Hey 33,
I'm glad to hear that the recap worked out to your liking. And it's nice to hear that the Mundorf E-Caps sound good as well; that new NPE's are a worthy alternative, that still provide quality sound. You obviously liked them, but just curious if you heard an improvement in sound, and not just a return to stock sound quality? Also, after the recap, did the balance 'revert' to normal? Not too bright?
Thanks!
Hi Stimpy,
I'm struggling a bit to answer your question accurately.
When the Virgo's started sounding badly, I pulled them from the system. They sat in the closet for over 5 months until I finished my home projects for the summer. I'm sure that the caps were showing showing signs of their age before this, but the slide was rather gradual until it became acute.
I am hearing things in recordings that I wasn't aware of before. I've had the speakers for almost 20 years, I can't say if they sound like they did in 1997. I can say that they sound better than they have for the last 3-4 years, yes.
I wouldn't say that there is any "brightness",(I hate "brightness"). However, I would say that there is definitely more high frequency extension, but it is smooth and clean. I'm sure that my Virgo's crossovers started rolling the highs over the last couple of years. When it first started happening, I actually thought time had caught up with me & that was loosing my sensitivity to higher frequencies. Now that the Virgo's have been recapped, I realize that they were aging too!
I would say that the tonal balance is just about right. Nothing sticks out or is missing. It just feels right, like they used to do, but with seemingly more detail. My wife says that the sound is just a bit caramel colored, I can not argue. I like caramel!
There are some changes that I'm still trying to wrap my head around. I run two turntables, one for precious vinyl (Michell Gyro/Grace F9E) & the other for garage sale/ swap meet finds (Pioneer PLX-1000/Shure SC35C/N35X). The Pioneer/Shure seemed much darker than the Gyro/Grace set up. But now, the Shure sounds full bodied with extended highs. This change made me fear that the Grace would now sound bright, but it doesn't. I don't know what to make of this, but am happy with the results.
I have to mention that I contacted Joachim Gerhard, the original designer of my Virgo's, and he was very helpful/patient with my questions regarding his creation.
Subjectively, it seems like the speakers are playing a bit louder than they used to. In a couple of weeks, I'll run some pink noise with the AudioTools RTA and see if there's a change from previous results, but right now I just want to play some tunes & relax!