08/14/2026
50-YEAR-OLD CAPACITORS — ARE THEY ALWAYS BAD?
This morning at Stereo Lab, we made a video comparing two approximately 50-year-old capacitors to a brand-new one.
The results surprised us.
In both examples, the old capacitor tested just as well as the new one.
Now, before the internet catches fire, we are NOT saying old capacitors never need to be replaced. We replace capacitors all the time. They can fail, drift out of specification, leak, develop excessive ESR, or simply be replaced as preventative maintenance when the circumstances warrant it.
What we are saying is something much simpler:
The idea that EVERY 40- or 50-year-old capacitor is automatically bad simply because of its age is not supported by what we see on the bench.
Sometimes an old capacitor is bad.
Sometimes it's still doing its job perfectly well.
That's why at Stereo Lab, we believe in testing, measuring and diagnosing rather than assuming.
Stereo Lab — keeping vintage audio alive since 1970.
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