The Russian Teflon FT-3 0.22uF 600V capacitors are supposed to sound very nice, but from what I read they are large. Has anyone tried them or will they fit under the VTA board?
+3
mantha3
Bob Latino
Bugs
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Russian Teflon FT-3 0.22uF 600V Capacitors
Bugs- Posts : 90
Join date : 2009-04-17
Bob Latino- Admin
- Posts : 3277
Join date : 2008-11-26
Location : Massachusetts
Bugs wrote:The Russian Teflon FT-3 0.22uF 600V capacitors are supposed to sound very nice, but from what I read they are large. Has anyone tried them or will they fit under the VTA board?
IMHO, at least in the case of the VTA driver board, the Russian FT-3 Teflon caps are just too large for a normal installation on a VTA driver board. One of the limiting factors, at least on a standard Dynaco ST-70 chassis, are the two front tube sockets. Even when you bend back the pins on the two front tube sockets, there isn't much clearance even for the Russian K40-Y PIO caps. I suppose you could mount the Teflon coupling caps somehow OFF the board or strap them in someplace with nylon wire wraps but it would not be a normal installation.
The photo below shows a 600 volt Russian Teflon cap and a 630 volt Russian K40-Y PIO cap. As you can see, there is a large difference in size. The Teflon cap is 2 7/8" long and has a diameter of 1 1/8". The Russian PIO cap is only 1 5/8" long and has a diameter of just 3/4".
Bob
Last edited by Bob Latino on Wed Dec 22, 2010 12:31 pm; edited 1 time in total
Bugs- Posts : 90
Join date : 2009-04-17
Boy, that cap is a brute. Thanks Bob.
mantha3- Posts : 303
Join date : 2010-11-10
If you are looking at caps or thinking of re-doing the caps on your VTA board..
Take a sec to read this Capacitor review...
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/diy/0708/capacitor1.htm
The writer of this tried both of the capacitors you are looking at and seems to like the smaller Russian PIOs over these larger ones. This is interesting reads as just about every cap is in this.
I ended up running my VTA with 4 X .22uf 1200 Volt Jantzen Silver and 2 AudioCap Thetas .10uf 600Volt on top of the board on the signal path. The sound keeps getting better (I'm on about 40 hours of break in)
Have fun with the caps. If you get these big suckers in and it works out with good sound please report back and have some photos with how you got these in!
Take a sec to read this Capacitor review...
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/diy/0708/capacitor1.htm
The writer of this tried both of the capacitors you are looking at and seems to like the smaller Russian PIOs over these larger ones. This is interesting reads as just about every cap is in this.
I ended up running my VTA with 4 X .22uf 1200 Volt Jantzen Silver and 2 AudioCap Thetas .10uf 600Volt on top of the board on the signal path. The sound keeps getting better (I'm on about 40 hours of break in)
Have fun with the caps. If you get these big suckers in and it works out with good sound please report back and have some photos with how you got these in!
Bugs- Posts : 90
Join date : 2009-04-17
mantha3 wrote:If you are looking at caps or thinking of re-doing the caps on your VTA board..
Take a sec to read this Capacitor review...
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/diy/0708/capacitor1.htm
The writer of this tried both of the capacitors you are looking at and seems to like the smaller Russian PIOs over these larger ones. This is interesting reads as just about every cap is in this.
I ended up running my VTA with 4 X .22uf 1200 Volt Jantzen Silver and 2 AudioCap Thetas .10uf 600Volt on top of the board on the signal path. The sound keeps getting better (I'm on about 40 hours of break in)
Have fun with the caps. If you get these big suckers in and it works out with good sound please report back and have some photos with how you got these in!
That is a good read. What made you dicide on using the Jantzen Silvers and AudioCap Thetas?
mantha3- Posts : 303
Join date : 2010-11-10
I have a buddy who is into tube amps. He does some Cap rolling. I got 2 of the new Jantzens for basically free. I got two more for about 40 more. Not cheap. I just read a lot of positive on the Jantzens. Also, some buddy influience invovled. Jantzens are spendy but you can certainly spend more on caps.
I then went with 2X the Audiocap Thetas .10 uf on the top of the VTA in the 2 spots in the signal path. you install 4 .10uf caps on the VTA.. 2 of these caps are on the signal path so I thought I'd go with an Audiocap on these spots. The size is a bit bigger then the 2 orange caps that I got with the VTA with the upgrade but they fit and don't get hot.. And they look nice... Oh, and sound great!
I wanted to try some more current cutting edge caps. It was not hard to go with the 2 Audiocaps in place of the orange caps... Other then the 15 bucks spent on them or so. I spent quite a bit on the amp so what is another 15 (don't ask my wife)
The Jantzen over the Russion PIOs was not easy.. I think both are probably great. The Amp sounds amazing so I think the Jantzen's are solid. I am keeping the PIOs and will probably drop those in for a run later this winter.. Perhaps run the amp for a weekend to burn the PIOs in and then after a weekend burn in try a good listen on them.
