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. |
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. |
I have tried AMRG carbon films 3 times---as the cathode resistor in my linestage and as dropping resistors in my power amps' bias supply. Each time the ARMG was heavy in the bass and very dark and soft in the highs. In each case, I ended up replacing the AMRG with an AN tantalum 2w which solved the coloration problem.
I have heard the AMRG is billed as better sounding than the Riken carbon film. I haven't compared them in an A/B test, but they certainly sound similar. For some reason, Rikens seem to do very well as gridstoppers which is how I use them, but in my opinion they are too colored in other spots. |
Interesting comments Jetrexpro. It goes to show that longterm reactions are what matters, not quick conclusions after just a few hours. Thanks for sharing.
While my experience with Vishays is limited to the regular series, both nude and otherwise, I have to say your comments are very similar to my reactions. Vishays can sound too cool, lacking in warmth and emotion. IMO, they have their place but need to be used sparingly. For instance, I only have one in my system right now---as the grid stopper on the input tube for my SE amps. It works great there and helps to offset a tendency towards excess warmth. |
Interesting Audioman, maybe I need to run in my PathAudio resistors some more. I was not so pleased with their sound compared to Duelund CAST resistors, but I doubt that I had anything close to 100 hours before I removed them. My main complaints about the PathAudio were a recessed distant perspective and subdued dynamics relative to the CAST. I will break them in further and try them again.
The CAST resistors are excellent in my opinion. The regular Duelunds, on the other hand, have some fairly serious colorations that make them only suitable for specific applications where the colorations are complementary. Regular Duelunds are excessively warm in the lower mids and are rolled off in the highs. But they do have very good detail and dynamics. The CAST resistors are much more neutral. |
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. |
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. |
Great report Justubes2! I am glad the PathAudio resistors have worked well for you. Your description of the Duelund resistors as having "a larger unfocussed and slightly messy soundstage" is, I believe, the same thing I was trying to describe as "wispy" highs that seem to float around in space; the soundstage with the Duelund resistors is big and airy but not focused.
Have you connected the ground shield lead on the PathAudios? If so, to what? I am still using mine without the shield connected.
I want to emphasize that my misgivings about the Duelund resistors (both CAST and regular variety) do not apply in any way to the CAST capacitors. I continue to feel that the CAST caps are the single best sounding capacitor for speaker crossovers. Expensive but well worth the investment. I am not quite as enthusiastic about CAST caps in electronics. In that application I think system matching is more of an issue, and I prefer a balance of CAST and V-Caps. Right now I use a CAST cap in only one place in my electronics---the output coupler on my phono stage. All of my other couplers are either CuTF or regular V-Caps. |
To my ears, the neutrality of the PathAudio does not make it any less exciting than the Duelund CAST. When I listen with the PathAudio, words like "direct, clear, solid" come to mind. With the CAST, I am thinking "airy, bright, thin." Individual priorities come into play here, but for me the sound with the PathAudio resistors is more satisfying and less distracting than with the CAST.
I do appreciate the work involved in replacing parts when they are inside the speaker cabinet. I moved my crossover outboard for just that reason. |
I have PathAudio resistors in 2 spots which are 5 and 10 ohms. Right now I am still using Mills in the other two positions. I plan to get some more PathAudios to try there as well.
You may want to break in the resistors before you put them in your speakers. I hook up new parts to the speakers in my video system first so I can run them 24/7 for a week or so without messing up the sound of the hifi. |
Yes, my resistors are all in the high-pass section of my 2-way crossover. And I am using a mix of Mills wirewound (black body) and PathAudio. I am not using any Duelund resistors these days.
As for why I have a mix rather than all PathAudio, my speakers need some emphasis in the extreme highs, and the Mills provide a sparkle or shimmer that the more neutral PathAudio does not. It is not a case of one being better than the other. You have to mix-and-match to get the particular sound that you were seeking. |
Sbl, I am afraid I can't help you. I abandoned my Duelund resistors (regular and CAST) several years ago. Same thing with my Path Audios. All of them left too much of a fingerprint on the music. Therefore I went back to where I started---with Mills 12w---and I have had no interest in trying anything else. Sorry. |
