Hello,
Maybe a controversial topic but still worth mentioning.
I didn’t think much of it at first either until I did it and realised it was better.
But to give you a reason, I think it’s a pity that manufacturers don’t go to the optimum when they develop amps.
At the Feliks Euforia I was surprised why they charge 2000$ for a tube amp that is equipped with the inferior Mundorf capacitor series.
Although there are also good ones on the Mundorf side that would have made a better contribution.
Or there are other manufacturers who also develop neutral sounding capacitors.
Even if Feliks had the intention to present something neutral.
Internally, there is talk of exploiting the last 10% of the amplifier’s potential.
On the Feliks Euforia with the total conversion to Vcaps TFTF on the 6SN7 socket and Odam on the 6AS7G socket I have to say it is more than 10% in that respect.
The added value was amazing in that it was unintentional that I only worked on the 6SN7 socket with the TFTF.
I was actually quite happy with this, but the attraction of seeing the Odams on the 6AS7G socket was greater.
Now they are in and currently playing in and what can I say?
Another 400 h burn in oouuuuff but is it worth it?
At first they were a bit unimpressed, but after 20-40H they opened for the first time.
And the grin on their faces grew wide.
Now I’m at almost 150 hours and the grin is getting even wider. And I’m still not done with the recording, what else can I expect?
At the moment I can only say that the word Euforia finally does justice.
It is indeed euphoric at the moment, everything is grippier,the staging, details are there, bass mid treble everything in its place.
And the voices oohh my god.there were a few good titles where I thought old what’s going on?
Moments that really got under your skin.
Just because of the capacitors?
I can’t believe it but yeah.
Is it justified to invest there again?
Especially in the Euforia I have to say yes, why? (Even with the Elise)
Apart from the added sound value, I have tubes in it that ran badly before the conversion, like the Svetlana.
Masked dertails,unagitated,a bit cold. Voice range a bit distant,little colour and overall sometimes powerless.
And now with the Odam there is no sign of that. Only straight forward.
Great sweet spot, much more extended, melodious, colourful, warm and silky and power behind it.
Currently I have the cheapest tubes you can get for under $60 if you look hard enough.
And I’m amazed at how it sounds, and I haven’t even unpacked the good tubes.
So just by rebuilding the amp it can handle less good tubes better than before.
Where I have to say that depending on the combination it is already very good.
To be more precise, cheap Nos tubes can do wonders than a more expensive tube that might be freely available on the market.
Has the amplifier lost its basic character?
Hard to say when you have to burn in 400 hours which can take weeks.
And you have to go out of memory, maybe a little but not much.
The compromise with the added value makes you forget and I don’t want to go back.
My impression is that the built-in Mundorf capacitors have given it a bit of a mellow character that is almost impossible to hear anymore,
but still present in a different way but still fitting.
Do capacitors colour the sound?
I think so, there are certainly capacitors that do, and the market is full of them.In the case of Vcap, I can say no. They do not colour, whether you like it or not.
They don’t colour, whether you can tell if they add anything is also hard to say.
I don’t think so, I don’t have that impression.
They make it sound more like what it is and was intended to be, the truth!
Why add details when they are not details or make the singing sound different?
My answer to that is not at all, before it went down quite a bit in the details but that there is still a corner that doesn’t come to light at all Is present all of a sudden
that was hardly audible before.
Besides, the details are in the mix and not in the capacitor.
But that condensers can present more obviously than normal human beings would shake their heads at such a statement.
But yes, you can hear it.
When singing, does the singer really have such a voice?
Christina Agiulera is known to have a snotty voice, but she can also sing softly.
But so snotty or so soft? Yes indeed.
I don’t know how Vcap managed to hide the sibilants in the S or Z. But they are gone, and it is more clearly defined that it is an S or Z.
Or did you know that the bass on Prodogy - Breathe was intended to boom continuously at the beginning of the song?
I hadn’t noticed that intensity before.
At least that’s my impression when I have the Lcd 2 C on. it just hits your ear but in a very gentle way that you can enjoy it.
Even though it feels more like an analysis system, it remains musical?
Yes indeed, it remains musical without being analytical. The intensity has increased in the perception and the feeling of standing in front of it and listening to the musicians has increased.
Especially with live recordings there is a great wow effect, even if it sometimes seems muffled, it was probably intended that way.
The instruments sound clearer and more distinct, even though the stage seems to have grown a bit.
Reverbs that are irritating at first are also present, but it’s absolutely perfect. plucking the guitar is a pleasure, or the trumpet sounds like a big wow.
Oh yes, I also benefited from the planar headphones, the Euforia copes much better with them.
And it unleashes pure fireworks.
Although the Mundorf condenser is popular with manufacturers because of the cost factor, it has a disadvantage.
In the treble range it tends to distort, the Lcd 2 C seemed to be a bit more sensitive there, which is now completely fixed.
I noticed the same thing with the Fostex TR X00 headphones, where it seemed to be better but not quite.
On the amp’s peramp side I also took advantage of the opportunity and had the Odam’s installed.
There too, in contrast to before, a big plus, but perhaps not as intense, but that could also be due to the speakers I use.
Still, it plays nice and free and deep enough, giving off more colour.
I am amazed at the upgrade and also very satisfied.
Even if the Vacaps are not cheap it is worth it if good capacitors are not used.
And I’m glad I did it and invested 650$ instead of buying something new.
The added value was simply greater than buying something new.
When the opportunity presents itself, it’s worth considering.
Sure, the added value of a tube amp is another big leap than maybe an SS amp.
But maybe the effort is bigger to do that, I can imagine, because everything is getting smaller and more compact.
Or not feasible that you have to go to electrolytic capacitors. Audio Note seems to be quite ahead with Nichicon where it can be worthwhile.
I used 2 of them in the Little Dot 1+ as a replacement due to a defect and it made a big difference.
However, instead of always buying a new one, I have to say that it is worth opening the lid of the amplifier to exploit the potential.
You can also use this as a repair measure and familiarise yourself with it a little.
And another tip.
Many capacitors have been tested, of course you want to read a lot about them, but be careful.
The Vcap can also be used in loudspeakers, for example, and the review can be quite different if you don’t know how it was tested or where it was used.
The same applies to other capacitor manufacturers such as Milfex, Audyn, etc.
It may be that the capacitor was not in the amplifier but in the speaker or vice versa.
So be careful when you see something interesting and read a review.