Seeking a penetrating, transparent sound quality reminiscent of the blue sky
Mica capacitors long-awaited by tube amp fans
Specs Inc. is pleased to announce the release of mica capacitors, which are extremely difficult to obtain today and boast high capacitance, high withstand voltage, and superb sound quality.
Mica capacitors with high capacitance and high withstand voltage were once in the limelight in the 70s and 80s for their excellent sound quality, but they have disappeared from the audio component market for a quarter of a century. The following is a list of the most popular products in the market.
What is a mica capacitor?
The dielectric, which determines the reliability and sound quality of a capacitor, is made of mica (mica), a mineral found in nature. Mica boasts extremely stable physical properties such as a low temperature coefficient and excellent dielectric strength characteristics, and its thin-film multilayer structure has a minimal inductance and excellent frequency response.
However, while capacitors with capacitance on the order of pF (picoFarad) are small, those with capacitance on the order of μF (microFarad) are expensive due to their large size and the labor-intensive manufacturing process required for them because they are made of natural materials. Large, high-capacity mica capacitors have disappeared from the audio component market for the past quarter century.
The lineup consists of four varieties of large, large-capacity capacitors, which are difficult to obtain nowadays.
High withstand voltage specification of 500VDC
This is a high-capacity, high-voltage type that can be used as-is for coupling in tube amplifiers.
MC-103DA 0.01μF / 500VDC
MC-223DA 0.022μF / 500VDC
MC-473DA 0.047μF / 500VDC
MC-104DA 0.1μF/ 500VDC
Beautiful Sound Quality of Mica Capacitors
The superior sound quality of mica capacitors is unrivaled by other signal capacitors. The flat response with no unevenness over the entire bandwidth, the seemingly limitless high frequency dropout, and the extremely high quality mid-high frequency luster are truly fascinating. The late Isamu Asano, a pioneer of self-made vacuum tube amplifiers and chairman of the Japan Audio Society, made the following comments about mica capacitors in his famous book "Fascinating Vacuum Tube Amplifiers" published in 1972 (a separate volume of "Radio and Experiment" magazine by Seibundo Shinkosha).
In fact, even if you use 0.047μF/600V oil-tubular capacitors, there should be no difference in practical use. However, when listening closely with a highly polished, high quality speaker system, there is a clear difference in sound reproduction between the tremendous size of the mica capacitor and the tubular capacitor. Before you laugh at this nonsense, try it for yourself and you will be convinced. The "---"
Our mica capacitors incorporate our know-how for high sound quality in every detail so that our customers can enjoy the inherently outstanding sound quality of mica capacitors.
The highest quality ruby mica produced in Bihar, India, at the foot of the Himalayas
The quality of a mica capacitor depends on the quality of the mica itself, the dielectric material. It must meet a number of requirements, such as uniform thickness, free of cracks, and free of other rocks and metals. For our mica capacitors, we use the highest quality ruby mica, a type of white mica produced near Giridih in Bihar, India, which borders Nepal in the Himalayan Mountains. It is a rare natural mineral nurtured in the mountain-making activities of the Himalayas, the roof of the world, over a long period of time. The characteristics of mica capacitors, such as low loss, high insulation resistance, and temperature stability unmatched by other materials, are truly a gift from the earth.
Features of Spec. brand mica capacitors
The highest quality ruby mica from Bihar, India, is used throughout as the dielectric. On both sides of this mica, silver paste is printed as electrodes. Silverd mica, another name for so-called high quality, high sound quality mica, is painstakingly laminated by hand.
A brass plate is used as a metal holder to fix the laminated dielectric body and caulk the lead wires from the electrodes, and no magnetic materials that muddy the sound quality are used, including the lead wires.
For soldering the lead wires to the metal holder, highly reliable tin/lead = 60 : 40 eutectic solder is used, and "Kester 44" made in the U.S.A., which has long been highly regarded in the professional industry (studios, broadcasting stations, musical instruments, etc.), is used for sound quality.
Unlike ordinary DIP mica capacitors, the main body of the capacitor is sealed in a resin case by epoxy resin, which damps the vibration caused by the application of voltage to the dielectric and electrodes, so that the original sound quality of the mica capacitor can be enjoyed.
How to use mica capacitors
The excellent sound quality of mica capacitors can be utilized in vacuum tube amplifiers to achieve a drastic improvement in sound quality. For example, by connecting our mica capacitor in parallel with the coupling capacitor and the output tube pass capacitor, the E.S.R. (equivalent series resistance) in the mid-low frequency range and above is actually reduced compared to the initial state, and the amount of transmitted information is greatly improved in terms of sound quality. The following is a list of the most important features of the system. In addition, connecting our mica capacitors in parallel with the electrolytic capacitors in the power supply greatly improves the quality of the power supply. Speaker sound quality can also be improved by connecting in parallel to the speaker network capacitors. (*Note)
We are very happy that fans of tube amplifiers and self-made speakers can enjoy more realistic and truly musical sound with the new Speck brand mica capacitors.
