silver mica cap as input
-
- alignin' 24-trk
- Posts: 68
- Joined: Fri Mar 02, 2012 6:29 pm
- Location: St. Louis
silver mica cap as input
Hey folks,
I know most folks recommend polystyrene for the input know so, connecting the capsule to the PCB. I've seen mention of folks using silver mica. Anyone tried this, and, if so, how would you say they compare?
I know most folks recommend polystyrene for the input know so, connecting the capsule to the PCB. I've seen mention of folks using silver mica. Anyone tried this, and, if so, how would you say they compare?
turn up the pedal steel.
-
- george martin
- Posts: 1347
- Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2006 8:47 pm
- Location: home on the range
each cap has a different sound. seriously.
i'm not sure if i would personally enjoy a silver mica as the main input cap....
it'll be wideband, and detailed. accentuated top treble.
in non-scientific terms... i'd call micas 'zippy', yet hi-fi.
polypropylene will be a sonic place inbetween polystyrene and silver mica. WIMA's a trusted, great manufacturer.
from gnarly to refined:
ceramic
electrolytic
polystyrene
paper in oil
polyproplene
mica
although a paper in oil is hard to define... smoothed, yet extended... plus, it's completely, completely biodegradable...
i'm not sure if i would personally enjoy a silver mica as the main input cap....
it'll be wideband, and detailed. accentuated top treble.
in non-scientific terms... i'd call micas 'zippy', yet hi-fi.
polypropylene will be a sonic place inbetween polystyrene and silver mica. WIMA's a trusted, great manufacturer.
from gnarly to refined:
ceramic
electrolytic
polystyrene
paper in oil
polyproplene
mica
although a paper in oil is hard to define... smoothed, yet extended... plus, it's completely, completely biodegradable...
we are the village green
preservation society
god bless +6 tape
valves and serviceability
*chief tech and R&D shaman at shadow hills industries*
preservation society
god bless +6 tape
valves and serviceability
*chief tech and R&D shaman at shadow hills industries*
-
- george martin
- Posts: 1347
- Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2006 8:47 pm
- Location: home on the range
each cap has a different sound. seriously.
i'm not sure if i would personally enjoy a silver mica as the main input cap....
it'll be wideband, and detailed. accentuated top treble.
in non-scientific terms... i'd call micas 'zippy', yet hi-fi.
polypropylene will be a sonic place inbetween polystyrene and silver mica. WIMA's a trusted, great manufacturer.
from gnarly to refined:
ceramic
electrolytic
polystyrene
paper in oil
polyproplene
mica
although a paper in oil is hard to define... smoothed, yet extended... plus, it's completely, completely biodegradable...
i'm not sure if i would personally enjoy a silver mica as the main input cap....
it'll be wideband, and detailed. accentuated top treble.
in non-scientific terms... i'd call micas 'zippy', yet hi-fi.
polypropylene will be a sonic place inbetween polystyrene and silver mica. WIMA's a trusted, great manufacturer.
from gnarly to refined:
ceramic
electrolytic
polystyrene
paper in oil
polyproplene
mica
although a paper in oil is hard to define... smoothed, yet extended... plus, it's completely, completely biodegradable...
we are the village green
preservation society
god bless +6 tape
valves and serviceability
*chief tech and R&D shaman at shadow hills industries*
preservation society
god bless +6 tape
valves and serviceability
*chief tech and R&D shaman at shadow hills industries*
This doesn't cover mica caps, but you might find this page of interest: http://www.sg-acoustics.ch/analogue_aud ... index.html.
Polystyrene, polypropylene, and c0g ceramic caps will be essentially perfect (well...polystyrene gets damaged easily during soldering, polypropylene caps are large and thus have potentially higher inductance). Haven't found measurements of mica and ptfe.
Polystyrene, polypropylene, and c0g ceramic caps will be essentially perfect (well...polystyrene gets damaged easily during soldering, polypropylene caps are large and thus have potentially higher inductance). Haven't found measurements of mica and ptfe.
-
- tinnitus
- Posts: 1135
- Joined: Sat Jun 03, 2006 8:19 am
- Location: beautiful Carlsbad, CA
- Contact:
Mica caps are made with pure silver electrodes, a very stable formulation. As for sound, I found them to be a bit smoother and darker than the premium film and foil polystyrene or polypropylene film types. The high voltage poly film caps have a bit more briteness and 'stridency' than the micas. They sound more forward than silver-micas.
All in all, mica caps are a poor choice for the sensitive high impedance nodes of a condenser mic head amp. The reason is microphonics. They will ring like a bell, you can fling them with a fingernail and hear the tones eminating from them. Unless you encapsulate a mica cap, never use one in a high impedance audio coupling configuation.
All in all, mica caps are a poor choice for the sensitive high impedance nodes of a condenser mic head amp. The reason is microphonics. They will ring like a bell, you can fling them with a fingernail and hear the tones eminating from them. Unless you encapsulate a mica cap, never use one in a high impedance audio coupling configuation.
Jim Williams
Audio Upgrades
Audio Upgrades
-
- alignin' 24-trk
- Posts: 68
- Joined: Fri Mar 02, 2012 6:29 pm
- Location: St. Louis
Thanks for all of the responses
There's a ton of information here to sift through. TapeOp really does have awesome folks on it. So, micas can make sense, but primarily only if insulated from resonanses. Would that mean mica's would be a better option elsewhere in the circuit, such as an eq cap, farther down the circuit?
turn up the pedal steel.
-
- tinnitus
- Posts: 1135
- Joined: Sat Jun 03, 2006 8:19 am
- Location: beautiful Carlsbad, CA
- Contact:
Mica caps are expensive and rather large compared to their film equivalents. A 1000 pf 630 volt cap is over an inch long. I've tried them in EQ circuits and high end RIAA eq circuits as well. They do not perform as well as the best poly film caps. They do have a sweet sounding top end but sound restrained against more open sounding premium film and foil polypropylene or polystyrene film caps. I found teflon caps to also sound excellent, but those are even more expensive. I do use mica caps for feedback bandwidth control, but those are operating at far above the human hearing range.
One place I do use them for EQ is in all of my tube guitar amps. There is nothing better sounding in those than a silver mica hi EQ cap.
One place I do use them for EQ is in all of my tube guitar amps. There is nothing better sounding in those than a silver mica hi EQ cap.
Jim Williams
Audio Upgrades
Audio Upgrades
-
- alignin' 24-trk
- Posts: 68
- Joined: Fri Mar 02, 2012 6:29 pm
- Location: St. Louis
alrighty
Sounds like I'm better off with skipping the micas. I might get one and a/b with a film, on a high frequency roll off part of the circuit. I've got a mic mod coming up and I'm gonna be needing to take the edge off of a rk67 capsule. Recommended in the position is a 200pf styrene.
turn up the pedal steel.
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 68 guests