Thanks for taking the question Paul. The Velodyne servo subs in the early 90's were cutting edge at that time and have very low distortion levels. And were rather expensive for that time. I think $600 for the one I bought. I did end up replacing the power supply caps and they did make a difference. Sub seemed to have more power. Then I replaced the caps that control the servo area of the sub. That made a dramatic difference. Really cleaned up the sound. Much more taught and defined notes. Next I decided to change the caps in my Mirage speakers to new film caps. Once again a noticable improvement. Much better sound stage, better stereo effect, smoother highs. Total cost of doing it myself about a $110. Money well spent. Keep in mind I had never soldered anything in my life before so there was a learning curve. Probably took me 10 hours total to do everything. Love your videos. Wish I could afford your videos and wish I could afford your equipment. So my thought is tweek what I have. So far so good. Thanks again.
I absolutely love Mirage. I run still run a pair of Mirage BPS-400’s for my front subs and my mains are a storage unit find Mirage OM-6’s that were new old stock. I currently own almost the entire Mirage lineage from the 760’s to the OMD-28’s.
Sad to find out they were bought out by Klipsh? I think. I bought mine from someone on FB Marketplace for $200 in near perfect condition. Spent about $55 in new film caps and was very suprised at the difference. It was like going from mono to stereo.
Velodyne has made some awesome subwoofers even with servo, and depending on model, it can easily be worth to replace the caps. Some of those servo subs can get unstable if the caps are worn out. One of my subs is an upgraded DD-18+ and it works very well.
Unstable is a great way to put it. Mine was getting bad enough that the voice coil was rapping all the way to it's limits at low volume. I replaced 10 caps and it's a different animal now. Pretty cheap fix. Was about $45
I had a Velodyne ULD-15 servo subwoofer for awhile but it did nothing to add low end to my electrostatics and just blurred the bass from my electrostatics. Anyone who says electrostatics don't have bass should hear mine.
@@andershammer9307 I'm not sure how you did the cross-over but of course nothing beats electrostatics on precision and most certainly you wouldn't want both your electrostatics and a subwoofer to operate within the same frequencies. In fact, I disagree strongly with anyone thinking that it's great to add a subwoofer without high-pass filtering the stereo speakers. I've been a Stax headphone fan since my teens.
I thought of doing a replacement of capacitors in my 3 Tannoy TFX subwoofers. There's always room for improvement. They might be small but three of them make a huge impact
It's not an expensive thing to do and well worth it. For me the improvement was very noticeable right off (not my imagination). It did take me some time because I had never soldered before. The more I did it the more I got the knack of it. Good luck and please report back.
I have a Velodyne VA1012 and my caps failed at around the 30year mark. Replaced them with Mundorfs and it is restored to a wonderful sounding sub. Have a much higher end sub now so the Velodyne is on the shelf but works perfectly. You would be surprised how much better the new technology subs are, I was shocked.
I enjoy and learn from your videos. I'm following you from Accra Ghana in West Africa. I have a velodyne from 1994 and l guess l need to look at them again. I however think I need a new amplifier to replace my carver amp. It has too much hum in it. Keep up your good work. Best Wishes.
I'm servising hifi gear and have many velodyne subs here for service between 25-30 yrs of operation. Always been electrolytic caps. Due to the vibrations in subs, they tend to degrade faster than in other hifi gear. So definitely if your sub is 30yrs old, change them asap.
Replaced all the caps in my Yamaha tuner....great to pump life into the 43 year old digital tuner.....velodyne is still alive they are more industrial sound mapping then subwoofers now
Yes. Planning on replacing the older ones in my vintage AR-9 speakers (circa 1979) before using them again. I read on a forum that the changing values of electrolytic capacitors can especially put tweeters in danger of being fried. As my tweeters are no longer available I figure I'd better be careful. Thinking of using Mundorf capacitors throughout, using the same values the original designers of the crossover determined. Only caveat is that I've been told that changing the capacitors on the woofers somehow are not as important, but I'm not sure I understand why that would be. I'd have to run several lower values of capacitors in parallel to equal the value of those honking big ones on the woofers, but I only want to do this chore once, that's for sure. If Paul recommended a guy change them on his vintage sub-woofer, I think changing mine from top to bottom as well makes sense.
the woofer see the full power current is way .the tweeters need the right values to Filter the low frequency {high current} out .use a good cap but high end special speaker stuff lol yea just that marketing .i like nichicon gold low esr for high end i guess you could say panasonic is fine to use you could test their ESR capacitance meters are dirt cheap now even a cheap multi function meter will do the job
@@overbuiltautomotive1299 someone on eBay was selling a "kit" with all the capacitors for the mids and highs (not for the woofers). I think they were supplying decent caps from Parts Express for about $190 for both speakers, but I'm 63 years old and only want to do this work well one time, hence I might spring for the "better" Mundorf caps at about $500. In fact as I get into it, I'm tempted to replace more than just the caps...maybe even consider rebuilding the whole thing on a thin piece of plywood, but buying new all air-core inductors would nearly double the costs to about $1000.
