I beg to differ on the sand cast resistorsIt depends on the implementation. MRA resistors are wire wound and designed to minimize reactance at RF frequencies.
If the original design was tweaked to include the resistor reactance, changing them could make a difference. Whether that difference is perceived as better is totally subjective.
Capacitor upgrades from 'lytic and mylar to polypro trump resistor changes six ways to Sunday.
What works well in one design may not in another. There is no free lunch.