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RE: Hopefully, Mr Fraker will join us, as you suggested....

Winston, I'm not a maven, but I can share a few useful tools with you.

First of all realize two things: (1) No cap maker in the world makes all good caps. Just for kicks, consider 4uf. Dynamicap makes a great 4uf. Is the Dynamicap 1 uf just as good? No, it's dimensions simply don't work. (2) most signal coupling caps present very narrow bandwidths and restrict energy mightilty-- when used as couplers.

First, 1 uf in any brand-- is not going to couple the entire musical range into anything perfectly. Neither is any other value, but just for argument's sake, let's say you're stuck with only one cap as a coupler (you're not!)-- who makes ONE cap that would PARTIALLY work PRETTY WELL in coupling ONLY SOME PARTS of the signal? That would be Duelund and Mundorf Silver/Oil/Gold. The Mundorf Silver/Oil is a great cap for parallelling apps, but not normally wideband enough to be used alone.

Now, while I ALWAYS use parallelled stacks of really decent caps for any and all uses, it's a bit too complex for this writing. This is entirely because each app. is different, and so requires a different stack of caps to get ALL the music transferred. What works in one app. will NOT work in another circuit or another part of the same circuit. Different brands---- ditto-- same set of problems to solve..

That's why "cap shootouts" are completely worthless. What good is a guesstimate of brands of .1uf caps when you're going to use a 2uf cap?

The same manufacturer might have a great .1, and a terrible 2uf. Happens in ALL manufacturers.

Here is, then, a box of toys to play with-- things that, when parallelled with each other-- as and when required, will aid you in getting an amp or preamp to accurately replicate at its output-- what you're putting into it.

This is a KIT-- a set of tools-- that can be used to get a cap-coupler to actually work musically:

Incidentally, this set of tools applies equally to B+ supplies for the tube in question, and also to any cathode bypassing that is done. Another thing is to not worry so much about cap UF values as CAP QUALITY. You are trying to accurately couple energy-- NOT engage in radio frequency tuning.

Here is a minimum requirement-- a set of bare-bones-- to get you going:

Here is what is in the coupler-artist's kit: 10uf Dynamicap, 4uf Dynamicap, .68uf Dynamicap, .22uf Dynamicap, .033uf Dynamicap, and .01 Dynamicap. 1.5uf Mundorf Silver/Oil, 1uf Mundorf Silver/Oil, .68 Mundorf Silver/Oil/Gold, .68 Mundorf Silver/Oil, .15 Mundorf Silver/Oil, AND .15uf Mundorf Silver/Oil/Gold, .068uf Mundorf Silver/Oil. Also, .15uf Mundorf M-Cap Supreme. This saves $$$ where it can be used effectively.

These caps are re-arranged in parallels with each other until the cap-couple works perfectly linear across the entire musical experience.

ALL of each cap leadout should be used. Make these into coils by wrapping them around a standard, round pencil or pen of the same size. Then, pull-out the correct distance to the solder-point. Again, use all of all of the cap's leadouts. The cap will be supported by these "springs". They will also combat unwanted lead-tuning-- to some degree. When all caps are in place, and the performance is virtually perfect, then contractor's silicone (like G.E. Silicone2)-- at Home Depot, etc., is slipped-in as a cushion between caps. NO cap is allowed to touch another cap-- or anything else. They must be suspended in 3-dimensions, not clamped or mounted on or to anything.

ONLY the leads mount them. When the contractor's silicone sets, the entire cap-pack is suspended by all the springs as a unit. You can drop it off a cliff, and the caps will stay put. Yet, they are attached by nothing but their leadouts.

As you can visualize, using only a single cap-- of any brand or value is pretty useless musically, unless you enjoy hearing only a small slice of the music that is available to you. This isn't meant as criticism-- it is a matter of preference. Many people only want to hear what they want to hear, and that's OK with me-- but it isn't faithful to the source, and it cheats you when you change the music source to something else. When a system can play anything and everything fully-- it beats the @#$#%$% out of any other approach hands-down and all who hear it will know it if they listen long enough to overcome personal tastes and get lost in the music.

For some people, that may take a week-- but in the end, all of them will finally realize that they're getting the real thing.

---Dennis---



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