[rpf]

What are peoples' opinions on bypassing small value (2.7uf) coupling caps?

I've been told by a couple of acquaintances that doing so can create time smearing. Is this so? And are there advantages to doing it anyway?

TIA
Rob

[rollo]

  For economy reasons bypassing can offer a benifit. For me not an option. After using V-cCp Cu or Deuland caps there is just no need to adjust a thing. Power supplies another issue, bypass away !!!!.



charles

[rpf]

Hey Charles.

The problem is there isn't room in the amp (Rogue Cronus) to change the (Mundorf Mcaps) coupling caps. Every other brand cap of this value is physically much larger than the Mcaps. Hence, Rogue bypasses them as part of their Magnum upgrade. The question is should I go with it or just have the PS upgrades done?

[rollo]

 Improving the power supply yields more bang for the buck. Keeps it simple not simpler. Is it a tubed amp ? Why ? because the tube used should have a synergy with the coulping cap. For example when we used V-cap tin in oil to couple a GE 211 it was to cool a presentation. Using an RCA 211 the V-cap was unbeatable. A Jensen PIO with the GE 211 tube was the ticket. So it depends.
   However the biggest sonic change for the good was installing a Choke in the power supply in lieu of the cap being used, oh my !



charles

[James Romeyn]

For speakers, for the very most anal applications (you really are willing to spend a lot of time to "kick it up" to that upper 99th percentile) it seems worthwhile to perform audio tests on every non-polarized cap to confirm the preferred polarity.  Some of the most costly caps come pre-tested and marked.

The tests seemed validated when I consistently re-tested blind and always preferred the same polarity.   

Is it so within electronics/power supplies?