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Tweakers' Asylum Tweaks for systems, rooms and Do It Yourself (DIY) help. FAQ. |
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Tweakers' Asylum Tweaks for systems, rooms and Do It Yourself (DIY) help. FAQ. |
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In Reply to: is there a point in time when electrolytics where... posted by earnrg on November 2, 2006 at 18:33:05:
From the Wikipedia:"Unlike capacitors that use a bulk dielectric made from an intrinsically insulating material, the dielectric in electrolytic capacitors depends on the formation and maintenance of a microscopic metal oxide layer. Compared to bulk dielectric capacitors, this very thin dielectric allows for much more capacitance in the same unit volume, but maintaining the integrity of the dielectric usually requires the steady application of the correct polarity of direct current else the oxide layer will break down and rupture, causing the capacitor to fail. In addition, electrolytic capacitors generally use an internal wet chemistry and they will eventually fail as the water within the capacitor evaporates."
The capacitors in your KEF crossover probably have more life left in them, but replacing them now with newer film-types couldn't hurt. However, you should refrain from replacing them all at once. Instead, start with the series cap for the tweeter circuit. Listen for a couple of weeks and see if the change retains the tweeter's original sound. While it's doubtful you'll hear a mind altering change, if there's a significant enough difference in ESR between the original and replacement caps, it could be audible (in a negative sense). By replacing the caps one at a time if you don't like the results, you'll be able to easily isolate the cause. (In case you're wondering, leave the crossover inductors alone. Replacing them for whatever reason can be much more problematical than replacing capacitors or resistors.)
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Follow Ups
- Re: is there a point in time when electrolytics where... - The Real Dick Hertz 20:31:50 11/02/06 (3)
- What brands of capacitors are recommended? - earnrg 07:18:29 11/03/06 (1)
- Re: What brands of capacitors are recommended? - The Real Dick Hertz 07:25:33 11/03/06 (0)
- Excellent advice. nt - markrohr 04:26:53 11/03/06 (0)
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