VTA SP14 and Mundorf Silver in Oils

I've been using the Jensen Copper Foil PIO's in my power amps as coupling caps and been very happy with the performance, but haven't tried them in a preamp yet.

One guy described the Mundorf S/O's as "flat and too smooth, takes the edges off the music" and the Jensens as "full and 3-dimensional."
While another described the Mundorf's as more balanced and the Jensen's more "fleshed out, but a bit short in the HF and presence areas."

How a cap sounds is obviously system dependent, so I might have to try both, or maybe I should go straight to the top and get the V-Caps which seem to have almost universal approval, but two of those cost more than the total cost of the board and parts for the SP14, so maybe I won't!

Here is my subjective first impression of the difference in sound between the Silver/Oil vs. the Gold/Silver Mundorf's after having listened to them for 2-3 weeks now.

As mijohn already wrote, the S/O are smoother with less top end. High frequencies are somewhat down vs. the G/S. The difference is not huge, but noticeable in direct comparison. Bass and mids are practically the same.

Imaging wise the sound stage of the G/S is clearly wider and deeper. Classical orchestras or small Jazz combos are equally well reproduced.

On good recordings I definitely prefer the G/S. The S/O are a bit more forgiving with bad recordings as they seem to round shouty edges a little bit off. They may also be the better choice if one has brighter sounding components in their setup.

Best

Michael

Good review Michael, I've gone with the S/O's first and will see if they are synergistic with my system. I might try the S/G Oil's later if I feel the top end could do with a lift, I also like the idea of a wider and deeper sound stage. Whilst I have many well recorded discs a lot aren't and might be improved with the S/G's.  

Another thing I am doing is building a stepped attenuator using Takman metal film resistors after reading comparison reviews by Neville Roberts on the HiFi Collective UK website. The resistors were tested in a stepped attenuator and were rated:

1. Charcroft
2. Takman Metal Film
3. Audio Note Tantalum Non-Magnetic
4. Takman Carbon Film
5. Audio Note Tantalum
6. PRP PR9372

I am also putting the Takman's in the important R2, R5 and R8 positions on the SP14 board.

After a couple of weeks burn in on each set of output caps I did a bit of A/B comparison between the mundorf S/O and the solen caps that came with the SP14.

I only needed to switch from the solen to the mundorf and the difference was night and day.

I ran in the mundorfs first and I couldn't quite understand why I wasn't liking the sound as much after switching to the solen (i forgot I had done it).

As soon as I went back to the mundorf it was like opening the curtains. A true "ahhh, there it is" moment.

To verify the findings I repeated the switch for my brother and he was blown away. Just goes to show that you get what you pay for.

Sadface wrote:After a couple of weeks burn in on each set of output caps I did a bit of A/B comparison between the mundorf S/O and the solen caps that came with the SP14.

I only needed to switch from the solen to the mundorf and the difference was night and day.

I ran in the mundorfs first and I couldn't quite understand why I wasn't liking the sound as much after switching to the solen (i forgot I had done it).

As soon as I went back to the mundorf it was like opening the curtains. A true "ahhh, there it is" moment.

To verify the findings I repeated the switch for my brother and he was blown away. Just goes to show that you get what you pay for.

So, you are saying that you have 2 identical preamps with identical tube sets and the only difference is the output caps?

"So, you are saying that you have 2 identical preamps with identical tube sets and the only difference is the output caps?"

The SP14 has provision for two sets of output caps, each connected to separate output jacks, allowing comparison of two different caps.

mijohn wrote:So, you are saying that you have 2 identical preamps with identical tube sets and the only difference is the output caps?

The SP14 has provision for two sets of output caps, each connected to separate output jacks, allowing comparison of two different caps.

Ahhh...

Sadface wrote:After a couple of weeks burn in on each set of output caps I did a bit of A/B comparison between the mundorf S/O and the solen caps that came with the SP14.

I only needed to switch from the solen to the mundorf and the difference was night and day.

I ran in the mundorfs first and I couldn't quite understand why I wasn't liking the sound as much after switching to the solen (i forgot I had done it).

As soon as I went back to the mundorf it was like opening the curtains. A true "ahhh, there it is" moment.

To verify the findings I repeated the switch for my brother and he was blown away. Just goes to show that you get what you pay for.

That's another vote for the S/O's. The Solens have a good reputation in power supplies, but an average one in the signal path it seems.