@@rosswarren436 thats on you but i bet my bottom dollar buying my suggested japan made brand from digikey or mouser would be as good or better [esr near untestableits so low } as they order caps from an oem not to mention the 500 is not the issue so much as much as its not possible to be better than a certain level caps are simple and cheap to make and its grifting almost theft selling caps at that price absurd .audiophiles get sucked into that just like in hot roding aftermarket parts
@@overbuiltautomotive1299 yeah, I'm going off what was posted by users in a Acoustic Research forum where a few people had tried different brand caps. At the end of the day, they said the Mundorfs simply sounded better by a certain margin. However, for the bass driver, I might consider lower costing caps that will be "good enough". I'll have to gang several of them together to equal one huge 2500uF and one 470uF in each speaker, hence the costs going up rapidly.
use the same vale or add them up to make needed values works find still think it nuts buying them caps but i know how folks are somtimes you have to price it high as can be before folks think its good .work
If it ain't broke don't fix it. If you want to check your capacitors purchase an ESR meter and test them. They're not that expensive. when they start to fail you will notice, Poor Sound , humming buzzing, unit turns off after a few seconds.
Here's an interesting thought, what if you were told that with an old amplifier you have that you should have the caps and everything replaced. The amplifier currently works end it sounds good to you and you know that by changing out those capacitors the sound will change, should you fix it knowing that you like the sound how it is.
I've got an old 1965 CONN tube organ still rocking the original caps. Also an old 1975 Roland synth still rocking the original caps. The organ sounds incredible. The Roland is a bit leaky in the circuits.
Makes me wonder if modern caps are not up to the standard of the ones used in the 80s/90s.? I have components from that era that are still running strong. Conversely, my modern equipment seems to start having issues at the 3-5 year mark.
My conviction is that the old equipment is more oversized in terms of materials, new production precision allows a cheaper amount of materials (oversizing the voltage a little on modern caps is therefore fine).
Did he say Velodyne is not considered high end? I beg to differ, there was a time when Velodyne was king of bass, I own and use 3 of the Velodyne f 1800r II and one Velodyne ULD 18... They provide unbelievable low distortion low end!
Caps are so fickle ive come to find. I have pieces 30+ years old, not a single failing cap and some less than, with bulging rectifier caps inside. My theory is if unit in question spent its life on the same shelf in consistent temp, the caps will go the distance. Is said piece were stored in damp basements, storage units, exposed to hot summers and cold winters, the caps are gonna need replacing no matter what!
There was a noticeable improvement in sound quality when I replaced the 60 year old electrolytic caps in the crossover of my Wharfedale 70s. I put in film caps, so they'll be good for many more years.
Thank you for volunteering information regarding your Wharfedale 70’s; I was beginning to think I was the only one listening to them. I have their three-way W-70E version, all original right now, but based on your comment, I’ll soon be upgrading the caps. Out of curiosity, have you replaced the speaker terminals? I have trouble keeping mine tight, they rotate in the cabinet instead of staying put, so it is hard to tighten them down properly.
@@jeremiahchamberlin4499 I've had no issues with that. Mine are just stationary in the cabinet, and the terminals are tight. I do get some distortion at certain frequencies on the mid-range driver of one unit. I'd read that sometimes the voice coil tolerance was so tight, they'd sometimes start rubbing after settling with age. So I remounted that driver after rotating it 180 degrees, but alas, that hasn't helped. When I have time, I'll have to do some more troubleshooting. These were the speakers I grew up listening to, as my father bought them around the time I was born, so I'm pretty fond of them. 🤠
I have a pair of Tandberg speakers made in late 70's to early 80's and have been thinking about replacing the caps sometime in the near future, although last time I checked inside them I don't recall seeing any electrolytes (so if there were any, must not have been many). They probably would benefit from some attenuation as well, since the woofers were replaced over ten years ago with third party woofers. They otherwise fit well and behave similarly to the original woofers, except there is a pretty sizable sensitivity mismatch. Pumping up the bass from the receiver does help, but since the crossover on the woofer should go up to 750Hz, I'm thinking that EQ/tone control isn't going to help with the whole thing.
Dear Paul thanks for the video👍, I have a question ,about a year ago I have bought a rare ADCOM GFA555 MK2 which was new never used in original sealed box, so should I have to replaced the capacitor ? I am a bit concerned. Hope you can answer, but I must say it is sounds amazing 😍
I'm a huge collector of Adcom gear, back in the 90s they were at the top of their game but they suffered just like a few other competitors with some bad capacitors that would start leaking this only occurs after several hundred hours of use. You should absolutely not have anything to worry about at this time but you need to have someone at least look at it and just see what kind of capacitors were used I believe in the MK II they had the problem fixed already. And hold on to that baby because they are just going up and up and up in price. Take care.
