speaker caps

[scorpio333]

I've got a pair of Sansui SP-1200's. I like how they sound…sometimes. I run them on my 10w tube amp. At low volume (below 25%), eh ok. Get right up close to them, eh not so much. Sit back and turn it up and they sound pretty good to my ears. I pulled the rear panel off to see what was going on inside. I cleaned the switches, though they didn't have any noise which switching. Then I saw the caps - Bi Polar - that explains it. Good and evil all in one, like most of my ex's.

Visually they look clean, but also look easy enough to replace. Given their age, I'm going look around and order some and see if it makes any difference.

[Dicky]

Can't hurt, and you will probably be pleasantly surprised when you finish

[Sir Thrift-a-Lot]

I believe OBG just got done rehabbing a pair of those.   Maybe he will weigh in.

I recommend these caps.   Cheaper and faster ship than Parts Express, very good caps.

http://www.mouser.com/Nichicon/Aluminum-Electrolytic-Capacitors-Leaded/ES-Series/_/N-1z0zlbmZ75hqwZ1z0ynqj

[SunnyDaze]

Changing to metalized film or film and foil from polar electrolytic will be a significant improvement.

Caps are cheap. Solder is too. Go for it, dude! 

[SunnyDaze]

Also, you might want to swap out those resistors for Mills 1% or another quality non-inductive resistor.

[scorpio333]

STaL, that link gave me nightmares! I came across a post buried on AK that had links to PE. Switched the 4.7 to 3.3 and it's under $30.

Jantzen 2.2uF 400V Z-Standard Capacitor
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/show...TOKEN=60902039

Jantzen 4.7uF 400V Z-Standard Capacitor
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/show...TOKEN=60902039

Jantzen 10uF 400V Z-Standard Capacitor
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/show...TOKEN=60902039

Baby steps there 8w, baby steps. It's on the radar. I think I'll do the caps first and maybe if I don't completely screw up the soldering, I'll do resistors down the road some.

[SunnyDaze]

Find a broken VCR or something of the like. Practice desoldering caps and other parts from the PCB boards that you find inside of it. No harm, no foul. No charge, either.

[F1nut]

If you're going to do it, do it right. Change the caps to either Sonicap Gen I or Clarity ESA, both are better than Janzten caps. Absolutely change the resistors to Mills 10 watt and don't use the Vishay-Mills made in Mexico. Sonic Craft still has good stock of NOS Mills made in the USA. You should also seriously consider upgrading the inductors to Janzten air core, which unlike their caps, are excellent.

[Sir Thrift-a-Lot]

STaL, that link gave me nightmares! I came across a post buried on AK that had links to PE.

What is it about the link that gave you nightmares?

[Sir Thrift-a-Lot]

If you're going to do it, do it right. Change the caps to either Sonicap Gen I or Clarity ESA, both are better than Janzten caps.

Okay, some caps sound better than others, but the differences are subtle.   The caps he has in there now are about 40 years old and well past their life expectancy.   It is almost a given that they are out of spec.   Even a fiddy cent cap functioning at the right value will get him 90% of the way.   The boutique stuff will get the last 10%.

I plan to use better caps in my Hereseys, but I would question if those Sansuis will ever be good enough to justify the expense.   Just my opinion, of course.

[Sir Thrift-a-Lot]

Then I saw the caps - Bi Polar - that explains it. Good and evil all in one, like most of my ex's.

I just re-read this.   In case you didn't know, all xover caps are bipolar.   They have to be to pass the AC to the speakers.   If you use polarized caps in an xover, it won't work (as I found out the hard way some time ago).

[scorpio333]

What is it about the link that gave you nightmares?

Too many numbers and filters and out of stock and 17 week lead times. Perhaps tomorrow with coffee it will become clear.

F1, I get it, I've heard it from my dad for as long as I can remember. Putting $4000 tires on a Cavalier won't make it a racecar. It's a point of diminishing returns, these are Sansui's we're talking about. I'm half impressed I wasn't run off the board just for admitting I like Sansui's. They don't have the best reputation. I like the way they sound, but not to the point "they'll never leave this house". I'd sell them if I thought I could and try something else, but I'm not there yet. If $30 makes them sound a bit better and keeps me from searching for replacements, great. If not, I've spent $30 on worse stuff and I'll keep looking for the next step up.

The bi-polar just struck me as funny in a twisted humor way.

[Sir Thrift-a-Lot]

What is it about the link that gave you nightmares?

Too many numbers and filters and out of stock and 17 week lead times. Perhaps tomorrow with coffee it will become clear.

There is a check box near the top that says "stocked".   Check that and you will get rid of all of the out of stock varieties.   Then just choose the needed capacitance and it should narrow down to just a few choices.

[F1nut]

   Putting $4000 tires on a Cavalier won't make it a racecar.   

     

True, but you would be able to corner 10 to 20mph faster, stop shorter too.

  It's a point of diminishing returns, these are Sansui's we're talking about.   

I recently upgraded a pair of original Baby Advents, which have very basic crossovers and will certainly never be great speakers. I used Clarity ESA caps, Mills resistors, new boards with point to point wiring, upgraded the chassis wire, added a internal brace, installed new binding posts and plates, replaced the grill cloth and refinished the end caps. I knew that I'd never get the money back out of them, but wanted to hear what they could do. The sound quality improvement was impressive.

Anyway, use good film and foil caps of your choice and budget, but definitely upgrade the resistors as they play a bigger role than I think you realize and they are not expensive.

[AdamG]

I call them "While the iron's hot" upgrades. You go in to fix one issue component, you might as well just gut the whole thing and replace all of the components. Shipping works out better on a per-component basis when you get more stuff anyway.

Have fun with it!