[sdiy] "VINTAGE AUDIO" capacitors

[legion at helpwantedproductions.com]

"Vintage" (Whatever that is defined as) capacitor can indeed affect sound
as well as performance  In the synth world older is often not considered
better as the caps in synths such as the EMS Synthi, Arp 2600 etc are
often of limited bandwidth or in some cases literally dry up and crumble.
Many instruments have trouble with older caps (the Casio midi guitar comes
to mind) and often need to be recapped in order to function 20 years from
when they were made.

The line "they were engineered for sound" is rubbish. IN the case of Arp
synths it's really quite the opposite. Engineers used what they had and
nowadays you have companies like CMS "correcting" the error of using
crappy caps which leads to a far better sounding synth overall and, at
least according to the creator Alan Pearlman, more in line with what he
wished he could have done originally back in the 70s.

Certain caps do have characteristics that *some* people claim to be able
to hear. Sprague Orange drop caps come to mind. I use these in my DAED
Juicy Wah mods because they do sound great and aren't outrageously more
expensive than others (maybe a few bucks, not $30!)

Guitar amp fans swear by all sorts of things as the magic pixie dust that
will somehow make a mediocre player talented. While some caps may make a
difference in sound and function ("good" and "bad" depending) I would say
that is a very specific cap used in a very specific way in conjuction with
other elements of the design. The claim that just because a cap is "old"
it's better is no more true than saying an old car is better than a new
one. If the old one has a rusted engine, is missing parts and has three
flats I'd just as soon drive a Toyota that starts up and works just fine.

:)


> On 2011-08-12 17:37, Graham Atkins wrote:
>>
>> On 13 Aug 2011, at 01:30, dan snazelle wrote:
>>
>>> "Vintage capacitors are much better for music applications because
>>> they were engineered for sound and actually SOUND much better - they
>>> are one of the main reasons why vintage amplifiers are so prized and
>>> sought-after.
>>
>> Really ????
>>
>> Sounds like complete BOLLOCKS to me...... Don't get taken in with
>> snake oil
>>
>
> The explanation ("they were engineered for sound") sounds dodgy to me,
> but it seems at least plausible that they might impart some change on
> the sound, doesn't it? Not necessarily "better", but "different", which
> if I understand correctly is enough to be perceived as "better" or
> "worse" depending on what someone grew up hearing.
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