@@iancanuckistan2244 I bought used GFP 565 in a great shape and it sounds very good with the GFA 555 , although I just want to have the two big filter caps replaced inside the GFP565 preamp
@@vegaslimoguy2376 I’ve got a pair of GFA 555 II that I’d like to use bridged with my Kappa 8’s. But, before I do, I’d like to have the amps ‘gone over’. Can you recommend a list of things that ought to be done, or desired upgrades? And, ideally someone with Adcom experience who can do this kind of work? I’m aware of Hope’s Brain but he no longer works on equipment as I understand it. Any advice appreciated!
Be careful changing caps. It may sound different and it's not always in a good way. It may not even be in a bad way but the difference may not be what you want. I had to change just 2 caps (1 each) in a set of IRS IIIa's that I have 4 of. The first set sounds different then the other set now.
@@johnloupis2347 Same specs dont mean it will sound the same. Cap makers make different caps even in the same specs. Throw in 30, 40, 50 years difference some of the specs may not even mean the same thing anymore. It may not even be bad but still sound different and it may not be what you are looking for or expected. Or it may be the best thing you have ever done. IMHO if you like what you have and there is nothing wrong with the caps (getting hot, bulging, etc) I wouldn't take the risk.
@@finscreenname If you like it roll with it. I can say with mine I thought it sounded ok until after I changed them. Big improvement for my situation anyways.
Not of low quality. They used what components were available at a price point that made sense in 1992. Fortunately, other types of capacitors that don't dry out and change value are available at reasonable prices these days. We are fortunate for that.
@@ThinkingBetter yeah, they were one of the first and best subwoofer companies producing subs that offered far more than one note bass. I'm not sure they are still in business. I'll have to look them up and see.
I have a Sonotron PA2000 from the late 70s/early 80s. Is there anyway to check if the caps are good or not? It has four 15000uf Elna capacitors, I'm guessing they're not making the same capacitor anymore, how to do you what to replace it with? Does it matter?
I don't think NH was a major landing point to immigrants from Lebanon. I think the name is inspired from biblical references to that country. I repair and restore vintage audio gear. I'd replace all electrolytics 30 years old or older. They may still be to specs (especially quality ones) but at this age they are more likely to fail. You don't want their corrosive juice oozing out on circuitry.
Wikipedia says Lebanon NH really was named by immigrants who named it after their home. They were from Lebanon Connecticut, which like you said is a biblical reference.
Yup. I wonder if/when UA-camrs (or, humanity in general) will figure out they should avoid wandering from their lane, making assumptions about things that just aren't true and then making false pronouncements on that basis. To be fair, Paul's in good company. One frequent offender in this respect is Neil DeGrasse Tyson, and he's hardly the only one. But still.
Biblical name , after tress in that area-Lebanon cedar .It was also.a majorly significant town during the American Revolution ,however the Amero -Indians have many ,many US towns named after their people
@@MatijaVabec Those that are marked with "bipolar" in speakers are electrolytic, since film caps are bipolar unless they have an outer foil with polarity. It's easy to see by comparing size and capacitance of the two types. The reason why they are bipolar is because of the reverse voltage, but film caps are really the right choice.
I get the fact you can use lower value film capacitors on the input as the impedance is high but, in my mind, you can't avoid using electrolytics for the output DC blocking, signal capacitors because the output impedance is so low. Is there another way that I don't know about?
@@marianneoelund2940 I'm talking about amplifier design in general. I'm an electrician / electronics engineer by trade. You can calculate roll-off with RC values.
@@zedcarr6128 Then I don't know why you asked the question. You know that the alternatives to capacitive coupling are direct or transformer coupling, right?
Bulk carbon resistors are the ones you need to worry about. They can drift well outside of their tolerance rating, and they can also become noisy with age.
You should definitely start to worry about it after it is 30 years old, just don't poke around in there with your fingers until you have checked the voltage is close to zero with a multimeter.
"During the capacitor aging process the electron leakage current and the chemical reactions both cause a decrease in the capacitance value and an increase in the resistance value."
@@captainwin6333 thanks. I probably could have asked in a clearer way - how do ageing electrolytic capacitors affect the audio? So I could tell just by listening, not measuring the caps. Thank you
Depends on where they are in the circuit. Power supply capacitors will gradually cause an increase in ripple voltage, which reduces the amplifier's distortion-free output power. You are not likely to notice, unless you make a careful measurement. Electrolytics in speakers can cause reduced efficiency and a drift in the crossover frequencies. Small electrolytics in the signal path can cause signal attenuation, but you wouldn't likely notice this until it becomes severe. Electrolytics used in the bootstrap supply for certain class D driver chips can cause catastrophic failure of the output stage if their ESR rises too high.
