Welcome, Guest. Please Login or Register
Decware Audio Forums
05/02/24 at 00:27:20 




Pages: 1
Send Topic Print
SE84UFO25 Signal Cap Values (Read 1109 times)
mk60
Senior Member
***




Posts: 87
SE84UFO25 Signal Cap Values
04/03/23 at 05:16:02
 
I have an early build UFO25 with the Jupiter caps, and just purchased a second UFO25 that is a later build that has Miflex caps. I intend to run them together bridged into mono. I realize that there may not be a noticeable difference in sound between the two (though I will test when the second one arrives), I am interested in modding the miflex amp (which hasn't arrived yet) to Jupiter caps to have their internals match.

Looking at the guts of my Jupiter UFO25, I don't see any capacitance value marked on the caps themselves -- does anyone know what they are? My assumption is that this would be a very simple straight replacement -- desolder the pair of miflex caps, and solder in Jupiters of the same values. Is that correct? Or could there be other minor differences between the two that would complicate this?

Thanks for any information that anyone can provide Smiley
Back to top
 
 

Main System: Lumin U2 Mini->Denafrips Pontus II->ZTPRE->[2x SE84UFO25 in Differential Balanced Mono]->Klipsch La Scala AL5 + 2x REL 212/SX
Office System: Naim Uniti Atom->SE34I.5->Zu Dirty Weekend 6 Supreme
  IP Logged
funch
Seasoned Member
****




Posts: 152
Re: SE84UFO25 Signal Cap Values
Reply #1 - 04/03/23 at 20:22:58
 
Should be .1uF. You might want to reverse your plan, as finding Jupiter coppers may be tough. That's probably why Steve went to Miflex.
Back to top
 
 
  IP Logged
mk60
Senior Member
***




Posts: 87
Re: SE84UFO25 Signal Cap Values
Reply #2 - 04/03/23 at 20:38:37
 
Thanks for the value!

Actually the same Jupiter 0.1uF 600V caps are currently available for order direct from Jupiter themselves: https://jupitercondenser.com/products/copper-foil-paper-wax-capacitors-600v

My guess is that Steve switched at a point where there was unavailability, or that he wasn't able to order them in the quantities he needed?

I'm curious if people have strong opinions: if both the "correct" Jupiter and Miflex are available to me, is there any real reason to prefer one over the other? I'm currently leaning Jupiter since they were Steve's original choice, but perhaps his switch to Miflex was also driven by sound quality?
Back to top
 
 

Main System: Lumin U2 Mini->Denafrips Pontus II->ZTPRE->[2x SE84UFO25 in Differential Balanced Mono]->Klipsch La Scala AL5 + 2x REL 212/SX
Office System: Naim Uniti Atom->SE34I.5->Zu Dirty Weekend 6 Supreme
  IP Logged
Sean
Seasoned Member
****




Posts: 289
Re: SE84UFO25 Signal Cap Values
Reply #3 - 04/03/23 at 21:38:07
 
https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl?num=1610571968

Post 36:
The Mundorf Supreme caps have been around a long time. I've always liked them. When the original caps I used in the Zen Triode amplifiers became obsolete due to some Green energy regulation, and I could no longer get our WIMA FKP-1's made in the original blue, I started thinking it was probably a good time to think about putting something in the amps that was more expensive. Back then our FKP-1's were blue, and WIMA also made other series that were red and the red ones were terrible for audio application. Now they want to make the good sounding ones red in color - it was too much.

As a replacement for both I was contemplating Rel, MIT, and Mundorf. Before I had really made any decisions one way or the other, I discovered the Jupiter Beeswax capacitor and because they were made here in the USA and had that organic thing going on, like our Silver Reference Interconnects, I decided to go with them and have used them all these many years since.

Our inventory of the Jupiter beeswax caps is expiring and unfortunately the caps being manufactured at present no longer pass our quality standards. I'm sure it's probably temporary, perhaps due to the Covid crisis. This of course made me wish I had gone with the Mundorf, because film and or foil caps that are properly made never fail. They last forever.  It's caps that use wax or oils as part of the dielectric that eventually fail, or fall out of spec.

So as many of you know I made an announcement that we were switching over to Mundorf, a cap who's sound I was well familiar with.  After purchasing all of the US stock I made the big announcement.

