Gain resistor Dale or Kiwame?

[Adelmo]

Hi Guy's, Very informative, thanks. Vishay Resistor 0.6W VAR/TX - Currently $12 to S15 per piece at Parts Connection (no affiliation)

Cheers Derek

Hi Derek,

Tks for the information. I am looking for a supplier within Schengen area for easier importation.

Best regards

Adelmo

[Chris65]

Hi Guy's, Very informative, thanks. Vishay Resistor 0.6W VAR/TX - Currently $12 to S15 per piece at Parts Connection (no affiliation)

The prices range between $5 to $43 from what I can see and a number of values out of stock. And it is Parts Connexion.

[Adelmo]

The prices range between $5 to $43 from what I can see and a number of values out of stock. And it is Parts Connexion.

Hi Chris,

33 Kohm is about 16 USD plus import plus shipment. Considering I need 2 or max 4 is not that expensive if result are good, but I hope to find an EU supplier.

Tks n rgds

Adelmo

[MarcelNL]

depends on the actual value and precision, I ordered directly from Texas Instruments and had them made to order in 0.02%. There are a few that stock some values, not anyone I'm aware within the EU but importing is easy enough when the seller knows how to handle it (IOS and all that), if the seller does not take care of VAT already it's a matter of paying upon import.

Hificollective has some stock, but again not within the EU.

[simon]

From my practical experience, I have noticed that there is no "best" resistor at all*.
But there are best ones for a specific place in the electrical circuit.
For example, those that are in the signal path are better to be carbon,
and those that are connected to ground are better to be metal-foil.
On power supplies ... it depends on how good the power supply is!

And after all, Of course, this is depenf of  (own) "taste"!
Measurements in this area usually "say": ... almost nothing about the Sound !
For example, you don't know how will Sound: -108 dB hum in the MIX of Music 

* If you find some "best", and use them for all places, you will understand what I mean.

[Adelmo]

Hi,

Pre face:
Theoretical calculation says that with my pre phono to have an output of 5 Mv I should use a gain resistor with 25.4 Kohm. However I prefer to use a bigger gain. Having bigger gain the speakers may have a kind of blowing noise that it is proportionally higher to the gain increase and volume increase too.
Therefore since now I use resistors with 33 Kohm ( higher gain than theory ) there is a little blowing noise from the speakers while not playing music, but it is minimal and can be heard only if I get very close with my ears to the front speaker.




Today I checked again the resistor with 33 Kohm Dale and Kiwame.

Blowing noise:
Kiwame is a bit lower than Dale, contrary to what i thought and also others said. This result was also confirmed by other people that I asked to listen it, not only me.


Sound:
With the record Bob Dylan, Oh Mercy, good press, I prefer the Dale. Sounded like I was at a live concert in a pub, Kiwame add to this record a bit too much color to the sound.
With some other records I would prefer Kiwame.

In the end of the day, tired to open/close the pre phono, swhitch resistors and so on I finally kept using the Dale RN 65 C vintage resistor 33 Kohm despite the very very little higher blowing noise from the speaker ( when playing music I hear no blowing noise at all )


What shall I try in the future:
Find the Vishay Z TX 2575 resistor in EU with 30 and 33 Kohm.
Find a Dale RN 60 or RN65 with 30 Kohm
Try again for longer time Kiwame 33 Kohm but try also 30 Kohm Kiwame.

Try a Cart impedance of 390 ohm instead of 330 ohm that I use now.


All in all the positive thing is that now with 33 Kohm resistor sounds better than before, hope I can further improve a bit though i suppose I am entering in the area that it is more a matter of taste than sound quality.

Best regards

Adelmo

[Chris65]

…kept using the Dale RN 65 C vintage resistor 33 Kohm…

As you are doing, experiment with different resistors to find what you like.
There are so many to try. Not sure Dale RN65 qualify as ‘vintage’ , they have been around a while but still current production. The CMF series is the same fyi, the commercial version.

[Adelmo]

As you are doing, experiment with different resistors to find what you like.
There are so many to try. Not sure Dale RN65 qualify as ‘vintage’ , they have been around a while but still current production. The CMF series is the same fyi, the commercial version.

Hi Chris,

I said vintage since I bought them used more than 20 years ago, therefore they are not recent production.

I plan to try :

Find the Vishay Z TX 2575 resistor in EU with 30 and 33 Kohm.
Find a Dale RN 60 or RN65 with 30 Kohm
Try again for longer time Kiwame 33 Kohm but try also 30 Kohm Kiwame.

Try a Cart impedance of 390 ohm instead of 330 ohm that I use now.

Not sure I will try many other brands besides what above.

Tks n rgds

Adelmo