[Rubicon15]

Has anyone had their Conrad Johnson amp recapped with the new Teflon caps. Conrad Johnson will recap and replace additional parts as needed at their factory for approximately $1000. Obviously, the service fee is expensive but much less than a new amp, especially one of this quality. My MV60SE works flawlessly now but I am considering restoring it before I experience any problems. I have previously read the sound quality will improve with the new caps etc. I would like to keep this amp for at least another 10+ years. Any thoughts regarding this matter will be greatly appreciated.

[thorman]

I guess for me I would make dam sure the Teflon Caps are what you are looking for. I tried the V/Cap ( TFTF ) Teflon's and didn't like them at all and changed quickly to the Copper ( CUTF ) in my Thor audio Preamp and Amps many years ago. At $1000 is not Chump Change so I would actually want to hear what I am paying for before investing. Also check with VH Audio. I know he has new Version of the V/caps now. Since you C/J piece is out of Warranty, I would think there are many other options for the work to be done..
Just my 2 Cents worth...Good luck.............

[rpf]

I had a Conrad Johnson 17LS that I sent back to CJ for an upgrade to S2 status. This largely entailed changing to Teflon caps. I didn't like the result. I also had two other pieces (a tube pre-amp and a tube amp from different manufacturers) that had Teflon caps. I didn't like the results in those cases either and sold the pre-amp and changed out the caps in the amp. Teflon caps, IME, produce a slippery, overly smooth, perhaps even glassy sound.

To me, Copper foil caps produce - by far - the most natural tonality of any cap type.

I used to own the MV60/MV60SE. It's a nice amp.

[SET Man]

Hey!

    I had a conversation with a fellow audio friend not long ago and he told me that Teflon caps take forever to break in, we're looking at 1000 of hours here. I don't know which cap he was talking about but he said once they got enough hours on them they sound very good to "him" Of course this is all subjective. If you like the sound of you amp now, it will definitely be different with the new Teflon caps and you might like it more or not at all after that.

   Personally I've never tried Teflon caps in my system of which consisted of tube pre and SET amp. I have Jensen Copper PIO caps in them for the past 21 years. One failed after 19 years and I tried Miflex and Jupiter copper and at the end I went back to Jensen, luckily I had a spare pair. Actually Miflex was pretty good and not expensive.

    $1000 is not cheap but at least you'll get the them to go over very thing and that would be good if you decided to sell it down the road. Or if you're a DIYer you can go over those caps yourself and change the couplings caps to suit your system.

   Anyway, good luck and keep us posted.

Buddy
   

[Rubicon15]

Thank you for the candid replies. Based on everyone’s feedback, I definitely need to research this topic further. The information I read on the CJ owner’s site was all pretty positive. My amp is in fantastic condition. I purchased it used approximately 8 years ago. Unfortunately, my work and family schedule kept me from enjoying my system until a year ago. I know, pretty sad! Luckily I was able to retire at 60. Yes, the hard work paid off and there is life after a very successful career. Just don’t get trapped into working after retirement - enjoy life! A little consulting can keep the juices flowing. I would like to hear from as many members as possible. What is the average life expectancy of the caps etc? I know heat is not our friend and it’s a tube amp.

[veloceleste]

.

[Carl V]

Email Bill Thalmann at Music Technology in Virginia about your concerns/questions. He is well known for his knowledge about C-J.
https://www.musictechnology.com/repair-services

Agree, cj charges an Arm and a leg. Bill is a little cheaper. I’ve had cj & then him go thru my pv5 and mv52’s.
Teflon caps take forever to settle in. You’re gonna burn thru some  tubes and generate a whole lotta heat.
I too paid for the mv60se upgrade. Back in the day while nearly new. It was an upgrade that in hindsight was mostly for resale value. After a year I think I heard an improvement. Compared and contrasted with A non-upgraded mv60se, don’t bet the farm. The mv 50 to 52 upgrade was worth it. Nicer tubes (quiet driver tubes from RAM audio was the best upgrade. IMHO.

[lazydays]

Hey!

    I had a conversation with a fellow audio friend not long ago and he told me that Teflon caps take forever to break in, we're looking at 1000 of hours here. I don't know which cap he was talking about but he said once they got enough hours on them they sound very good to "him" Of course this is all subjective. If you like the sound of you amp now, it will definitely be different with the new Teflon caps and you might like it more or not at all after that.

   Personally I've never tried Teflon caps in my system of which consisted of tube pre and SET amp. I have Jensen Copper PIO caps in them for the past 21 years. One failed after 19 years and I tried Miflex and Jupiter copper and at the end I went back to Jensen, luckily I had a spare pair. Actually Miflex was pretty good and not expensive.

