Why should change the electrolytic capacitors?

Why should change the electrolytic capacitors?

1 – Electrolytic capacitors are among the most important in an audio equipment and replacing the old with new high-quality capacitors will improve the sound quality.

The reason why we should go with high quality caps is because when such capacitor states 100 uF, it is indeed 100 uF. While some of the el-cheapo ones from China state 100 uF, yet when you measure it, you get 85 uF. If you have 10 such capacitors in the signal line – differences will start to appear

What is a power supply capacitor and why do they age?

There are multiple stages within a power supply. Firstly, a transformer is used to change the mains voltage that comes out of the wall to a voltage or various voltages on the secondary. These are chosen based on the application that the power supply will be used for. The secondary of the transformer is then connected to what’s known as a rectifier. A rectifier is comprised of diodes that convert AC (50 or 60Hz) to DC (0Hz). Whenever the AC waveform crosses its zero intersection point, there is a period where the rectifier is completely turned off. This causes a parasitic AC component at twice the mains frequency to appear after the rectifier. This waveform is what is known as ripple.

The power supply capacitors are usually electrolytic due to the desire for high capacitance in this application. The higher the capacitance, the lower the cutoff frequency becomes; the more the ripple is attenuated. Since electrolytic essentially use fluid as an electrode, this fluid eventually starts to dry up, increasing the series resistance and decreasing the capacitance of the component. This decreases the effectiveness of the low pass by shifting the cutoff frequency up as well as reducing its ability to attenuate higher frequency noise. The decrease in capacitance also prohibits it from storing adequate charge during the non-conducting periods. The consequence is higher ripple and lower DC voltage, both of which will worsen under higher output currents.

The result is hum, high frequency noise, a loss of dynamics, decreased output power, and poor sound. These capacitors will eventually fail completely so it’s the highest priority to change them in older equipment.

2 – Electrolytic capacitors have life of work 1000-2000h then begin to lose their qualities.

Electrolytic capacitors dry and leak as they age. As a result, your synth won’t filter the DC well, you’ll get wrong currents running thru circuits and end in a poor performance

What is audio grade capacitor?

Capacitors are essential components in audio circuits, and they come in a variety of voltage ratings, shapes, and form factors. The integrity of an audio signal is greatly dependent on the choice of capacitors, and it is therefore necessary to consider various important factors when selecting the right device. Audio grade capacitors are specifically optimized for high end audio applications, and offer higher performance in audio circuits than standard components.The types of capacitors that are commonly used in audio circuits are aluminum electrolytic and film capacitors.

The total harmonic distortion (THD) performance of a capacitor is dependent on the dielectric material of a component. Some dielectric materials can give impressive THD performance while others can seriously degrade it. Polyester capacitors and electrolytic capacitors are some of the capacitors that give the lowest THD. In the case of Class II dielectric materials, X7R offers the best THD performance.

Capacitors for use in audio equipment are commonly classified depending on the application they are used for. The three fields of applications are signal path, functional tasks, and voltage support applications. Ensuring that optimal capacitors are used in these three fields helps to improve the output tone and reduce sound distortion. Polypropylene capacitors have low dissipation factor and are suitable for all the three fields.

Nichicon’s MUSE series and Elna SILMIC II, ideally suited for first class audio equipment where qualitative and quantitative characteristics are required.

it’s also good to think about replacing the ceramic and film capacitors with more precise.

Conclusion

The performance of audio circuits is greatly dependent on passive components such as capacitors and resistors. Actual capacitors contain unwanted parasitic components that can significantly distort the characteristics of audio signals. Capacitors that are used in the signal path greatly determine the quality of the audio signal. As a result, careful selection of capacitors is required to minimize signal degradation. Audio grade capacitors are optimized to meet the needs of today’s high-end audio systems.