Well in my case the the sub was still making the low notes but it was less defined, less musical. Every once in a while it would make a cracking over driven sound even at low volume. I suspect because the caps in the servo area were bad and not controling the speaker itself like it was designed to do.
"It's gradual, most people don't notice it" - perhaps because it's SO gradual that any halfway decent capacitors will continue to perrform well within spec for many years to come. Before the rip-out-your-caps brigade come for me, who is telling you that vintage gear is ageing badly and will be costly to repair? a) Manufacturers who want to sell you new stuff, b) UA-cam reviewers who rely on a steady supply of review samples from manufacturers who want to sell you new stuff, and make commission on links to retailers, c) a certain type of commenter who loves to parrot audiophile myths despite little or no relevant experience (see also: cables, vinyl, jitter, power regen- *cough*), has million-dollar golden ears, is somehow impervious to confirmation bias and who clenches instinctively at the mere mention of science. OK, light your torches. I'll be the one hiding behind a stack of vintage audio gear that all performs very nicely, thank you.
Not all. I was told if my caps were of a certain brand that AR used in later years, I probably had no need to replace them - that in testing many sets of speakers, it was found the values had not changed significantly. Unfortunately, mine are not that brand. Rats. So, I want to be careful, especially with the tweeters, and as long as I'm inside, I figure I might as well upgrade them all and be done with it. There's an Acoustic Research forum where people discussed all this and took values of their capacitors, so it is no myth. It's just that electrolytic capacitors were what they were in their time period. Heck, there are even speakers today that still use them, and manufacturers should be called out for that. No excuses today.
CAPACITORS ARE YOUR BEST FREINDS. THE SMOOTH THE AC RIPPLE FROM RECTIFIED VOLTAGE. THEY TAKE DC OFF SIGNAL AS BYPASS CAPS. THEY FILTER FREQUENCIES IN TONE STACKS. CAPACITORS ARE YOUR BEST FRIENDS.
@@amptechron I have the best equipped amp repair shop in the country. I'll learn nothing from you. But if you listen, you may pick up a few things. Obviously in tube gear power supply caps go, bias circuit caps, bypass caps. Duh. Some of us, work on solid state gear as well, and repair things beyond the basic. Its obvious capacitors have a shelf life. Long periods discharged are the most damaging factor. But you have to treat tube amps and solid state much differently in regards to the high b+ being a large factor in smoking dormant power supply caps.
@Taco I've never seen a bad solder joint at an output transistor. Ever. I've seen a million blown drivers and outputs, but never a bad solder joint. Usually the best solder work in the amp is on the outputs. Its jacks and pots and things subjected to mechanical vibration/use. Most good older stuff uses a socketed t0-3 anyways.
Thanks for taking the question Paul. The Velodyne servo subs in the early 90's were cutting edge at that time and have very low distortion levels. And were rather expensive for that time. I think $600 for the one I bought. I did end up replacing the power supply caps and they did make a difference. Sub seemed to have more power. Then I replaced the caps that control the servo area of the sub. That made a dramatic difference. Really cleaned up the sound. Much more taught and defined notes.
Next I decided to change the caps in my Mirage speakers to new film caps. Once again a noticable improvement. Much better sound stage, better stereo effect, smoother highs. Total cost of doing it myself about a $110. Money well spent. Keep in mind I had never soldered anything in my life before so there was a learning curve. Probably took me 10 hours total to do everything. Love your videos. Wish I could afford your videos and wish I could afford your equipment. So my thought is tweek what I have. So far so good. Thanks again.
I had the caps in my Primare A30.1 amp replaced after a failure. Feels good to give more life to this lovely amp.
I absolutely love Mirage. I run still run a pair of Mirage BPS-400’s for my front subs and my mains are a storage unit find Mirage OM-6’s that were new old stock. I currently own almost the entire Mirage lineage from the 760’s to the OMD-28’s.
Sad to find out they were bought out by Klipsh? I think.
I bought mine from someone on FB Marketplace for $200 in near perfect condition. Spent about $55 in new film caps and was very suprised at the difference. It was like going from mono to stereo.
Velodyne has made some awesome subwoofers even with servo, and depending on model, it can easily be worth to replace the caps. Some of those servo subs can get unstable if the caps are worn out. One of my subs is an upgraded DD-18+ and it works very well.
Unstable is a great way to put it. Mine was getting bad enough that the voice coil was rapping all the way to it's limits at low volume. I replaced 10 caps and it's a different animal now. Pretty cheap fix. Was about $45
I had a Velodyne ULD-15 servo subwoofer for awhile but it did nothing to add low end to my electrostatics and just blurred the bass from my electrostatics. Anyone who says electrostatics don't have bass should hear mine.
@@andershammer9307 I'm not sure how you did the cross-over but of course nothing beats electrostatics on precision and most certainly you wouldn't want both your electrostatics and a subwoofer to operate within the same frequencies. In fact, I disagree strongly with anyone thinking that it's great to add a subwoofer without high-pass filtering the stereo speakers. I've been a Stax headphone fan since my teens.
