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Customers that are dropping 10K on speakers (or more) want to know they're getting "something" for their money.
It's somewhat ironic that while Blair, as a relatively new manufacturer, claims that there is no difference between say, a polyester cap and a teflon cap (assuming the same value), other, more established manufacturers (Audio Research, conrad johnson, Audio Note, hell, even B&W has discovered the sonic advantages to Mundor caps) have been converting to better components. So who is right? Yes, there are others who share Blair's philosphy - Frank Van Alstine and Roger M. come to mind, but again, they are niche manufacturers (granted, very well rgarded niche manufacturers) who more than likely don't have have either the time,inclination, or cost incentive to play the component game (some of these suckers can get expensive!) Although I seem to recall that Jeff Behr has modified Rogers EM7 amps with positive results. That B&W has done the research and concluded that the Mundorf oil caps are sonically the best for their diamond tweeters is enough for me to accept that here are sonic differences between components. So to me it boils down to these questions: 1) Blair, why do you beleive that components don't make a sonic difference? 2) Have you experimented with the exotics? 3) Is it possible that some circuits are more sensitive to upgrades than others?4) Are all the other rather large and successful manufacturers spewing marketing bullsh*t?5) Are all of the field reports delusional?6) Does anybody really know what time it is?
You will find that I am a stickler for using components of the proper composition for a specific job. Not everything is interchangeable, even if they have the same values. Folks, you are working yourselves up for nothing if you believe that all stock components from every manufacturer are inferior. This is not so! Please do not stereotype.
Are other manufacturers putting a load in your ear? ONLY if they are purposely using a $20.00 component in a location where a $5.00 one still exceeded the circuit parameters. Do you understand what I am saying? I am not talking about replacing an inferior component with a better one. You have to look at things from the circuit's standpoint and I doubt people are doing that. For example, if a circuit has 2 watt resistors in it and it's only sending 1/2 a watt through them, would it make any difference from a quality standpoint if they were replaced with 10 watt resistors? They're bigger and more expensive so it should better, right? Absolutely not. Sure, it may look impressive and will cost more but that's it. The bottom line: You mentioned field reports that state marked improvements after upgrading components:1] Are they replacing inferior components?2] Are they replacing components initially well suited for their job?What do you know as FACT about the components being removed?
I didn't mean to sound arrogant. So it's not a mystery, I tend to use Vishay metalized polypropylene capacitors for most coupling applications.A good read: http://www.americancapacitor.com/Diel.htmI have been looking into this subject with interest since so many people place a high value on boutique components. What bothers me so far is the lack of, say, Teflon capacitors mentioned outside the audio community. That brings up another question: Why is it that specialty capacitors are typically ONLY mentioned among audio enthusiasts? It's a shame when a good product or component isn't more widely used in the electronics industry. I'm not being sarcastic. As the list above states, various capacitor makeups have different pro's and con's.
I wouldn't believe the Teflon cap had its roots in audio. Most likely it was a military application. As to why it's been dropped from the available mainstream component manufacturers is a mystery. My guess is polypropylene-based capacitors have been undergoing technological improvements and most likely come very,very close to their performance. Resistors: I have not noticed much of a difference between carbon film, carbon composition or metal film capacitors. The most stable would be carbon film & metal film.
I have experimented with Auricaps and Sprague Black Beauties. No audible differences were detected.
BobRex,I think Blair explained himself pretty clearly in this quote:End of discussion. But I will ask Blair to kindly post somewhere on his forum what his playback system is composed of, so clients can get an idea of what his associated equipment, speakers and most importantly, ROOM that he auditions his gear in. I think having a certain level of fidelity is important as a baseline for any manufacturer and this should be divulged to current and future clients. Anand.
Hi Blair,on the question of resistors, there is supposed to be a difference in sound between the carbon type and the metal film type. That was his question. With all values being the same, you might take a few moments and if you happen to have some carbons and metal films of equal value, then put them in a critical circuit, and see if you can tell the difference. Even brands of resistors have there own sound character. Ray Bronk
I haven't heard any boutique cap manufacturers claim their caps WORK and better than other types. They just claim that they SOUND better. Why would anyone outside of the audio industry care how a cap sounds? I think this is why you find these caps only in the audio field.
I thought the only real difference between metal film and carbon resistors was noise level; metal film winning the fight.
Anand,Listing his system is a good idea, it will at least give everybody a frame of reference.Bob
Anand,Go back and look at my last post. I was responding Blair's statement regarding "inferior" components and the implication that other manufacturers are using such components. I interpreted that line of reasoning as false, and gave reasons why. Listing his system is a good idea, it will at least give everybody a frame of reference.Bob
What I was trying to say from the beginning post is this: People will find a greater degree of improvements with circuit upgrades than with component upgrades. This goes for my equipment and I should not have generalized that statement. Amps & preamps can be made an infinite amount of ways. Different designs will have different component sensitivities. My gear has always been sensitive to power supply quality as well as the grounding architecture. Now that you know what my playback systems consist of, it is a good idea to examine the inside of an amplifier. You might have noticed that it looks sparse. This is a completed amplifier. All coupling caps are the most advanced polypropylene and have been reduced in size by 25%. Our power supply is based on a 1950's architecture which relies on a multi-step filtration system instead of banks of huge electrolytics. The efficiency of the ground system is a large factor in how well the power supply works. This amp uses a power transformer with a shielded secondary and eliminates allot of noise which can be induced from the mains. AKA: Isolation transformer. On top of that, a wide copper band surrounds the core to reduce/eliminate radiated EMI.