Top resistors

I have been using Allen Bradley 2watt 1k for the Cathode resistor. (R6 on the Joe Roberts 91a Schematic).

A friend lent me 2 watt AN tantalums. Wow the detail is addictive..really natural, warm and beautiful. The only problem in my particular system was along with the detail came too much emphasis in high frequencies. A certain crispness that seemed unnatural. Again, it may be related to my particular amp, etc. I am in contact with Michael at Percy for resistor suggestions. May try the TX2575 based on all the good reports in this thread.

Jetrexpro, What type of resistor did you replace with the tantalums? I have gradually switched a number of resistors in my system over to 2w AN tantalums, and I have been very pleased with the improvements in sound. The AN does have a warm, solid bass and lower midrange, so my findings match yours there. However, I would never describe their HFs as crisp. If anything the highs, in my experience, have been slightly soft and even a bit rolled off. That hasn't been an issue with my system but again I find it hard to understand how they could be considered crisp unless your previous resistor was something really dark and dull sounding.

While I don't agree with a number of things stated by others in this thread, it is a welcome change to see resistors discussed in a similar way as capacitors. Over the years, I have found resistor swapping to be nearly as important sonically as capacitor swapping. Having the right mix of resistors and capacitors is absolutely essential in my opinion for achieving the right tonal balance and optimizing dynamics.

Salectric,

I put the A-B's back in after trying the tants. I dont understand it either but the high frequency emphasis was undeniable. That is why I mentioned in my post that it could be something peculiar in my system. For instance, I pulled the capacitor that is bypassing this resistor completely out of the circuit. I also took the grid cap off of the 6C6 driver tube and have 22 gauge silver wire directly in contact with the grid. Not sure if any of these things were interfering with the sound of the Tants, but I can't be sure. I am awaiting a response from Percy Audio as to another resistor recommendation.

Jetrexpro, Were the tantalums the newer type made by Audio Note during the last few years, or were they the older style Shinto tantalums distributed under the AN name? I tried the old AN tants 10 or 12 years ago, and they had a peak in the midtreble and were slightly edgy. The newer AN tants are much more neutral in my opinion.

Of course, AB carbons are very warm and could be considered dull in the highs, so perhaps nearly any modern resistor will sound bright in comparison.

And perhaps I have been over compensating for the warm A-B's by doing things like removing the grid caps. I will check with the guy who lent me the Tants to see how old they are. I do know they were fully broken in since he had been using them in his home brew 2A3 amp.