Top resistors

I built my Hagerman step up using basic bulk Vishays. There are only 2 resistor locations directly in the signal path. With the basic Vishays the sound was good, but not as transparent as I had hoped. I tried the (very expensive) nude Vishays in those 2 locations and things opened up dramatically. Maybe too much.

I then put a Riken Ohm into the second location, leaving the nude Vishay in the first, and it warmed things up nicely without losing that transparency.

As it turned out my cartridge loads as 220 ohms, which was the value of that second nude Vishay that I replaced with the Riken. So I replaced that loading resistor with the nude Vishay and got another leap in transparency, even though it was not directly in the signal chain.

So I have found that resistors do in fact play a role to tune the sound in a sensitive circuit. I have also found that those white paddle Caddocks are very nice, though also very expensive. Used judiciously for tuning these can be a great improvement, but they are far too expensive to use everywhere.

you'll get the biggest bang for the buck using them in the shunt positions or interstage loading points. If you really want to hear what they sound like, solder an RCA on each end and instert in a length of interconnect betwen a source and pre amp.

dont forget, as the level of the noise floor is reduced, any low level details will come through (good or bad). These are among the quietest (lowest noise) resistors available.

best

The dissing of the Vishay S102 by Reb1208 is rediculous. This resistor is extreamly clear, smooth with a slightly sweet treble. To say it sounds like gravel inside a soda can negates anything this person says about anything that pertains to sound perception. Tweaker

I haven't done any resistor rolling myself, but, I once spoke to the designer/builder of amps and preamps who did not like the S102 for his designs. He found the resulting sound to be lean and seemingly stripped of harmonics. He was quite clear that the right parts in any design has nothing to do with cost, reputation, or any kind of judgment of intrinsic quality--it is a matter of specific voicing. For the same reason, he liked a particular conductive plastic Alps potentiometer that he could no longer easily find even though he could easily replace it with much more expensive alternatives and pass along the cost (he builds quite high end designs); he said he would gladly pay much more for that "cheap" part which was no longer being made.

if a person installs the Vishays and hears too lean a sound, you are hearing what the circuit is really doing. hard to argue with a 30 db improvement in signal to noise. The main purpose of using vishay is to get a blacker background.

I have re-wroked 5 pre amps of diffrent makes with vishays resistors and have always had stunning results.

Also agree the older copper end cap HOlcos are great for warming up a lean sounding SS amp or pre amp. Also dont forget the PS filter caps are in the signal path, so if you have not added any bypasses on those big caps, you are listening to the sound of the filter caps too.

happy soldering.