Which Preamp "internals" would you choose? Based on picture only

Just a thing that comes up when looking at internal shots of gear, is all. If looking at the guts of gear then it’s about how it’s built and with what parts and the solder is part of that.

Solder was never designed (original purpose) to be an electrical connection, it was designed to be an electrically conductive physical anchor for a metal to metal contact situation.

It was shoehorned into being an electrical contact/co-joining material as technology involving electricity evolved. Solder is far from perfect and varies in sound qualities across the solder formula spectrum. In any given piece of gear that possesses circuit boards and soldered components, the solder is, in sonic terms, one of the most influential components in the given box.

Every ROHS compliant solder I’ve ever ’heard’ sounds very subtly ’hard’.

I even know of one company that will not sell into ROHS compliant territory..as the ’no lead’..... solder changes sonic signatures too much for their liking.

It is a problem that RHOS complaint region manufacturers have to pretend ---does not exist. Or manufacturers that have turned into the ROHS wind and become wholly ROHS complaint.

It is a minor, but notable and pervasive change in sound qualities that are available at a fundamental level. It’s a subtle but near irreversible step backward in the realm of sound quality. Something that makes pinnacles previously known--into being unobtainable. the ’hard’ bit in the sound quality is also slightly, subtly ’hazy’, part of what it is doing at the fundamental levels.

Further, I know of one engineer at a well known major solder manufacturer, who says that ’there are no lead free eutectic solders’. that none of them (eutectic ROHS solders) actually exist, no matter what the claims may be.

Thus another group that is fundamental to this situation, saying that something ’is’, when it is not.

For the audio world’s obtainable pinnacles, ROHS is a subtle but actual step backward in obtainable sound qualities. For the junk end of the spectrum of tv's electronics, blurays, etc...who cares. No big deal. For extremes, the kind we spend the money to try and get to, it is a soon to be pervasive (everywhere) issue, a fundamental issue.

No one wants to speak about this.

There is so much variation in components, layout, parts selection, and so on, that this subtlety can be swamped, if you don't know what to listen for.

What it takes to really hear it and know it... is to complete a new piece of gear with about 3 of the top ROHS complaint solders and then do the same piece again, with leaded solders, the ones considered 'best' in the world of audio. Then burn in, and try the 5-6 items individually...wih the only differences being the solder, in a-b/etc aural testing.

Then you'll learn to recognize what ROHS does. A subtle but pervasive downturn in sonic qualities available, in my experience and that of some others who are willing to do the involved level of testing, and actually make mention of it.

It's one of those things that no one wants to talk about.