Note: Customers are responsible for modifying the manufacturer's products. We cannot be held responsible for the results of such modifications.
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http://jbl43.com/?pid=147532303
World's highest level Kenric sound "KRS 4344" JBL Alnico remagnetized tangential diaphragm Finemet coil Pure silver single wire wiring Natural mica capacitor Unified element polarity external network type
Model number krs4344-9
Price 6,930,000 yen (tax included)
Stock quantity in stock 0 pair Sold out
-SOLD OUT-
Dedicated walnut stand
Without stand
Click here for details on stock and pricing of options.
World's highest level Kenric Sound "KRS 4344" JBL Alnico remagnetized tangential diaphragm
Finemet coil, pure silver single-wire wiring, element polarity unified external network type
KENRICK SOUND 4344 (KRS 4334) Custom. Pair of white cone 135A equipped speakers for sale. First of all, this sound quality! Please listen to the above video with headphones plugged into your computer. It is a high reproducibility of various genres of music as if it were played by a multi-drive, but this is the highest grade of 4344 sound.
The stomach-churning bass around 100 to 200 Hz is called "heavy bass" by many people. However, in pure audio, the term "bass heavy" is not a very complimentary term. It is often used as a derisive term for a dull bass sound with no tone, which can be obtained by boosting the amplifier or increasing the mass of the diaphragm. Rather, it is more difficult to reproduce a "light bass" sound that is close to a live sound, with volume and a crisp response.
For this 4344, we installed 135A white cone woofers, which have a particularly high response among alnico magnet woofers characterized by their sharpness. It is a unit that can reproduce truly wonderful light bass.
The JBL 135A is very rare and has different characteristics from the 2231A (136A in consumer models) originally used in the 4343. The relatively lighter vibration system than that of the 2231A (136A) is a combination of the lightness of a 130 series woofer and the lowest mass-ring mounted mass control ring. The woofers have extended frequencies, and the result is a combination of the best of both worlds. This woofer is especially well matched with a single vacuum amplifier with large direct-heat tubes and no feedback. You can get a sense of its characteristics in the video above.
In fact, the woofer originally used in the 4341, the ancestor of the 4343, was the white cone 2230A, not the 2231A used in the later models. 2230A is very rare, so it is not often seen. It is a rare woofer that is also installed in the early 4350 model, and the consumer model of this is the 135A. Yes, the 4341 and 4343 have exactly the same unit configuration and network (except for the bi-amp circuit), so this KRS4344 Special has a unit configuration that is almost identical to the early 4341 model.
All units are remagnetized, and KRS artificial chamois leather edges are used for the woofers and midbass, which are mold-made by our company. All dampers, which are the key to the sharpness of the sound, were also replaced with new ones. The 075 tweeter was disassembled, tuned, and reassembled, and a 075 equalizer machined from solid aluminum bronze was installed. Solid aluminum bronze clamps are also used for fixing the woofers to prevent metal fatigue. All speaker units, wired with Teflon silver-plated internal wiring, are led independently to the large gold-plated terminals on the rear panel for each of the four channels.
In order to bring out the potential of the high frequency range, the LE85 driver was disassembled, tuned, and reassembled, and after replacing the sound absorbing material with a new one, a Type 2307 horn machined from solid aluminum bronze was installed. The tweeter 075 was disassembled, tuned, and reassembled, and a solid aluminum bronze machined Type 2402 horn equalizer was installed. The diaphragms are also new. Aluminum bronze clamps that do not cause metal fatigue were also installed to fix the woofers. Unlike cast aluminum horns, the solid aluminum bronze horn is machined from a solid block, tripling the mass, and the mirror-finished surface is silky even at the high end, with no extra incidental sound.
The horns are also silky to the high end with a mirror-finished surface and no extra incidental sound. The overwhelmingly smooth connection and rich tone quality greatly improves the overall system quality.
The key to tuning for sufficient bass and a wide range of sound reproduction is to minimize the wind noise that occurs when cabinet internal pressure is increased. This is an area that can never be reached without technical work performed throughout, including the use of special Teflon gaskets to ensure component sealing and the solidification of cabinet joints.