I thought of doing a replacement of capacitors in my 3 Tannoy TFX subwoofers. There's always room for improvement. They might be small but three of them make a huge impact
It's not an expensive thing to do and well worth it. For me the improvement was very noticeable right off (not my imagination). It did take me some time because I had never soldered before. The more I did it the more I got the knack of it. Good luck and please report back.
I have a Velodyne VA1012 and my caps failed at around the 30year mark. Replaced them with Mundorfs and it is restored to a wonderful sounding sub. Have a much higher end sub now so the Velodyne is on the shelf but works perfectly. You would be surprised how much better the new technology subs are, I was shocked.
I enjoy and learn from your videos.
I'm following you from Accra Ghana in West Africa.
I have a velodyne from 1994 and l guess l need to look at them again.
I however think I need a new amplifier to replace my carver amp. It has too much hum in it.
Keep up your good work. Best Wishes.
I'm servising hifi gear and have many velodyne subs here for service between 25-30 yrs of operation. Always been electrolytic caps. Due to the vibrations in subs, they tend to degrade faster than in other hifi gear. So definitely if your sub is 30yrs old, change them asap.
Thanks
Velodyne's ULD servo subs were very well regarded back in the 1990's. Maybe not hi-fi but very good mid-fi.
I have a Servo Amp Paul designed with Arnie/Genesis. Was considering re-capping the unit to ensure a longer lifespan.
Replaced all the caps in my Yamaha tuner....great to pump life into the 43 year old digital tuner.....velodyne is still alive they are more industrial sound mapping then subwoofers now
Yes. Planning on replacing the older ones in my vintage AR-9 speakers (circa 1979) before using them again. I read on a forum that the changing values of electrolytic capacitors can especially put tweeters in danger of being fried. As my tweeters are no longer available I figure I'd better be careful. Thinking of using Mundorf capacitors throughout, using the same values the original designers of the crossover determined. Only caveat is that I've been told that changing the capacitors on the woofers somehow are not as important, but I'm not sure I understand why that would be. I'd have to run several lower values of capacitors in parallel to equal the value of those honking big ones on the woofers, but I only want to do this chore once, that's for sure. If Paul recommended a guy change them on his vintage sub-woofer, I think changing mine from top to bottom as well makes sense.
the woofer see the full power current is way .the tweeters need the right values to Filter the low frequency {high current} out .use a good cap but high end special speaker stuff lol yea just that marketing .i like nichicon gold low esr for high end i guess you could say panasonic is fine to use you could test their ESR capacitance meters are dirt cheap now even a cheap multi function meter will do the job
@@overbuiltautomotive1299 someone on eBay was selling a "kit" with all the capacitors for the mids and highs (not for the woofers). I think they were supplying decent caps from Parts Express for about $190 for both speakers, but I'm 63 years old and only want to do this work well one time, hence I might spring for the "better" Mundorf caps at about $500.
In fact as I get into it, I'm tempted to replace more than just the caps...maybe even consider rebuilding the whole thing on a thin piece of plywood, but buying new all air-core inductors would nearly double the costs to about $1000.
@@rosswarren436 thats on you but i bet my bottom dollar buying my suggested japan made brand from digikey or mouser would be as good or better [esr near untestableits so low } as they order caps from an oem not to mention the 500 is not the issue so much as much as its not possible to be better than a certain level caps are simple and cheap to make and its grifting almost theft selling caps at that price absurd .audiophiles get sucked into that just like in hot roding aftermarket parts
@@overbuiltautomotive1299 yeah, I'm going off what was posted by users in a Acoustic Research forum where a few people had tried different brand caps. At the end of the day, they said the Mundorfs simply sounded better by a certain margin. However, for the bass driver, I might consider lower costing caps that will be "good enough". I'll have to gang several of them together to equal one huge 2500uF and one 470uF in each speaker, hence the costs going up rapidly.
use the same vale or add them up to make needed values works find still think it nuts buying them caps but i know how folks are somtimes you have to price it high as can be before folks think its good .work
I must be old. I was thinking 1993 wasn't long ago till you did the math
There are higher-grade electrolytics that can last much longer than 30 years,
but very few audio manufacturers have made them "standard equipment".
If it ain't broke don't fix it. If you want to check your capacitors purchase an ESR meter and test them. They're not that expensive. when they start to fail you will notice, Poor Sound , humming buzzing, unit turns off after a few seconds.
Good video Paul. The quality effective life of an electrolytic cap, is usually 15 to 20 years.
Here's an interesting thought, what if you were told that with an old amplifier you have that you should have the caps and everything replaced. The amplifier currently works end it sounds good to you and you know that by changing out those capacitors the sound will change, should you fix it knowing that you like the sound how it is.
I thought my sub sounded "ok" until I recaped it. I must say amps have a ton of caps in them. If you don't do it yourself it will be pretty costly.
