Anyone used this caps. I would like to know if they are as good as the old teflon caps. I used the red Astron Jupiter clones with very good results in my 5E3 clone. I think they are mutch better than the 6PS OD's. Do these Amtrans caps come close to the teflons. Are the Vcap teflons worth the money.
http://www.hificollective.co.uk/compone ... _amco.html
Amtrans PET film caps
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David Root
- Posts: 3540
- Joined: Fri Aug 04, 2006 3:00 pm
- Location: Chilliwack BC
Re: Amtrans PET film caps
In general, hi fi signal caps are designed to be as near neutral, flat, as possible, with extended bass and treble response.
In general, the signal caps used in musical instrument amps are not.
The Amtrans caps are hi fi caps, but you may like them. (I have bought Amtrans CF resistors for an audio amp build, but not tried the caps). The Amtrans caps may well have a tad more character than the teflon V-Caps, which well heeled hi fi types seem to love, but neither of them are going to do much for you in an MI amp, especially not the V-Caps at +$100 each..
Having said that, I could see experimenting with hi fi signal caps in a super-clean bass amp.
Those red Jupiters are indeed very good, but not for modern hi fi use. Restoring a 1950 or so audio amp, yes they should do the trick. I used them in my '57 Twin build with great results.
I have used Black Gate electrolytics in the past in power supplies with good results, and occasionally flirted with BGs in cathode bypass. You never know until you try it.
It's all a matter of taste, but in general I think you'll find using a similarly constructed cap as the original design works best. This is true in old Fenders, Marshalls and Dumbles for sure.
If it's a new design altogether, then I would try almost anything to get the tone I hear in my head!
In general, the signal caps used in musical instrument amps are not.
The Amtrans caps are hi fi caps, but you may like them. (I have bought Amtrans CF resistors for an audio amp build, but not tried the caps). The Amtrans caps may well have a tad more character than the teflon V-Caps, which well heeled hi fi types seem to love, but neither of them are going to do much for you in an MI amp, especially not the V-Caps at +$100 each..
Having said that, I could see experimenting with hi fi signal caps in a super-clean bass amp.
Those red Jupiters are indeed very good, but not for modern hi fi use. Restoring a 1950 or so audio amp, yes they should do the trick. I used them in my '57 Twin build with great results.
I have used Black Gate electrolytics in the past in power supplies with good results, and occasionally flirted with BGs in cathode bypass. You never know until you try it.
It's all a matter of taste, but in general I think you'll find using a similarly constructed cap as the original design works best. This is true in old Fenders, Marshalls and Dumbles for sure.
If it's a new design altogether, then I would try almost anything to get the tone I hear in my head!
Re: Amtrans PET film caps
Thank you David. I just can't see how bandwith could be a problem in a guitar amp.
I used Jensens and Musicaps before in tweed amps and Bassmans all with better results. Jensens in a 5E3 are to die for. No harshness or flubby bass at all. The question is, are they worth the big money
I used Jensens and Musicaps before in tweed amps and Bassmans all with better results. Jensens in a 5E3 are to die for. No harshness or flubby bass at all. The question is, are they worth the big money
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David Root
- Posts: 3540
- Joined: Fri Aug 04, 2006 3:00 pm
- Location: Chilliwack BC
Re: Amtrans PET film caps
Bandwidth per se is not a problem in a guitar amp, the fundamental range is pretty small compared with 20-20kHz in audio. But that's just the tip of the iceberg.
We all know that if you put a bigger OT in an amp it does change the tone, by extending the bass and treble. This may or may not be an improvement in tone, depends on the circuit and one's taste or expectations. Personally I like bigger iron, up to a point.
If higher/lower harmonics and/or intermodulation distortion are changed, both of these also change the tone. IM distortion is generally not musical in nature in guitar amps or hi-fi. Harmonic distortion is a different animal especially in guitar amps..
Caps of course change harmonic distortion and bandwidth, and the linearity of frequency response too, same as transformers, so they could also influence IM distortion too.
If we stay with coupling caps, which is what you are concerned with, then the hi-fi varieties will extend the frequency range and clean up non-linearity. You like these results, but it's a matter of taste in guitar amps. Many guitar amp fanatics would disagree, saying the amp becomes sterile and lacks life. This generally refers to existing classic circuits.
Personally I would agree, for example, that de-flubbing bass is a good thing, if it can be done without altering the amp's essential character, well and good. This generally done in the power supply though, and I don't see how this can be done with signal coupling caps. Maybe I missed something.
I hate to say it but if Leo Fender were designing guitar amps today he might well be using Xicon signal caps or some other non-branded product of dubious parentage, simply because of economics.
But he also knew and his engineers knew, that to get that prized Fender tone, sometimes you may have to tell the bean counters to take a hike.
And to me, that's the nub of it, to know when to spend a bit more to get what you hear in your head, and when that won't make an audible difference. Sometimes you just have to try it and see, or rather, hear, for yourself. Example: The 0.1 cap to ground in a long tail PI. Not in signal path, anything electrically reliable will do. Conversely the PI entrance cap is important.
We all know that if you put a bigger OT in an amp it does change the tone, by extending the bass and treble. This may or may not be an improvement in tone, depends on the circuit and one's taste or expectations. Personally I like bigger iron, up to a point.
If higher/lower harmonics and/or intermodulation distortion are changed, both of these also change the tone. IM distortion is generally not musical in nature in guitar amps or hi-fi. Harmonic distortion is a different animal especially in guitar amps..
Caps of course change harmonic distortion and bandwidth, and the linearity of frequency response too, same as transformers, so they could also influence IM distortion too.
If we stay with coupling caps, which is what you are concerned with, then the hi-fi varieties will extend the frequency range and clean up non-linearity. You like these results, but it's a matter of taste in guitar amps. Many guitar amp fanatics would disagree, saying the amp becomes sterile and lacks life. This generally refers to existing classic circuits.
Personally I would agree, for example, that de-flubbing bass is a good thing, if it can be done without altering the amp's essential character, well and good. This generally done in the power supply though, and I don't see how this can be done with signal coupling caps. Maybe I missed something.
I hate to say it but if Leo Fender were designing guitar amps today he might well be using Xicon signal caps or some other non-branded product of dubious parentage, simply because of economics.
But he also knew and his engineers knew, that to get that prized Fender tone, sometimes you may have to tell the bean counters to take a hike.
And to me, that's the nub of it, to know when to spend a bit more to get what you hear in your head, and when that won't make an audible difference. Sometimes you just have to try it and see, or rather, hear, for yourself. Example: The 0.1 cap to ground in a long tail PI. Not in signal path, anything electrically reliable will do. Conversely the PI entrance cap is important.