Capacitor log Mundorf Silver in Oil


I wished I could find a log with information on caps. I have found many saying tremendous improvement etc. but not a detailed account of what the changes have been. I have had the same speakers for many years so am very familiar with them. (25+ years) The speakers are a set of Klipsch Lascala's. They have Alnico magnets in the mids and ceramic woofers and tweeters. The front end is Linn LP12 and Linn pre amp and amp. The speaker wire is 12 gauge and new wire.

I LOVE these speakers around 1 year ago they started to sound like garbage. As many have said they are VERY sensitive to the components before them. They are also showing what I think is the effect of worn out caps.

There are many out here on these boards I know of that are using the Klipsch (heritage) with cheaper Japanese electronics because the speakers are cheap! (for what they can do) One thing I would recommend is give these speakers the best quality musical sources you can afford. There is a LOT to get out of these speakers. My other speakers are Linn speakers at around 4k new with Linn tri-wire (I think about 1k for that) and the Klipsch DESTROY them in my mind. If you like "live feel" there is nothing like them. In fact it shocks me how little speakers have improved in 30 years (or 60 years in the Khorns instance)

In fact I question Linn's theory (that they have proved many times) that the source is the most important in the Hi-Fi chain. Linn's theory is top notch source with lessor rest of gear including speakers trumps expensive speakers with lessor source. I think is right if all things are equal but Klipsch heritage are NOT equal! They make a sound and feel that most either LOVE or hate. (I am in the LOVE camp and other speakers are boring to me)

So here goes and I hope this helps guys looking at caps in the future. Keep in mind Klipsch (heritage Khorns Belle's and Lascala's especially) are likely to show the effects of crossover changes more then most.

1 The caps are 30 years old and
2 the speakers being horn driven make changes 10x times more apparent.

Someone once told me find speakers and components you like THEN start to tweak if needed. Don't tweak something you not in love with. Makes sense to me.

So sound
Record is Let it Be (Beatles)
The voices are hard almost sounds like a worn out stylus.
Treble is very hard. I Me Mine has hard sounding guitars. Symbals sound awful. Everything has a digital vs. analog comparison x50! Paul's voice not as bad as John's and George's. Voices will crack.

different lp
Trumpets sound awful. Tambourine terrible. Bass is not great seems shy (compared to normal) but the bad caps draw soooooo much attention to the broken up mid range and hard highs that are not bright if anything it seems the highs are not working up to snuff. I have went many times to speaker to make sure tweeters are even working.

All in all they sound like crap except these Klipsch have such fantastic dynamics that even when not right they are exciting!

Makes me wonder about the people who do not like them if they are hearing worn out caps and cheap electronics? Then I can see why they do not like them! If I did not know better from 25+ years of ownership that would make sense.

For the new crossover I have chosen Mundorf Silver in Oil from what I have read and can afford. I want a warm not overly detailed sound as Klipsch already has lots of detail and does not need to be "livened up" they need lush smooth sounding caps. Hope I have made the right choice?

When the crossover is in I will do a initial impression on same lp's. Right now it goes from really bad (on what may be worn vinyl) to not as bad but NOT great on great vinyl. (I know the quality of the vinyl because tested on other speakers Linn)

The new caps are Mundorf Silver in Oil and new copper foil inductors are coming. I will at the same time be rewiring the speakers to 12 guage from the lamp cord that PWK put in. PWK was a master at getting very good sound often with crap by today's standards components.

The choice of speakers would be a toss up now depending on what I am listening to. Klipsch vastly more dynamic but if the breaking up of the sound becomes to much to effect enjoyment the Linn would be a better choice on that Lp. If I could I would switch a button back and forth between speakers depending on song and how bad the break-up sound was bothering me.

volleyguy
Interesting note.

When I installed the Sonicaps (mids and tweeter) I could not listen to both speakers at the same time. They sounded like to speakers out of phase one going in while one going out. With the Duelund I have done most "voiceing" on one speaker but it is not hard to listen to both. Anyone care to speculate why? the speed? is the same on the two natural caps?

I can listen to the Duelund and vintage speakers together and they sound very good together. why? Yes the Duelund is better in every way but they are cut from the same cloth.

My goal was to keep the original sound and found the Duelund to be the closest.

Is this Steen's talk about speakers being in phase?

Is it plastic?
Is it the cap speed?

One thing it is real. Vintage foil in oil matches closely Duelund Virtual Stack Foil.

I can try with the Mundorf's to see if it was just the Sonicaps or Poly caps in general but it is unmistakable.

In past post you will see me comment on the two different systems.
Interesting note.

Ask the youngest daughter (the one who asks to go and sit in a stereo store for 2 hours no complaints listening to music) freaked the salesman out he just kept looking at her like what is she doing? I asked what she though of upstairs speakers she made a crinkly face (like static) and said the (Klipsch she meant) sound much better.

So I asked her for left and right speaker she had a puzzled look like what's the difference?

So that's when I started listening to both speakers same time. No timing issues. She is right in a way they do sound the same. The Duelund's are a wayyyy lower noise version of the same thing. But shouldn't they be as they are both the same style? Neither has plastic. The vintage are wild but "real" and the Duelund's are civilized much more detailed and yet still "real".

But the common thread is both sound "real" instruments on neither sound like plastic. Is this what Steen was really doing modernizing an old idea? He was a fan of vintage caps.
Volleyguy,

You should see the comment I made about the passive / active solutions in the context that many active filters in car stereo are DSP based, something I don't consider ideal.

I've heard both passive and active systems featuring Duelund components, both types have sounded great to me.

Regarding your statement about the vintage part of the Duelund design I agree completely. One would do well to remember, that the shift from metalfilm caps in paper and oil or wax to what we have today in the metallized designs, did not happen because of the quality in sound reproduction, but because they are smaller and cheaper to manufacture. As I see it, the Duelund caps are in effect good well proven tech taken bang into the 21st century.
Thanks Stormen.

Just did not want people to think I am nuts, that the vintage and Duelund do sound similiar.

I was always confused by the vintage Klipsch magic. I thought it was horns. Then put in the Sonicaps and the speakers sounded "cheap". I was initially surprised by this.

I was also surprised that plastic caps plastized the sound. (not sure why I was surprised)

I am now likely to be on a mission after this is done to replace wire that is plastic coated. For sure in the speaker as it needs it anyway.

I had always wondered since getting the vintage amp and being very surprised by it, as to the "improvements" we have had in 40+ years. (Stereophile was "ga ga" over the sound) I have also noticed a lot of vintage amps that come up for sale after they have been "upgraded". Some will say I do not like the tone anymore. Is it the plastic caps?