I've got an old 1965 CONN tube organ still rocking the original caps. Also an old 1975 Roland synth still rocking the original caps. The organ sounds incredible. The Roland is a bit leaky in the circuits.
cap will need checked as the voltage can fry the heaters in tubes via leaky caps seeming good sound WaRm sounding .mr carlson's lab on YT is an expert
"Velodyne didn't make very expensive subwoofers"???, "they were never very high-end"?????
Same thought here. At first they were nothing but high end. Then they got into some lower quality stuff starting about 20 years ago.
Makes me wonder if modern caps are not up to the standard of the ones used in the 80s/90s.? I have components from that era that are still running strong. Conversely, my modern equipment seems to start having issues at the 3-5 year mark.
My conviction is that the old equipment is more oversized in terms of materials, new production precision allows a cheaper amount of materials (oversizing the voltage a little on modern caps is therefore fine).
@@EnigmaVideos So, why do modern components seem to have a shorter life span?
@@tritiumglo4699 Could be less electrolyte, could also be other electronic components or bad design.
I can relate. The caps in my 1965 tube organ work just fine, low noise, great sound. The caps in my active studio monitors lasted about 10-12 years.
@@tritiumglo4699 A lot of the money that used to go into components now goes into licensing fees.
Velodyne made $5,000 CDN subs.
Did he say Velodyne is not considered high end? I beg to differ, there was a time when Velodyne was king of bass, I own and use 3 of the Velodyne f 1800r II and one Velodyne ULD 18... They provide unbelievable low distortion low end!
Caps are so fickle ive come to find. I have pieces 30+ years old, not a single failing cap and some less than, with bulging rectifier caps inside. My theory is if unit in question spent its life on the same shelf in consistent temp, the caps will go the distance. Is said piece were stored in damp basements, storage units, exposed to hot summers and cold winters, the caps are gonna need replacing no matter what!
Some capacitors will last longer than others and have good life. It depends on the quality and who manufactures them.
i agree. all these knucklehead telling people to replace caps when its not needed so they can make money while destroying the original sound is lame
There was a noticeable improvement in sound quality when I replaced the 60 year old electrolytic caps in the crossover of my Wharfedale 70s. I put in film caps, so they'll be good for many more years.
Thank you for volunteering information regarding your Wharfedale 70’s; I was beginning to think I was the only one listening to them. I have their three-way W-70E version, all original right now, but based on your comment, I’ll soon be upgrading the caps.
Out of curiosity, have you replaced the speaker terminals? I have trouble keeping mine tight, they rotate in the cabinet instead of staying put, so it is hard to tighten them down properly.
@@jeremiahchamberlin4499 I've had no issues with that. Mine are just stationary in the cabinet, and the terminals are tight.
I do get some distortion at certain frequencies on the mid-range driver of one unit. I'd read that sometimes the voice coil tolerance was so tight, they'd sometimes start rubbing after settling with age. So I remounted that driver after rotating it 180 degrees, but alas, that hasn't helped. When I have time, I'll have to do some more troubleshooting.
These were the speakers I grew up listening to, as my father bought them around the time I was born, so I'm pretty fond of them. 🤠
I have a pair of Tandberg speakers made in late 70's to early 80's and have been thinking about replacing the caps sometime in the near future, although last time I checked inside them I don't recall seeing any electrolytes (so if there were any, must not have been many).
They probably would benefit from some attenuation as well, since the woofers were replaced over ten years ago with third party woofers. They otherwise fit well and behave similarly to the original woofers, except there is a pretty sizable sensitivity mismatch. Pumping up the bass from the receiver does help, but since the crossover on the woofer should go up to 750Hz, I'm thinking that EQ/tone control isn't going to help with the whole thing.
Dear Paul thanks for the video👍, I have a question ,about a year ago I have bought a rare ADCOM GFA555 MK2 which was new never used in original sealed box, so should I have to replaced the capacitor ? I am a bit concerned. Hope you can answer, but I must say it is sounds amazing 😍
I'm a huge collector of Adcom gear, back in the 90s they were at the top of their game but they suffered just like a few other competitors with some bad capacitors that would start leaking this only occurs after several hundred hours of use. You should absolutely not have anything to worry about at this time but you need to have someone at least look at it and just see what kind of capacitors were used I believe in the MK II they had the problem fixed already. And hold on to that baby because they are just going up and up and up in price. Take care.
@@vegaslimoguy2376 thanks man, what do you Owen in your arsenal , this is very interesting 🤔
I've got the GFP555 bought in 1993, still singing beautifully today. It's hooked up to a Yamaha 600U 200 watts/channel. They work well together.
