Interesting... (vintage-cap-info?)

[Wolf]

I had a surplus-electronics place nearby until it closed late 2008. I used to get a lot of mylar caps and some chokes or resistors there for bargain prices.

Recently, I happen to find the cap-thread on DIYaudio about the ones some people use in their tube-amps as couplers/etc, and the ERO's (now apparently are Vishay-Roederstein) I've used popped up! I never thought much about them, except that I thought they sounded really good where I'd used them. As it turns out, they are an MKC (metallized polycarbonate) capacitor.

Is there any benefit in construction of MKC over the MKP (polypropylene) or MKT types? Maybe this isn't the right place to ask about construction?

I hadn't known of polycarbonate caps before, and actually thought these were mylars (MKT). Since I used my last 2 in the xovers for the Tesseract M-T section, I was looking for more, and found them for a hopefully (depending on lot or per) very reasonable price!

So- who else has had some great surplus-finds? Or has any info on my p'carbos?
Later,
Wolf

[dthomas]

Re: Interesting... (vintage-cap-info?)

I had a surplus-electronics place nearby until it closed late 2008. I used to get a lot of mylar caps and some chokes or resistors there for bargain prices.

Recently, I happen to find the cap-thread on DIYaudio about the ones some people use in their tube-amps as couplers/etc, and the ERO's (now apparently are Vishay-Roederstein) I've used popped up! I never thought much about them, except that I thought they sounded really good where I'd used them. As it turns out, they are an MKC (metallized polycarbonate) capacitor.

Is there any benefit in construction of MKC over the MKP (polypropylene) or MKT types? Maybe this isn't the right place to ask about construction?

I hadn't known of polycarbonate caps before, and actually thought these were mylars (MKT). Since I used my last 2 in the xovers for the Tesseract M-T section, I was looking for more, and found them for a hopefully (depending on lot or per) very reasonable price!

So- who else has had some great surplus-finds? Or has any info on my p'carbos?
Later,
Wolf

Here in Dallas we have a company called Tanner's Electronics, great surplus store. Lots of MKC in values of .22 up to the occasional 10uf mostly 8uf and below. They also have a good selection of 100V and up polys 10uf and below. Prices are usaully in the .49 to .69 each range. Also the values are typically 1% to 10% rated and based on the ones I have measured they are usually right on the money. They also have the occasional NPEs I have a bin full of 33uf and 16uf NPEs they measure within 1 to 2% that I got for .29 each.

Not unlike your former outlet they also have a good stock of 5W and up resistors. For the life of me I can't measure a difference between these and the "audio grade" resistors. I have swept them with a woofer tester and inductance is in line with Mills and Dayton audio grade. They are typically .24 each.

I use them in crosovers all the time not only are they inexpensive they sound to my ears as good as any of the poly caps. At the end of the day they make the cost of typical crossover fractions of what it can cost.

[Wolf]

Re: Interesting... (vintage-cap-info?)

I miss having that option handy and close by. It really saved a lot of money on parts with a lot of stock less than $1.

Later,
Wolf