Rob Reedijk wrote:
Scott Dorsey wrote:

did perform well when they were new). Electrolytics are really the only
capacitors that degrade slowly as they age.

Is that simply because as the electrolyte gradually dries out they become
less efficient conductors?

Yes. And they also undergo chemical changes as they age.

Does this mean that all "solid state" capacitors do not periodically need
to be replaced, and should only be replaced after failure, or for an upgrade
in quality?

Only electrolytic types need to be replaced on a regular basis.

Paper caps should probably be replaced because old ones are prone to
failure and they never were all that good when they were new.

I have heard some people suggest that we gone overboard on recapping
equipment. Perhaps a lot of business is being generated by recapping
loder units that really don't need it.

If manufacturers used quality caps in the first place, there wouldn't be much
need at all for this sort of thing. The fact is that there are a lot of pieces
of gear that do need new electrolytics after ten years, which is because of
shoddy design work.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."