@@iancanuckistan2244 I bought used GFP 565 in a great shape and it sounds very good with the GFA 555 , although I just want to have the two big filter caps replaced inside the GFP565 preamp
@@vegaslimoguy2376 I’ve got a pair of GFA 555 II that I’d like to use bridged with my Kappa 8’s. But, before I do, I’d like to have the amps ‘gone over’. Can you recommend a list of things that ought to be done, or desired upgrades? And, ideally someone with Adcom experience who can do this kind of work? I’m aware of Hope’s Brain but he no longer works on equipment as I understand it. Any advice appreciated!
you want to use split film capacitors in the power supply
Be careful changing caps. It may sound different and it's not always in a good way. It may not even be in a bad way but the difference may not be what you want. I had to change just 2 caps (1 each) in a set of IRS IIIa's that I have 4 of. The first set sounds different then the other set now.
How could changing caps to original specs be a bad thing?
@@johnloupis2347 Same specs dont mean it will sound the same. Cap makers make different caps even in the same specs. Throw in 30, 40, 50 years difference some of the specs may not even mean the same thing anymore. It may not even be bad but still sound different and it may not be what you are looking for or expected. Or it may be the best thing you have ever done. IMHO if you like what you have and there is nothing wrong with the caps (getting hot, bulging, etc) I wouldn't take the risk.
@@finscreenname If you like it roll with it. I can say with mine I thought it sounded ok until after I changed them. Big improvement for my situation anyways.
Sad to hear that my 1992 Velodyne subwoofer was of low quality. I have always thought it was a good one until now.
Velodyne were infact of high quality , loved it and much better then other subs during their time.
If it sounds good in your home then it was a good one 👍
Not of low quality. They used what components were available at a price point that made sense in 1992. Fortunately, other types of capacitors that don't dry out and change value are available at reasonable prices these days. We are fortunate for that.
@@rosswarren436 Velodyne has made some of the best subs ever and I enjoy a couple of them. DD-18+ is hard to beat, for example.
@@ThinkingBetter yeah, they were one of the first and best subwoofer companies producing subs that offered far more than one note bass. I'm not sure they are still in business. I'll have to look them up and see.
I have a Sonotron PA2000 from the late 70s/early 80s. Is there anyway to check if the caps are good or not? It has four 15000uf Elna capacitors, I'm guessing they're not making the same capacitor anymore, how to do you what to replace it with? Does it matter?
i’d rather hear about what these new capacitors exactly will improve, than stories about how cities were named…
Here we go again teenagers asking about replacing capacitors after watching youtube videos
I don't think NH was a major landing point to immigrants from Lebanon. I think the name is inspired from biblical references to that country. I repair and restore vintage audio gear. I'd replace all electrolytics 30 years old or older. They may still be to specs (especially quality ones) but at this age they are more likely to fail. You don't want their corrosive juice oozing out on circuitry.
Wikipedia says Lebanon NH really was named by immigrants who named it after their home. They were from Lebanon Connecticut, which like you said is a biblical reference.
Yup. I wonder if/when UA-camrs (or, humanity in general) will figure out they should avoid wandering from their lane, making assumptions about things that just aren't true and then making false pronouncements on that basis.
To be fair, Paul's in good company. One frequent offender in this respect is Neil DeGrasse Tyson, and he's hardly the only one. But still.
Biblical name , after tress in that area-Lebanon cedar .It was also.a majorly significant town during the American Revolution ,however the Amero -Indians have many ,many US towns named after their people
I've seen a lot more equipment butchered than saved buy prematurely messing around with caps.....if it's not broken.....
my speakers are from 76, they sound wonderful! Should I bother?? I hear no problem with them!
Depends on whether it has electrolytics obviously.
@@EnigmaVideos are "bipolar" caps electrolytics?
@@MatijaVabec Those that are marked with "bipolar" in speakers are electrolytic, since film caps are bipolar unless they have an outer foil with polarity. It's easy to see by comparing size and capacitance of the two types. The reason why they are bipolar is because of the reverse voltage, but film caps are really the right choice.
Change them and then you will understand the problems they had.
@@johnloupis2347 once I notice something I will. I really love the sound now I don't want to mess it up
I get the fact you can use lower value film capacitors on the input as the impedance is high but, in my mind, you can't avoid using electrolytics for the output DC blocking, signal capacitors because the output impedance is so low. Is there another way that I don't know about?
Are you sure that you have output blocking capacitors? They are not always used.
@@marianneoelund2940 I'm talking about amplifier design in general. I'm an electrician / electronics engineer by trade. You can calculate roll-off with RC values.
@@zedcarr6128 Then I don't know why you asked the question. You know that the alternatives to capacitive coupling are direct or transformer coupling, right?
what about resistors, should the old carbon-film resistors from 1996 be replaced with new metal film ones?
Only if it shows the wrong values.
Bulk carbon resistors are the ones you need to worry about. They can drift well outside of their tolerance rating, and they can also become noisy with age.
Not to mention the Brit’s who came from Hampshire and called the state New Hampshire
I have the same question about my 20 year old Parasound amp? It's still kicking ass but I wonder if I should or when I should?
