Black gate caps and vishay bulk foil resistors

[biovizier]

Black gate caps and vishay bulk foil resistors - is it possible to do better for less? The cost of replacing all the parts in my phono, headamp and preamp would cost about £1200! Do audiophile passive parts (i.e. not opamps) really make a difference? If so how much improvement have people found in practice?

Regards,

Nick.

[Raj1]

Hi Nick,

Can't comment too much on the bulk foils I've never tried them. The black gates are okish, I've never tried n, nx or nx hi-q. SO I suppose I don't really know how good they are. I have tried fk versions. I think these can be bettered by rubycon za types, they are great for the price. If you like metal film type resistors try the truohms available at rapid. They don't have specs as good as the bulk foils but the specs are better than most of the rest....... And the price is rather more acceptable..........


Passive parts like resistors seem to make more difference when they are in series with the signal path. Although I have seen reports that shunt resistors can make differences too. I find different situations demand different types of parts.

For instance on headphone type circuits I use tantalum resistors, these give a smoother sound. If I use metal films in my current setup the sound can get more sharp and aggressive. LIstening so close to the source reveals all sorts of nasties that modern recordings contain, like grittiness on sampled sounds etc.

When the audio chain is longer ie, cd player to pre amp, to amp to crossover etc, then brighter parts seem to counteract the dullness from the longer signal path.........


Thanks
Raja