When making that announcement and promising that all 340 (at the time) people on our build sheet would get the Mundorf caps, I had completely forgotten that we already had somewhere around 50 components already built and waiting for QC each built with beeswax caps! But since I said what I said -- we removed the beeswax caps from all of those units and replaced them with Mundorfs. An very expensive mistake, nothing more. The reason I'm telling you this is because I don't feel that the sound of the Mundorf is necessarily better than the beeswax so there is no reason for people with beeswax caps to have them removed. And the reason I removed them from 50 components wasn't because the Mundorf were superior, it was because of how I worded my announcement.  And while I expect many of the beeswax to possibly fail 20 years down the road, our lifetime warranty will cover any replacements.

On a funny side note, we now have an understanding that announcements will be reviewed by three people instead of one prior to being emailed to our customers.

This story gets even better, but I'll save part 2 for my next post.

Steve
Back to top
 
 

Technics 1210G, AT OC9III, Cinemag 1254 SUT, ZP3, CSP2+, SE84UFO, Tekton Pendragon

Schiit Bifrost, Mac Mini, Roon
  IP Logged
CAJames
Seasoned Member
****


"I've run every
red light on memory
lane."

Posts: 1699
Re: SE84UFO25 Signal Cap Values
Reply #4 - 04/03/23 at 23:00:09
 
And to complete the story, here is Steve's post on replacing Mundorf with Miflex:

Quote:
Post by Steve Deckert  03/12/21 at 13:39:31

OK - PART II


Mundorf recently announced they will no longer offer their “Mundorf Supreme” caps due to logistics reasons involving the ongoing Covid19 restrictions in Germany.

This came as bad news to us as we just committed our entire product line to this capacitor. Simply we had to find a replacement that is equally as good as the Mundorf.

We elected to use the MIFLEX copper foil caps as in listening tests that were conducted prior to choosing the Mundorf, the MIFLEX was our second choice.  It only lost out to the Mundorf not because of sound but because of the higher values that we use cost a bit more with MIFLEX and were larger in physical size than was ideal for our amplifier layouts.  

The difference isn’t enough to worry us, we will absorb the price. We feel MIFLEX is the logical choice as the Mundorf replacement.

We don’t expect to have any future surprises from MIFLEX like we got from Mundorf because MIFLEX of Poland has been making their own capacitors in house for around 70 years.  As I understand it, Mundorf does not actually make their own capacitors in house.

Production will be transitioning from Mundorf to Miflex in all Decware tube gear.  That means that many of you who got our mailing about the Mundorf Cap Upgrade will now be getting MIFLEX.

Thank you for your flexibility.

-Steve Deckert / DECWARE
Back to top
 
 

[FOOBAR2000 | Jay's CDT2 MRK3] -> Denafrips Terminator 2 + Gaia
Sumiko Pearwood -> Mapleknoll Athena -> Luxman SUT -> Maple-tree Phono 3E
Woo WA22 -> 2x UFO25s, balanced monos
Omega SAM , Hifiman Arya, Senn HD-650
  IP Logged
mk60
Senior Member
***




Posts: 87
Re: SE84UFO25 Signal Cap Values
Reply #5 - 04/04/23 at 00:11:27
 
Thanks for linking that thread! Indeed, an interesting read -- seems like it was a quality issue with the Jupiters. Sucks the Mundorfs didn't work out at the scale that Steve needed. I figure that based on the discussion in that thread, it's safe to assume that the Mundorfs he was going to use are these ones?

https://www.mundorf.com/audio/en/shop/capacitors/audio_caps_evo/mcap_supreme_evo...

but in 0.1uF like the Jupiters (and the rest of the circuit is identical)? Would be interesting to put them in both my amps if I can get my hands on a few.

Otherwise it seems like the Miflex are a better call than the Jupiters.. Though I am curious if the quality concerns that Steve had are based solely on longevity or actual capacitance issues out of the box? I suppose I could ask him.
Back to top
 
 

Main System: Lumin U2 Mini->Denafrips Pontus II->ZTPRE->[2x SE84UFO25 in Differential Balanced Mono]->Klipsch La Scala AL5 + 2x REL 212/SX
Office System: Naim Uniti Atom->SE34I.5->Zu Dirty Weekend 6 Supreme
  IP Logged
Pages: 1
Send Topic Print