You should definitely start to worry about it after it is 30 years old, just don't poke around in there with your fingers until you have checked the voltage is close to zero with a multimeter.
@@EnigmaVideos so I'm good right now at 20 years? Thanks.
@@JC-bl9bo I can only give a vague answer, but I would say yes.
@@EnigmaVideos I'll email Parasound, that's probably the best idea.
I'm using your PS IVH PREAMP. Is it worth recapping?
It has always been a great preamp and yes, I would consider it worthy.
Class D uses big caps?
do polypropylene capacitors last forever
No, but they only need to outlast their owner.
"I'm not gonna get going on that."???
i do it straight away
It's gradual alright but what are the symptoms of ageing electrolytic capacitors?
"During the capacitor aging process the electron leakage current and the chemical reactions both cause a decrease in the capacitance value and an increase in the resistance value."
@@captainwin6333 thanks. I probably could have asked in a clearer way - how do ageing electrolytic capacitors affect the audio? So I could tell just by listening, not measuring the caps. Thank you
Depends on where they are in the circuit. Power supply capacitors will gradually cause an increase in ripple voltage, which reduces the amplifier's distortion-free output power. You are not likely to notice, unless you make a careful measurement.
Electrolytics in speakers can cause reduced efficiency and a drift in the crossover frequencies.
Small electrolytics in the signal path can cause signal attenuation, but you wouldn't likely notice this until it becomes severe.
Electrolytics used in the bootstrap supply for certain class D driver chips can cause catastrophic failure of the output stage if their ESR rises too high.
@@marianneoelund2940 Thank you, this is exactly what I was hoping for!
Well in my case the the sub was still making the low notes but it was less defined, less musical. Every once in a while it would make a cracking over driven sound even at low volume. I suspect because the caps in the servo area were bad and not controling the speaker itself like it was designed to do.
I know my capasitors are getting old but they can't replaced 😂
"It's gradual, most people don't notice it" - perhaps because it's SO gradual that any halfway decent capacitors will continue to perrform well within spec for many years to come.
Before the rip-out-your-caps brigade come for me, who is telling you that vintage gear is ageing badly and will be costly to repair? a) Manufacturers who want to sell you new stuff, b) UA-cam reviewers who rely on a steady supply of review samples from manufacturers who want to sell you new stuff, and make commission on links to retailers, c) a certain type of commenter who loves to parrot audiophile myths despite little or no relevant experience (see also: cables, vinyl, jitter, power regen- *cough*), has million-dollar golden ears, is somehow impervious to confirmation bias and who clenches instinctively at the mere mention of science.
OK, light your torches. I'll be the one hiding behind a stack of vintage audio gear that all performs very nicely, thank you.
Not all. I was told if my caps were of a certain brand that AR used in later years, I probably had no need to replace them - that in testing many sets of speakers, it was found the values had not changed significantly. Unfortunately, mine are not that brand. Rats. So, I want to be careful, especially with the tweeters, and as long as I'm inside, I figure I might as well upgrade them all and be done with it. There's an Acoustic Research forum where people discussed all this and took values of their capacitors, so it is no myth. It's just that electrolytic capacitors were what they were in their time period. Heck, there are even speakers today that still use them, and manufacturers should be called out for that. No excuses today.
How many times will the same question be asked 😂
How many people are wondering if it is worth while and will make a sound improvement? Everyone needs to try it before they believe.
“…immigrants traveled to our country…” That was a faux-pas Paul.
Elna silmic II electrolitics are fine for signal, bang for buck.
Your math isn't that good ? LOL
Capacitors are not your friends!!!
CAPACITORS ARE YOUR BEST FREINDS. THE SMOOTH THE AC RIPPLE FROM RECTIFIED VOLTAGE. THEY TAKE DC OFF SIGNAL AS BYPASS CAPS. THEY FILTER FREQUENCIES IN TONE STACKS. CAPACITORS ARE YOUR BEST FRIENDS.
Think of caps as your liver
@@666kty3 No other component will ever cause you as much grief as a repair tech. Capacitors are NOT your friend! lol
@@amptechron I have the best equipped amp repair shop in the country. I'll learn nothing from you. But if you listen, you may pick up a few things. Obviously in tube gear power supply caps go, bias circuit caps, bypass caps. Duh. Some of us, work on solid state gear as well, and repair things beyond the basic. Its obvious capacitors have a shelf life. Long periods discharged are the most damaging factor. But you have to treat tube amps and solid state much differently in regards to the high b+ being a large factor in smoking dormant power supply caps.
@Taco I've never seen a bad solder joint at an output transistor. Ever. I've seen a million blown drivers and outputs, but never a bad solder joint. Usually the best solder work in the amp is on the outputs. Its jacks and pots and things subjected to mechanical vibration/use. Most good older stuff uses a socketed t0-3 anyways.