thing to no capacitor. It imparts no tonal coloration whatsoever. There is no limitation to sound stage width and depth other than what your system is capable of.

So much has already been said about the ODAM and it’s posted on the VCap website. I encourage you to have a look. Those comments are spot-on.

c_avila1
I swapped the Odams in my 45 SET Wednesday (Thanks for the help Ciro). I knew I'd be in for a long break-in... Went through some pain with the Duelunds in my DAC. I wanted my "old" DAC back. Odams sounded pretty pretty good out the gate, with a wonderful clarity. Now, not so much. Soundstage has done some collapsing and even some noticeable grain on some tracks. About 30 hours in thus far. 
@jmolsberg Clarity is an adjective that I would use to describe the ODAM but never grainy. These caps might be revealing other weaknesses in your system. You might get better synergy if you switch to warmer tubes that don't reveal as much detail. 

Also, point the speakers straight forward and then slowly begin adjusting the speakers inward as you listen to correct the soundstage problem. Your speakers maybe pointing inward too much. 

I'll message you to inquire further. 
I have around 70 hours in and the soundstage has certainly blossomed. I did have a bad tube in my AM Tubadour dac which was the cause of my "grain." I am resisting rolling tubes until i have 150+ hours on the caps. The ODAMs offer a much higher level of fidelity than the replaced ElectroCube Mylar capacitors. It does take some time to get your head around what you are hearing or not hearing. 
update at 150 hours the v-cap odams are liquid. just wonderful and smooth as silk. the bass energy is tremendous! very pleased with the coupling cap change (:
The Odam caps have nearly 400 house and they are just wonderful! Beautiful flow and tone. Noise floor is non-existent. They did not change the sonic signature of the amplifier just a better version, which was the goal.