The 4344's baffle is a single panel of laminated plywood, ultrasonically fused together to form one side of the overall cabinet. The rigidity of the 4344 baffle is also an important factor in the performance of this custom loudspeaker. The rigid baffle holds the unit firmly in place, and the entire cabinet provides ideal control of the resonance generated by the precise strokes of the unit. Adjustment by balancing the amount of internal sound-absorbing material, which has been newly replaced, is also essential.
The side surfaces of the cabinet are polished smoky brown walnut/piano finish. Piano paint is critical to the quality of the finish. A cheap paint job that distorts the reflective surfaces as if they ripple when light sources or objects are reflected in the surface is a lack of skill. Polished to a finish with a flat surface and uniform brilliance is the state to aim for. You can see this in the video above and the oversized image below. The greatest feature of this product is its depth and luster, which makes the most of the beautiful woodgrain. Since the wood grain is not crushed, this is a finish that cannot be applied to a piece with poor base material.
A quality piano finish is achieved by applying several hundred coats of polyester paint, polishing the surface smooth, and then buffing and compounding the paint to a luster. 7-8 coats are applied to achieve a smooth finish that is not uneven even when the eye moves around under a fluorescent light. Please note that there are places that describe all paints with a mirror surface (smooth surface) and a glossy finish as piano paint, and even paints that are polished with urethane or lacquer paints, or paints with a polished finish using UV paints are sometimes falsely labeled as "piano paint. Be wary of low quality paints that have a bumpy surface like a yuzu skin.
As with pianos and guitars, the sound of the sound is greatly influenced by the quality of the paint. The sound produced by a glossy cabinet finish is subtle and has a remarkable depth of feeling. Only Kenric Sound can tune the tone with a single coat of paint. It is a high level of maintenance that enhances the quality of the original "sound" without destroying it. The inner surface of the cabinet is coated with a special impregnation material, which in combination with the hard polyester and polyurethane coating on the outer surface, is an important element in bringing out the best sound.
The most distinctive feature is the design of the dedicated external network, assembled with ultra-luxurious components never before seen on the market, which supports the entire sound output.
The external network, which is the same size as a power amplifier, is the result of our extraordinary attention to detail. The LF coil is made of the company's copper foil M-Coil. This ensures an ultimately high-response, low end bass that sinks deep into the low end. And for the HF filter coil, a Finemet cut-core coil (nanocrystalline soft magnetic material) is exclusively manufactured. For the internal wiring material, a single 4N pure silver wire of φ2 to φ3 diameter is used, whose polarity is standardized during rolling, and which not only has low electrical resistance but also has outstanding transmission capability for each band without any variation due to the extremely impurity-free silver wire, which is not affected by unnecessary inductance.
The simple configuration of the dedicated circuit design by Kenric Sound, which is made up of a large number of parts, is the key to delivering signals from the amplifier to each unit with no limit to loss. Other high sound quality parts such as non-magnetic gold-plated terminals and MIL spec high-grade switches with steatite insulators are generously housed in a solid walnut case, making this a genuine crossover. This is the ultimate product that supports single amp drive, bi-amp drive, bi-wire connection, quad-amp connection (4-way multi), and all with just a switch on the rear panel. (We can also manufacture this external network as a stand-alone unit for a price of 2,800,000 yen per pair.)
The set includes all 8 units including alnico from woofer to tweeter, all remagnetized, and installed with solid aluminum bronze horns and solid aluminum bronze clamps, and a top-of-the-line external network. The highest grade product with all the luxuries. We hope you can see through the video that our speakers are of excellent quality. We invite you to visit us even if you are far away and see the quality first hand.
The sound quality! Please listen to the video with headphones plugged into your computer to hear the difference in sound from the JBL 4344.
→→Play the video←←←←←
YouTube can also playback stunning 4K60p high-definition videos. This high definition image quality allows you to see every detail in every corner. Select "2160p60 4K" in the picture quality selection at the bottom right of the playback video. (Requires PC processing power)
Improved maintenance techniques at Kenric Sound have made it possible to restore speakers that are so polished inside and out. Anyway, please check the oversized images below to be amazed at the quality of the condition. The condition is restored by the vintage speaker restoration process that is realized by the know-how of work that cannot be matched by other stores. Only Kenrick Sound, a JBL specialty store, can provide high quality speakers at this selling price. We guarantee your satisfaction when you receive your speakers from us. Please check our "Testimonials" section to see what our customers have to say.
Many speakers of this era have been neglected in their restoration, but even if they are one-owner speakers, we spend a lot of time talking to the speakers to bring out their condition, which will always show up as good or bad sound. We believe that countless restoration processes are carried out by hand, resulting in a product that you will be satisfied with.
Please check the oversized images below.
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