Element 14 Audio Grade Capacitors

To be truly honest, most of the Hi-Fi stuff is "snake oil" - differences in capacitors may cause subtle differences in audio but it's hard to say a given capacitor is necessary "sounding better" than another, and even if they do initially, this may change throughout the lifetime. Degraded capacitors will cause increased hum, shifts in crossover frequencies, or perhaps non-linearities to arise. As long as the capacitors meet the designers' original intent, the equipment should perform to spec. Anything beyond that is sometimes "placebo" when people convince themselves that they've improved something because they've changed X, but in reality, it may not be (objectively) better.

But for those who believe in the superiority of certain capacitors, I'd probably stick with Nichicon (Japanese) capacitors myself. Certain series of theirs are "specifically" targeted at audio applications. This site seems to have a good summary of them: https://www.hificollective.co.uk/components/nichicon.html That being said, once you know which series, you can go wherever and source the values you need, assuming you can find them. The FG series is particularly sought after, so you might find it very hard ...

Other than them, I'd say ELNA is also worth a look if you can find them. Otherwise, "standard" stuff from Rubycon or Panasonic is likely to be much better than actually needed.

- Gough

Thanks Gough.

I wish I could establish the answer to the issue you raise regarding the performance of caps in audio scientifically.

If I had a pile of money & lots of spare time I'd definitely set up a test lab and make an assessment.

I've found many align with your view while others swear by a caps performance beyond its µF value.

Some who have done that and report that many caps need to go through a burn in process to fully reveal their character, and that sonic results are not just down to individual caps but also their compatibility with the speakers involved. For example, if a cap is overly bright, it will be a poor match with bright speakers.

Also, if a Speaker is of low quality or is lacking in certain frequencies, then a cap which excels in these frequencies will not reveal its capability.

Then there are listeners whose hearing varies considerably.

Individuals will favor certain frequencies and may never be able to hear subtleties beyond their hearing range.

What I'm looking for is the best bang for buck capacitors which align with the speakers they'll be used in.

For example:

I don't want to fit a $10 cap in a pair of speakers which might sell for $30 but would like to improve their sound.

The 50 year old electrolytic caps currently in place must be well and truly dried out by now. 

For these I'd try to source neutral sounding electrolytic caps which are cheaper, but would be disappointed if the replacements added a distorted or skewed sound.

Alternatively, if I have nice speakers fitted with old original electrolytic caps, I'd consider investing a little more, but not go over board in terms of realizing an acceptable sound.

Was hoping some of the engineers might have first hand knowledge on what to avoid, or what would work well.

cheers  Rocky

I am an element14 and audiokarma community member :). Adore electronics and audio.

A standard capacitor that meets the original specs will do. I am not usually suggesting to replace components if all is still OK.
Replacing electrolytes after 50 years makes sense though - if you have the speakers open anyway. They have an end life (hello Philips )

A generic capacitor with similar specs and known good vendor will do for audio. 

If you exceed the existing voltage rating, that's OK. Don't divert too much from the existing capacitance. That impacts the filtering.

Thanks Jan.

Any particular supplier you recommend?

Thanks Jan.

Any particular supplier you recommend?

Global aware farnell / newark / element14 store link