Uploaded January 2017 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Comparison of 2 capacitors that came out of a Pioneer receiver. All tone board electrolytic capacitors were replaced without really doing any tests. For this video, 3 test instruments were used for a comparison: A capacitor meter, an ESR meter, and a capacitor checker that also tests leakage.
Conclusion: a capacitor can read fine with a digital capacitance meter, but still have a high ESR and be leaky.
Also, a capacitor that shows good with the capacitance meter and has a good ESR, can still be leaky and therefore defective.
Comparison of 2 capacitors that came out of a Pioneer receiver. All tone board electrolytic capacitors were replaced without really doing any tests. For this video, 3 test instruments were used for a comparison: A capacitor meter, an ESR meter, and a capacitor checker that also tests leakage.
Conclusion: a capacitor can read fine with a digital capacitance meter, but still have a high ESR and be leaky.
Also, a capacitor that shows good with the capacitance meter and has a good ESR, can still be leaky and therefore defective.