Fun new toy! Expensive hobby I gotta keep a handle on.
I then went with 2X the Audiocap Thetas .10 uf on the top of the VTA in the 2 spots in the signal path. you install 4 .10uf caps on the VTA.. 2 of these caps are on the signal path so I thought I'd go with an Audiocap on these spots. The size is a bit bigger then the 2 orange caps that I got with the VTA with the upgrade but they fit and don't get hot.. And they look nice... Oh, and sound great!
I wanted to try some more current cutting edge caps. It was not hard to go with the 2 Audiocaps in place of the orange caps... Other then the 15 bucks spent on them or so. I spent quite a bit on the amp so what is another 15 (don't ask my wife)
The Jantzen over the Russion PIOs was not easy.. I think both are probably great. The Amp sounds amazing so I think the Jantzen's are solid. I am keeping the PIOs and will probably drop those in for a run later this winter.. Perhaps run the amp for a weekend to burn the PIOs in and then after a weekend burn in try a good listen on them.
Fun new toy! Expensive hobby I gotta keep a handle on.
mantha3- Posts : 303
Join date : 2010-11-10
PS - Reading on Caps I'd like to hear the Russian PIOs and these big Russion Caps you mentioned in this thread.. for Bass as much as anything over the Jantzen's I have.
Dahlberg- Posts : 132
Join date : 2016-09-27
Age : 63
Location : Sweden
They FT3's are BIG but it should be possible 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/284863/orgy-of-capacitors-the-cap-thread
http://www.head-fi.org/t/284863/orgy-of-capacitors-the-cap-thread
Russian K40y Paper-In-Oil Capacitor
I must thank “Bob B” and “Les Lemmars” for kindly loaning me these K40y caps. After the usual rocky burn-in ritual, this PIO cap settled into a confident, natural sounding device. There are some audiophiles who rank these PIO caps as the best of the Russian military caps, including the FT-3 and K72 teflon caps. I may agree with this sentiment when it comes to utter naturalness and ease of presentation as well as the lack of a subtle “plastic” sound, which of course all plastic (film) caps have.
Gladly, this PIO cap did not have an overly dark, laid-back sound some people may expect of PIO caps. The important midrange energy was quite forceful and engaging as well as richly harmonic. The rendering of textures was most reminiscent of a good vinyl setup, which is a good thing; and detail resolution was not lacking, either, but the extreme “air” on top was not as beautifully alive as with VCap teflons. Speaking of teflons, the only real reservation I have about K40y is in the bass. The VCap Teflon, K72, FT3, Sonicap Platinum all seem to have a tighter control over basslines with sharper leading edges and snappier decay. K40y’s bass is more woody, richer, but just shy of the vise-grip crunch, so if you’re a death-metal or electronica fan, K40y may not get you to the promised land.
Overall, I really enjoyed the K40y. Its raison d’tere falls squarely in the critical midrange, where tons of texture, bloom, and natural detail anchor the music without that subtle synthetic feel of many other caps. Although the voices aren’t brightly spotlit, there is a magical highlighting and intensification without turning bright.
setu- Posts : 10
Join date : 2013-03-11
Location : California
I am a big fan of Soviet caps--esp K40-Y yet I dream of using some teflon FT-3 caps in signal path.
Since size prevents FT-3 on pcb would it ever be feasible to mount these huge caps in an off-board way?
I assume sheer ugliness, inductive/resistive long lead wires are the primary reasons not to do so.
It feels so WRONG and un-Dynaco-like to create an outboard psu box WITH some(rollable) huge signal caps.
Of course this 'box' might have vents, mu-metal rooms, attractive connector, mid-century style....
Is this idea trashy/ineffective/improvable?
My ST-70 already has PAM sockets with adj tube-bias and front headphone jack & LED...
When is Dynaco modification too much?
I cant see any nice easy way to use FT-3 caps.
Since size prevents FT-3 on pcb would it ever be feasible to mount these huge caps in an off-board way?
I assume sheer ugliness, inductive/resistive long lead wires are the primary reasons not to do so.
It feels so WRONG and un-Dynaco-like to create an outboard psu box WITH some(rollable) huge signal caps.
Of course this 'box' might have vents, mu-metal rooms, attractive connector, mid-century style....
Is this idea trashy/ineffective/improvable?
My ST-70 already has PAM sockets with adj tube-bias and front headphone jack & LED...
When is Dynaco modification too much?
I cant see any nice easy way to use FT-3 caps.
Last edited by setu on Mon Jan 16, 2017 12:15 am; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : spelling)
corndog71- Posts : 840
Join date : 2013-03-19
Location : It can get windy here
The answer is obvious. Rebuild it in a bigger box. It's just a box. There are a few rules to circuit layout but tube amps are remarkably flexible. And if the circuit board is too constricting get rid of that too. That's what I did.
My VTA120.
My VTA120.
Tube Nube- Posts : 707
Join date : 2008-12-06
Age : 61
Location : Calgary, AB
We already have outboard power supplies well accepted in the hobby. Outboard capacitor bixes next?