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
Just an update on the importance of caps used in parallel positions in a crossover. Another way to say this are capacitors used as part of a Zobel network. Some suggest they are not as important and go so far as to say they not important at all since they are not part of the signal path. Wrong! Double wrong!

I have used three different brands of capacitors on the mid drivers in my Coincident Total Victory III speakers. Each one had an immediate impact on the sound quality. Not one of them sounded the same. The last and final one I used are Mundorf SIO caps bypassed with a modified Wima .15uf value. These are the best by a wide margin. Just outstanding!

They replaced Jupiter HT flat stacked with no bypass cap on it. The Mundorf/Wima combo is better in every way imaginable. So detailed and smooth. Nice air and natural tone. These are staying for sure.

Those of you with Zobel networks in your speakers go ahead and upgrade the resistors and caps and be rewarded with substantial sound quality improvement.

The combo of Mundorf SIO bypassed with modified Wima caps from Ric Schultz is very good indeed. Very good.
Grannyring

I MARVEL (notice capitol letters! lol) at your desire to keep going back to the furnace to see if there's anything else you can try.

In an earlier post you mention how hard it was to work inside your speakers, mine are simpler than yours (Total Eclipses) and I still felt like a was a brain surgeon at times! I congratulate you on your persistence in order to gain knowledge and a musical edge.

No updates my end re my crossover components. Still waiting for Duelund to do their thing before I get the total delivery. I anticipate I'll be dancing and singing like the rest of you about what an improvement they've made in around a month - wishful thinking!!!

Must be something someone else can write. This thread has gone quiet but it remains one of the most fascinating audio blogs I've read in years.

Cheers everyone, Tas
Tas,
You are correct the Total Eclipse has a simpler X over than the Total Victoty III of Grannyring. You just remove the lower woofer and will find the tweeter cap(solen) mounted on the floor of the speaker near the coil inductor. I have the Total Eclipse II version and assume your xover is very similar.
Charles,
Tas, please let us know when your mod is complete. Also, feel free to email me with any questions if you run into some confusion along the way.

Be sure to use a good solder. WBT with 4% silver is one good choice. Be sure to tin or coat any exposed copper wire to prevent oxidation and soumd degregation over time.

I have one more mod in mind for my speakers. I will update you on the results shortly.
Hi Charles and Bill

Charles - you may have forgotten but we had already spoken about the location of my crossovers - my speakers being bi-wired meant that the crossover components were in 2 locations. The first where you mentioned and the other in the mid/tweeter enclosure. Much harder to work on than your speakers.

Bill - fantastic to hear from you. I've already secured some WBT 5% solder and all is ready for the transplant. I'll definitely be keeping in touch.

Very excited over here.