[R-390] Orange Drop vs ceramic disc

[Shoppa, Tim]

Please keep in mind that when it comes to ceramic caps, the dielectric materials available vary widely in their characteristics.

C0G or NP0 ceramic caps could well be golden in audio applications but don't have enough uF per package to be used in most situations.

X7R ceramic caps are probably good enough for not-hi-fi applications. Indeed lots of low-end consumer tube stuff from the 60's used ceramic audio coupling caps.

Y5V caps literally sound like crap in audio coupling circuits.

The latest SMD ceramic caps and their MLCC leaded cousins, almost certainly outperform any 50 year old NOS ceramics we have lying about, every which way from Sunday. I look at the high-end microwave SMT ceramic caps (actually the highest end ones are glass) and they beat the pants off of any leaded component.

Tim N3QE

From: MillerKE6F at aol.com [mailto:MillerKE6F at aol.com]
Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2011 6:04 PM
To: Shoppa, Tim; n4buq at knology.net; r-390 at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [R-390] Orange Drop vs ceramic disc

RE: Maxim capacitor paper.....

Granted that at the super low distortion levels  the effects of ceramic types can be measured, but  in a typical communications receiver audio amplifier section where THD  products of  5 percent or 10 percent are the norm,  I doubt if distortion products down 60 db or more are going to be measurable let alone heard by mere mortals.

    And the tests were all done on the smaller SMT caps and I'd like to know  if physical size makes any difference, especially on the DC voltage applied parameter.  Always willing to read a good study.

Cheers

    Bob, KE6F