Clive Meakins checks out some options for pole position
in the coupling capacitor stakes
(Excerpt from capacitor reveiw)
Jupiter
Aluminum foil, silver leadouts with beeswax dielectric! The Jupiters have lots of air, are detailed, clean and fast. Bass performance was immediately impressive, it goes deep and is tight.
The character of my system changed significantly between different recordings, suggesting the capacitor is very transparent. This capacitor is about neutrality, clarity and detail with no added or subtracted warmth. Modern chart recordings are accurately reproduced, so some can be sharp in the mid-range.
Watch the soldering iron, don’t melt the wax by brushing the iron against the capacitor, in fact keep well away from the body and don’t apply too much heat!
These are vintage looking capacitors with a modern sound, even if they may look as though they’ll sound over-lush.
Upside: resolution, speed, consistent through the frequency range, neutral, environmentally friendly, solid bass
Downside: ever so slightly unforgiving of poorly recorded vocals, require a little extra care when soldering
Jupiter "Audio path coupler"
From: http://www.dhtrob.com
Some time ago
Hans Kortenbach sent me an e-mail with including an attachment about
the use of beeswax in audio related components. An interesting note
as beeswax seems to have way of preserving things, due to some specific
substances, as only beeswax can do... Also a sort of enquete was held
among older radio repairman about "the best encountered capacitor".
Almost all of these men answered: "Waxed capacitors". These
capacitors were the most reliable ones throughout the years... Interesting
stuff to read about! And what a surprise it was when I "surfed"
the Internet and encountered the Jupiter beeswax capacitor! These are
really beautiful made capacitors! You can feel the wax, as they are
not built in plastic or metal! They are also pretty heavy, most of the
times a good sign. I'm using Jensen copperfoils (no plastic, C37 treated)
at the moment, also having some Ultra tones, Icars and VitaminQ's as
reference. All have 0.22mF, so there should be no difference..
Cees Piet was with me at the time, and I quickly replaced the Jupiters
for the Jensens after listening for quite a time (for reference). Immediately
after swapping the party began! This was not a minor difference! All
of the sudden the music seems to "pour" out of this "path
coupler".... Everything in the music seemed to be unleashed.. Fantastic!
What a good capacitor this is!. Also compared to the other references
this rather big difference was obvious, no shit! If you're into buying
your coupling capacitor, you should give these caps a try! You won't
be disappointed, I can assure you! The only disappointment in using
these, is when you already have bought some (expensive) Audio Notes
or exclusive Teflon-caps, and realize you don't need them anymore....
After a few weeks of listening, I'm still as enthusiastic about these
caps as in the beginning! They have really gotten better, although the
improvement gained in the beginning when swapping these, is not as big
as then! Again a big hurray for "natural materials"?.
ps. These caps have been listened to as coupling device on my preamp;
a choke loaded Standard 4019A.
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