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mica caps in tone-control circuit: report
- Thread starter Suzuki
- Start date
Are there some of you who tried this? :yes:
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In what gear would a ceramic cap be used in a tone circuit? Very strange...
Edit: Oh...we're in the tube forum.
In that case, nothing wrong with your experiment. If you like 'em, cool. Ceramics have their place, but I hate running a signal through them. And as good as a mica might be, I suspect a good film cap would be even better if you can find one in an appropriate value.
Edit: Oh...we're in the tube forum.
In that case, nothing wrong with your experiment. If you like 'em, cool. Ceramics have their place, but I hate running a signal through them. And as good as a mica might be, I suspect a good film cap would be even better if you can find one in an appropriate value.
I have read that the Russian Military Surplus mica caps can be an excellent sounding replacement as well as being very low priced. The article I read suggested using them for cartridge loading.
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Suzuki
jl1dca
In what gear would a ceramic cap be used in a tone circuit? Very strange...
Edit: Oh...we're in the tube forum.
Thank you for the reply, Echo!! Values for these caps are so small as 330and 690pF. (My tone-control stage is 12AX7.)
My VICTOR receiver used to have round-formed ceramic caps. For bass control, a pair of films are used. Sound of symbal and triangle, for example ,become vivid
and clear. They are space-consuming and fairy expensive, but worth its performance. 330p or 690p is too small for film cap's range, IMO.
Grainger, They must be good for phono EQing, that's for sure.
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diamondsouled
Recycle belly button lint!
What make of mica cap did you use?
Cheers
Lar
Cheers
Lar
Suzuki
jl1dca
That's SOSHIN ELECTRIC.
www.soshin.co.jp
round $3.50 each......radial lead, they are sold in AKihabara.
www.soshin.co.jp
round $3.50 each......radial lead, they are sold in AKihabara.
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i read somewhere that due to the nature of tone controls, i didnt matter too much what caps you used. as long as the cap was the correct value and didnt drift, it didnt matter too much of a difference acoustically.
i tried mica caps on a lafayette 224? amp i had and didn't like the sound. found them very bright and edgy. went back to military PIO's.
i tried mica caps on a lafayette 224? amp i had and didn't like the sound. found them very bright and edgy. went back to military PIO's.
wa2ise
Super Member
Ceramic caps were cheaper than other caps in the day. Ceramic is also waht was used in those rectangular circuit modules you sometimes see in vintage tube amps.
Ceramic caps tend to be nonlinear in capacitance and absorption and thus introduces some distortion products into audio signals. Most every types of caps are better, though tantalum isn't so great either, I hear...
33&athird
Turn on & Tune in
Yup, both ceramic and tantalum capacitors are not so great for signal paths. Ceramics are far more common, however, since tantalums are rather rare. I would think mica would be okay, especially for longevity...they almost never go bad, or drift. Film capacitors may be even better, though. Almost everything i've heard about film caps is good, and they are easy to find good quality ones at decent prices, and much like mica, don't go bad easily. May even save some space, as well...though I admit, I don't know how big the mica your using is.
How is that 12ax7? I have been considering building an amp, and thought about using one, but all the 12ax7's I found mentioned "great distortion"
, they seem to be marketed to guitar players (myself somewhat included), but they obviously have their place in tube amps, does it sound alright?:scratch2:.
The first part of my post was in thinking he has SS gear. I can't recall a ceramic cap being used as a signal path capacitor in any SS gear, not even in a tone or phono EQ circuit.
If I had a hot-**** tube amp with ceramics in an EQ circuit, I'd go shopping for some PTFE caps.
jaymanaa
RIP 1961-2018
goldear
Certifiable Audio Junkie
Silver micas are good sounding caps. Replacing ceramics is beneficial in any audio circuit, except for the RF stages of a tuner, where you should never replace the stock a ceramic caps, uless they have actually failed.
But I'll agree with Echo: While they are good, they aren't the last word. Polystyrene caps are really the best choice in a phono-EQ circuit, if you can source them.
But I'll agree with Echo: While they are good, they aren't the last word. Polystyrene caps are really the best choice in a phono-EQ circuit, if you can source them.
goldear
Certifiable Audio Junkie
Well, you might find that some Marantz 7C and ARC SP-3 owners take some offense at that. But in general, I'd agree with you.Real hot-**** tube amps don't have EQ circuits.
Back in yer hole before we start playing whack-a-hillbilly.:bash:Real hot-**** tube amps don't have EQ circuits.
jaymanaa
RIP 1961-2018
Terry DeWick
Terry replaces the older ceramic caps. I have seen hand fulls that were old, dried out and cracked. That mucks up the value and performance.
He gives good pricing to AKers.
(Ad at the bottom of every page, call for pricing, no affiliation, just a really nice guy!)
Terry replaces the older ceramic caps. I have seen hand fulls that were old, dried out and cracked. That mucks up the value and performance.
He gives good pricing to AKers.
(Ad at the bottom of every page, call for pricing, no affiliation, just a really nice guy!)
They are used in many places in SS gear (and still are), but virtually never in the signal path.
