Hiss and Component Choices

[culturejam]

From the test results graphs I've seen, tants are also noisier than electrolytics (and just about everything else except for the cheapest of cheap ceramic disc caps).

But in real-life tests (that is, with guitars and amps and human ears), I can't hear any difference between tantalum and aluminum. I'm sure it's better for missile guidance systems, but for pedals I can't tell.

Tantalum costs more because the raw material is primarily mined from warn-torn Congo. It is also, in many cases, mined by children and used to finance very unsavory activities.

So enjoy your blood tantalum caps! 

[calciferspit]

Aluminums can (and more often DO) fail by thermal runaway as well as evaporative failure (which tants don't), and are just a prone to reversed polarity failure. google "blown capacitor" and see how many results are of aluminum vs tantalum.

[calciferspit]

Tantalum costs more because the raw material is primarily mined from warn-torn Congo. It is also, in many cases, mined by children and used to finance very unsavory activities.

So enjoy your blood tantalum caps! 

I'm for anything they can do to keep the cost down for the consumer.

[gtr2]

I'm for anything they can do to keep the cost down for the consumer.

I hope you're just joking...

[jubal81]

I have to weigh in on the tantalum. I've seen on plenty of data sheets, "Do not use tantalum in any noise sensitive application."

The only benefit is that they used to be quite a bit smaller, but electrolytics are getting pretty small these days. Check madbean's mini board build guide for suggestions.

[night-B]

Expensive caps won't lead to a greater sound in all cases. Big mojo colourfull vintage caps do look cool and they are an argument for boutiquers to raise the prices of their box, but I like to buy some sometimes just for fun 

[calciferspit]

I have to weigh in on the tantalum. I've seen on plenty of data sheets, "Do not use tantalum in any noise sensitive application."

The only benefit is that they used to be quite a bit smaller, but electrolytics are getting pretty small these days. Check madbean's mini board build guide for suggestions.

Size is the least important benefit they have. And fuzz pedals aren't "noise sensitive", they are noise generators. Any (if any) distortion introduced by caps in a dirt pedal should be welcomed. IMO. Not trying to convert ANYBODY, just stating what works the best for me. Aluminums just feel frail and fragile to me.

[night-B]

Fuzzes are not noise generators, they are ampliflying the signal till distortion, they amplify noises from the previous stages of your signal chain too... That's why professionnal gear include well shielded guitar and cables. They still produce a little background noise, amplified by distortions and fuzzes, leading to using noise gates.
I don't speak about wild crazy effects and noise generators but about white noise that sucks.
If you like to add noise in your boxes, I suggest not to filter your PS and even not to add a pulldown resistor to add a cool popping noise when acting the footswitch...

[calciferspit]

Yeah! new baby build idea. call it the jalepeno popper. No circuit per say, just a popping footswitch. for all of your audiophile studio and stage popping source needs.
Most fuzzes I have (prefer) have a natural gate that even gates the other pedals in the chain. There simply isn't any noise until there is a signal. high gain distortion circuits are really the only thing I notice needing "noise correction" but I don't tease my hair or wear neon spandex, so not really a concern of mine.

[jkokura]

BWAHHAHAHAHAHA

Jacob

[culturejam]

Aluminums just feel frail and fragile to me.

Sure, if you step on them. 

I try to avoid any polarized caps in the signal path (one less thing to worry about). I go with box caps for everything up through 1µ, and I occasionally use SMD ceramics for up to 10µ. Anything bigger than 1µ is usually either just an AC path to ground (emitter bypass) or a ripple cap on the power rail. I can hear neither frailty nor fragility on a power supply or bypass cap. I also can't hear tonal differences.

But, I'm judging on sound, not feel. So your mileage will certainly vary.

[angrykoko]

Yeah! new baby build idea. call it the jalepeno popper. No circuit per say, just a popping footswitch. for all of your audiophile studio and stage popping source needs.

Man.. that's so yesterday    I've made a couple popping brickets that i keep next to my pile of broken glass diodes and burn salve.  It's the beauty of having just picked up a soldering iron for the first time last October'ish...  I'm the accidental designer of future fads 

That was really funny.. I got a good laugh on that one calciferspit.

[jubal81]

Aluminums just feel frail and fragile to me.

Sure, if you step on them. 

I try to avoid any polarized caps in the signal path (one less thing to worry about). I go with box caps for everything up through 1µ, and I occasionally use SMD ceramics for up to 10µ. Anything bigger than 1µ is usually either just an AC path to ground (emitter bypass) or a ripple cap on the power rail. I can hear neither frailty nor fragility on a power supply or bypass cap. I also can't hear tonal differences.

But, I'm judging on sound, not feel. So your mileage will certainly vary.

This