silver mica caps

[Loggie]

I must order silver mica caps from another city.
before I want to know if the differences between silver mica and monolithic is big.

for example:

"Silver Mica Cap installed to further smooth the overall sound".

(what means in sound?)

[Ge_Whiz]

It means, "It's true if you believe it." (I don't.) 

[343 Salty Beans]

An important thing to note is that most of the mojo hype that silver mica caps get is just that...hype. However, there's a grain of truth in all rumors, and silver micas do improve things electronically speaking. However, just because a minor improvement is made electronically doesn't mean that it will make any changes to the sound of the pedal at all.

Another thing to note is that almost every vintage effect out there used cheap ceramic caps. I just decided to order a fat load of ceramics and mylars from Futurlec, and I can tell you that I find no difference between ceramics and silver micas. I've never touched a monolithic, so I can't tell you anything about them.

My advice is save the money and take the cheapo ceramic caps. Then spend the extra money getting sockets...4 cents an IC socket at Futurlec!  Sockets are so worth it.

I hope nobody noticed the horrible tangent I took from the original questions.

Anyways, to be short and to the point: There's not really a difference between them. All the talk about silver mica being better is mostly crap.

[Ed G.]

It all depends where it's used. I definitely heard a difference b/w polystyrene and ceramic in my guitar amp. First of all, the ceramic was slightly darker, but had this microphonic thing going on.
If the signal is going through it, like in a 470pf/470k hpf, you will probably hear a difference. If it's a cap bleeding treble off to ground, it's less likely.

[mojotron]

It all depends where it's used. I definitely heard a difference b/w polystyrene and ceramic ... the ceramic was slightly darker, but had this microphonic thing going on...

Yep, I have the same thoughts. There are always differences in lossy-ness of different caps too - dielectric loss... - to my ears I would have to say that I only start to hear a difference when the cap value is above 250pF, most of the signal goes through cap and the cap has some significance in the circuit (sometimes in a tone stack the small caps with high resistance going to them are much smaller in significance to the signal then the bigger caps with lower resistance to them).

So, in a TS or as a shunting diode in a SD9 or DS-1, I have heard no difference. But, in a Blue Magic or a BSIAB2 that 450pF/470pF cap sounds a lot better if it is a film or polystyrene.

[ildar]

It all depends where it's used. I definitely heard a difference b/w polystyrene and ceramic in my guitar amp.

That's the thing, to me...if you know what the makeup of the cap is, it's more likely that you'll hear a difference.
Not to pick on Ed G., or anyone else...I just wonder what would happen if there was some sort of double-blind auditory test. That is build, let's say 3, versions of (insert your favorite pedal here)-one all metal-film components; one with "lo-fi" components-ceramic caps, carbon comp resistors, etc.; and one with run-of-the-mill stuff-greenies and carbon film resistors and the like. Box them exactly the same way, then have a friend who doesn't know from pedals shuffle them around-plug into each one and pick the one you think sounds best without looking at it.
Then open it up to see which version of the three you like best.
May be surprising.