    $1000 is not cheap but at least you'll get the them to go over very thing and that would be good if you decided to sell it down the road. Or if you're a DIYer you can go over those caps yourself and change the couplings caps to suit your system.

   Anyway, good luck and keep us posted.

Buddy
 

When I had my Odyssey mono blocs rebuilt a few years back, I went with the largest caps (Mundorf?), and it took a solid month to where I could listen to them. Then they kept changing for a solid four months. About as soon as they were sounding really nice; I get a lightening strike on the phone/cable TV boxes out back. The power surge followed the cables right into the house, and fried the amps and several other things. Back to the shop again for a major rebuild and major upgrades. Interesting thing is that they new rebuilds sounded great as soon as we powered them up (gave them an hour to start the charge on the caps). Why I can't say, but everybody thought the samething. They did get better over the next month or so, but nothing like the first time.
gary

[Rubicon15]

It sounds like I should just wait until the caps need replacement and not do anything until it is absolutely necessary. Since I purchased the amp used 8 years ago, how can I tell if the previous owner had the caps replaced like Carl? Maybe I’ll get lucky and find upgraded caps under the hood. I love the MV60SE and plan on keeping it the rest of my life if possible. In this case, I think old/vintage is better than new. This thing is built like a tank. I’ve yet to find someone who didn’t like their MV60 or regret selling it at some point. I really don’t want to get back on the upgrade merry go round. I got off when I found this classic piece of equipment. Again, can anyone describe what to look for if my caps need replacement or if they were upgraded? I sincerely appreciate everyone’s advice.

[Mike B.]

The caps that degrade the most are electrolytics. 15 years is the usual limit on them. The sound slowly becomes less dynamic and detailed and is often not noticed till they are replaced.

[Rubicon15]

Dumb question, is the 15 year replacement cycle based on regular use over time or just “simply” age. In this  case, after approximately 15 years the caps just need to be replaced - use is not a factor. My amp didn’t see much use for the last 6-8 years. If the caps just age over time, with little to no use, I am reaching the limit. Can you visually inspect the caps?

[RDavidson]

Dumb question, is the 15 year replacement cycle based on regular use over time or just “simply” age. In this  case, after approximately 15 years the caps just need to be replaced - use is not a factor. My amp didn’t see much use for the last 6-8 years. If the caps just age over time, with little to no use, I am reaching the limit. Can you visually inspect the caps?

Yeah. You want to look for caps that are bulging or forming a dome on top. If you want to keep your gear in good running condition longer, it is best to periodically use it. This is much better than just letting it sit unused for years.

[Rubicon15]

Thank you for the information. I will inspect the amp next week. Point of clarification, the amp saw limited use, a 1-3 hours a week for 6-8 years. Some weeks had no use. I know, pretty sad…

[Carl V]

I sincerely doubt you’ll find many problems. Audionervosa is & always has been an issue. Good luck b

[SET Man]

Dumb question, is the 15 year replacement cycle based on regular use over time or just “simply” age. In this  case, after approximately 15 years the caps just need to be replaced - use is not a factor. My amp didn’t see much use for the last 6-8 years. If the caps just age over time, with little to no use, I am reaching the limit. Can you visually inspect the caps?

Hey!

     My main SET amps will turn 22 years old this December. Beside one coupling cap... the Jensen PIO, which are known to fail... failed, other caps are fine so far. Mine have all Elna Cerafine electrolytic caps in the power supply, and they all look fine without bulging or leakage. I think 15 years time is unnecessary. Most I've heard is 25-30 years for electrolytic caps, especially those in PSU. Small signal caps like poly, Teflon should last longer... assuming the amp was well designed and your CJ is for sure.

   Like you I use my system average about 4-8 hours a week. So, considering you don't use your amp much, don't sweat it! Actually it is better to turn on your amps once in awhile than leave them off month after month.

Buddy

[RDavidson]

Thank you for the information. I will inspect the amp next week. Point of clarification, the amp saw limited use, a 1-3 hours a week for 6-8 years. Some weeks had no use. I know, pretty sad…

I agree with SET man. If you're using your gear pretty regularly, even for short periods, it'll be fine. The main thing is to just not let it sit for months or years without being turned on. You want to charge up the caps periodically. And if something breaks, get it fixed. In most cases it's pretty simple. The only time it might be a problem is where a piece of gear was built with some parts that are no longer made and no substitutes are available. This is a very rare case and CJ is not known for building boat anchors.