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metal vs carbon resistors, what is the difference?

post #1 of 10
9/30/07 at 11:15am
Thread Starter 
I was supposed to get metal resistors rather than the carbon, to dampen the input sensitivity on the amplifier.

what is the difference?

thanks,

gychag
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post #2 of 10
9/30/07 at 12:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gychang View Post
I was supposed to get metal resistors rather than the carbon, to dampen the input sensitivity on the amplifier.

what is the difference?

thanks,

gychag

Carbon is a noisier resistor. But some people claim to like carbon resistors better because the noise makes things sound warmer.
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post #3 of 10
9/30/07 at 4:13pm
Carbon film resistors are often noisier than metal film resistors, although there are some exceptions. Riken and Kiwame make carbon film resistors that are as quiet as the very best metal film types. There are also carbon composition resistors, which are considerably noisier than film resistors.
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post #4 of 10
9/30/07 at 4:35pm
One important difference between carbon and metal film resistors is drift. Carbons change value with heat and age. It's not something you want in most semiconductor circuits and not even in the CCS section of a tube amp (which maybe a semi-conductor circuit in many instances). Most likely, it's not something you want when setting the input impedance to an amp, either.

However, carbons are usually preferred if a resistor is needed between the output of an amp and your load (headphones) - because they often sound better directly in the signal path.

Amb even uses carbon resistors in the output of the Mini3 - a decidedly semi-conductor-based amp.
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post #5 of 10
9/30/07 at 8:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tomb View Post
However, carbons are usually preferred if a resistor is needed between the output of an amp and your source - because they often sound better directly in the signal path.
In steped attenuator what kinda of resistors are beter ?
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post #6 of 10
9/30/07 at 8:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zigis View Post
In steped attenuator what kinda of resistors are beter ?
Oops - that was a typo. I meant to say between the amp and your load, or headphones. Typically, high quality metal films are used in a stepped attenuator.
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post #7 of 10
9/30/07 at 9:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tomb View Post
Amb even uses carbon resistors in the output of the Mini3 - a decidedly semi-conductor-based amp.
LOL, I specify carbon film there not for its "sound", it's because metal film resistors less than 10 ohms in that size are very hard to find. At any rate, with such a low resistance, and the location of the circuit, it makes little difference between metal or carbon film.
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post #8 of 10
9/30/07 at 10:24pm
Quote:
Carbons change value with heat and age.
They are also sensitive to moisture absorption. Again, drift, from which they never return.

Quote:
Kiwame make carbon film resistors that are as quiet as the very best metal film types.
I have read this many times, including on the manufacturer's web site. Unfortunately, I have never seen any specs that would confirm this, not even on the manufacturer's web site, which I find odd. I have not heard them however.
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post #9 of 10
10/1/07 at 12:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Amb
LOL, I specify carbon film there not for its "sound", it's because metal film resistors less than 10 ohms in that size are very hard to find. At any rate, with such a low resistance, and the location of the circuit, it makes little difference between metal or carbon film.
LOL - there I go assuming you did it because of sound. When there's a resistor in the direct output between amp and load, and it's carbon, I assumed that's because of the tonal quality. Thanks for the explanation, though.

Quote:
Originally Posted by BrianDonegan View Post
<snip>
Quote:
Kiwame make carbon film resistors that are as quiet as the very best metal film types.
I have read this many times, including on the manufacturer's web site. Unfortunately, I have never seen any specs that would confirm this, not even on the manufacturer's web site, which I find odd. I have not heard them however.
Agreed - IMHO, Kiwames are "boutique" and have the qualities of same - good tonal qualities which may or may not be because they're quiet (more often because they roll off the highs) and a corresponding lack of specific performance data. Regardless, like a boutique capacitor - there are places where one is appropriate.
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post #10 of 10
10/1/07 at 2:22am
i think it really depends on your preference. if you like a warmer sound and you dont plan on using your amp for a long time, i'd go carbon ^_^ i like that sound too
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