Filter caps

[J Rindt]

Xixon, Nichicon, IC, F&T, Sprague, Mallory, TAD.
Anybody have any REAL evidence that is conclusive regarding quality and longevity of E-Caps. I have heard a Million times that F&T are quality "German Made" caps and have better quality control compared to Nichicon for example. I hear the same about Mallory......"better" quality control.
OK.......but how do people KNOW that. Do guys just repeat what they read and hear.....or do they know what goes on inside these component manufacture companies.?
Thank You

[John]

http://www.el34world.com/Forum/index.php?topic=6320.0

Long thread discussing just this. 

[dpm309]

I have been using Nichicon Filter Caps from Mouser for a while now and have had zero problems with them.  They are fairly inexpensive and smaller than Sprague's so you can fit them anywhere.

Dan

[HotBluePlates]

Forget hype. Eventually, all e-lytics will die. So buy some that are reasonably good quality and cheap (like the ones Doug sells here).

[LooseChange]

No opinion. All work equally well.

[J Rindt]

OK.....Thanks for the info, opinions, and that link. Some good reading there.
Kind of a "blanket staement".....I know it is not always true, but I tend to see less "hype" from the Hoffman board than on some other forums. And I know some of you guys are probably signed up at TGP, Telecatser, TAG, Ampage, etc...... But it still seems like a question regarding component Brands, Colors, Quality.......stuff like that....get a bit more of a un-biased answer when I ask on Doug's Forum. Maybe it is just my imagination.....my own HYPE perhaps....
Anyway.....I do not have all the years under my belt that some of you guys do, but I have installed A LOT of IC and Xicon caps in the power supply of rebuilt Fender style amps. I have yet to see any kind of pattern of poor quality. Nothing you can do about strong opinions I guess. But I think you guys have kind of qualified my suspisions.....most of the E-Caps we use are all pretty decent.....no matter the size or price.
Unlike tubes, I have a feeling that elytics are not that big of a deal to produce in mass and quality......assuming your recipe for the dielectric paste is up to snuff.
Thank You

[stratele52]

Loose change ; False. Is like you sais all guitar and amp are same

[tubenit]

No opinion. All work equally well.

  from LooseChange

Loose change ; False. Is like you sais all guitar and amp are same

I understand LooseChange to be saying they have worked equally well for him. I would say the same thing. We're talking about our personal experience has not indicated that  one is "better" than another with electrolytics.  I can't hear any difference in tone & not one electrolytic I've used has failed on me to my rememberance.

I have found a signficant difference in regular caps but not electrolytics.

With respect, Tubenit

[bluestone]

The only one that ever failed for me was because I put it in backwards!!!!

[LooseChange]

I'm with you on that! 

[stratele52]

A good quality filter cap improve dynamic response , gain, and overall alivness of sound. I'm surprise you never hear that tubenit .

[J Rindt]

A good quality filter cap improve dynamic response , gain, and overall alivness of sound. I'm surprise you never hear that tubenit .

Perhaps it is because all the filter caps he uses/has used are "quality" caps........?

[drumslinger2000]

I bought into the hype at one time with sprague and thought that was the way to go but after several builds with different electrolytics at a lesser cost, the outcome is always the same, it works, it's quiet and no tone difference.   

[EL34]

A good quality filter cap improve dynamic response , gain, and overall alivness of sound. I'm surprise you never hear that tubenit

And who knows which caps are good quality and which are not?
Ask 10 people, get 10 different answers.

Maybe some caps people say are not good sound a certain way that sounds good to me and not to you.

The way a player lays his hands on a string makes way more difference that the brand of parts in an amp.

[Danskman]

FYI, I just repaired a Deluxe Rev RI. There was a Lelon 47muF/500V and three IC 22muF/500V. The Lelon was 0muF and started leaking its electrolyt by the the wire on the + side... The IC were measured at 29/30muF. I changed them by F/Ts. I know that some batches of IC are very short-lived ones; some other seem to work fine for years!
It was a bedroom amp, not a roadhouse one, seven years old.
Best regards,
Danskman

[Rev D]

 I'm with Tubenit and Loosechange on this one, I've used the Illinois, Sprague and a few others and the only thing I lost was money when I used the spragues, the stuff I got from Doug worked fine, as the other thread discussed to death use what you like, but sound differences if there are any are probably due to more or tighter filtering rather than brand. I'm sure there are production tolerances perhaps some are looser than others I haven't checked that, I've gigged a 18 watter to death through three different variations (lite, TMB and EF86) using the Illinois edit that, it was a F&T 32/32 (the Illinois are in two 5e3's I built even older at 5 years) my bad and its still hanging in and loud as ever. Shrug, its pay your money and take your choices. Good luck with whatever you decide on!  

Regards,

Don

[catnine]

 I used Illinois caps once but never had the amp long enough to have an opinion . I use sprague on a few builds because they fit the eyelet board . I tried them once in a MM bass amp but they were to long for the board and the original mallory that was a dual cap had a nice bracket so to use the spragues I had to use a standoff to mount them. Other than the f&t because they fit the eyelet board . I use a few Xicon caps for the bias board or for a cathode bypass resister . So far I have had no problem. A CE cap can because it fit the 73 champ chassis like the original . I can't say about size when there are three to four caps in one can yet they seem to last a very long time.
 I would imagine any well know amp parts supplier would not sell parts if there were known issues.