Best resistors for use in phono stage?

This is fascinating.  So, question: in a setup that is not using balanced signals fron the tonearm to the preamp, is there a distinction between the ground and the negative lead?

I ask because I may have screwed something up. I have set up my load resistors at the back of my turntable, but currently they run from the positive to the negative leads of each channel, rather than positive to ground.

And I have been convinced by this discussion, by the way, to grab some Vishay resistors for this application.  I can't wait to hear what that does.

Vishay makes a lot of different resistor types ranging from cheap generic resistors to expensive Z-foils (they may have even more expensive ones that I'm not familiar with). 
 

I have used Z-foils (both Vishay and Charcroft which sound very similar to me) as well as Audio Note non-magnetic Tantalums (mostly the silver version). These are excellent resistors with a clear (to me) advantage in SQ over more generic offerings. I think the Z-foils are a bit more transparent and the Tantalums are a bit richer sounding. 

The AN Tantalums are available in a wider range of values and higher power ratings, so I've generally used these in my tube projects. 

@woofhaven1992

hmmm, why does your tag not come up and why wont it tag you if i type it?  oh well.

If the phono preamp is single ended (not balanced/differential) then "negative" will be grounded at the circuit board. SO no, there is no difference.

In a balanced system there are two approaches:

load across the two leads

two loads, each 1/2 value, from each input to ground (so full load across balanced inputs, but the center connected to ground)

G

@itsjustme thanks...I think I'll leave my setup as is since it makes no difference with my Sp14 preamp and also because I'm a significant danger to my equipment when I use a soldering iron, which, by the way, is why I have the resistors installed on the back of my tonearm rather than on the circuit board.

What passes through the loading resister goes to ground.  The signal going to the rest of the phono stage does not pass through this resistor.

Incorrect. Ground is a reference to the Earth Safety. Zero Volts Audio (0vA) is the signal reference. 0vA may not be Earth referenced.

The current is equal in all parts of a circuit. Basic Ohm's Law.

If one sets the reference to the audio signal line, 0vA will show the inverse signal.