Top resistors


Many threads with opinions on boutique coupling capacitors, but very little consolidated information on the sonics of resistors. Anyone care to share their thoughts on the attributes of their favorite brands & types for specific tube and SS applications? How much of a difference does a good resistor make?

My interest in the topic increased after recently installing the latest Texas Components nude Vishay TX2575 in several SS and tube phono & LS components. This was a proverbial "Ah-ha" moment-- a stray resistor dropped into signal path here or there, surprising with an improvement that equalled or surpassed the impact of a switch to a top coupling cap like V-Cap or Mundorf.
dgarretson
I agree with you with the Cast resistors they are excellent. Email Hifi collective in the UK. 100 hrs min for runin and recommend using the ground to the Loudspeaker terminal as a RF screen.
The Path Audio resistors and Duelund resistors are both excellent
The both sound different in a given circuit. Duelund tolerance are 5% and
Path Audio a1% which will be a bit better in driver accuracy to a very
Small point.
this is from Path Audio ,and I confirmed this from other dealers in Europe send from Path engineer below.
Yes, Duelund resistors are good. In my opinion and our customers, PathAudio resistors have some advantages:
- dynamics
- smoothness
- more „body”
- better micro details
- much better resolution in high frequencies
- much better bass when it’s parallel (with capacitor) to woofer
- neutral in midrange

If you have find it better in 5 hours… then there are a lot of new experiences to go :)
You hear probably also the new soldering now. I think 2 weeks from the begining will give you about 75% of the overall performance. The total smoothness will appear in about 1-2 months, depending on the intensity of playing hours.
I need to supplement or correct my earlier post about PathAudio resistors. After a very lengthy breakin period (I wasn't keeping track but I have been using them for a couple of months), the PathAudios do sound really good. The issues I had with a recessed midrange and dark highs have faded away to insignificance. For my tastes they sound better than the Duelunds.
Salectric,

How do the PathAudio resistors sonics differ from the Duelund?

I find the Duelunds a bit bright on hasher recording, but sound sublime on well recorded.

I don't have external crossovers, so swapping is a bit of a PITA to try.

Specifically are they more neutral? (just worried they might sound detailed but too laid back or distant sounding.

Any more specifics on how is the mid bass and low bass, is it as reported above more solid and body in comparison.

I'm rather very happy with Duelunds now, except for the few recording which sound a tad sharper, could well be the silver end leads of the Duelund, but like the very lively and exceptionally clear sound.

Thanks
Justubes2, I am happy to provide more details regarding the Duelund CAST vs. PathAudio resistors. First let me provide some context. All of my testing has been with my DIY speakers (described on my system page) in the high-pass portion of a 1200 Hz crossover which has 4 resistors. I have tried five types of resistors: Mills 12w black body (the old Mills), Mills 12w brown body (new style), regular Duelund (brown body), Duelund CAST (black body), and PathAudio. By the way, some of my comments below relate to bass and one might question how anything in the high-pass crossover could affect the bass. All I can say is it does!

Tonal balance. The CAST resistors are slightly bright and more than slightly lean. To my ears, they are lacking in weight and foundation which gives them overall a "lightweight" sound. I think the mids may be slightly forward as well. In contrast, the PathAudio resistors are pretty much neutral as far as I'm concerned. They may be slightly dark and slightly warm. They certainly had these colorations in the first few days and even weeks, but they gradually disappeared. There may still be some trace of these colorations but if so it is quite minor.

Detail. Both the CAST and the PathAudio have excellent inner detail. I wouldn't choose one over the other in this respect.

Dynamics. Both have excellent dynamics although here I would give the nod to the PathAudio since the CAST is a bit restrained in the bass due to its lightweight tonal balance.

Transient speed. The PathAudio is faster on leading edges than the CAST which has a slight softening on sudden transients.

Overall, I would describe the CAST as having great detail and dynamics but a rather lightweight sound and wispy highs. By "wispy" I mean that the treble is airy and atmospheric, a "big" sound, but the treble is hard to pin down. It is as if the sound is in a fog floating around. I don't know if that description helps much, but it's something that I have heard consistently with the CAST resistors from day one. In contrast, the PathAudio has a solid, direct, clear sound, excellent detail and dynamics, a neutral total balance, and a neutral soundstage perspective. I have no doubt the PathAudio has faults since nothing is perfect, but I haven't identified any failings in my tests.

It might also help to provide some comments on the Mills 12w blackbody resistors, which I used routinely prior to the Duelunds. The Mills are not as detailed and not as dynamic as either the CAST or PathAudio, and they have a lean midbass and slightly crisp high frequencies with a slight edge. However, the Mills do have a solid, direct, clear sound, with none of the wispy quality of the CAST resistors. In some ways, the PathAudio has the positive qualities of the Mills resistors but with a more neutral total balance, more detail, more dynamics and no edge. (The newer Mills brown body resistors do not sound as good in my opinion.)

Of course, the above comments are simply my opinions based on my speakers and my listening priorities. There is nothing absolute here.