The KillerDAC Audio forum

New Audio Note resistor coming soon, using the tantalum's sister material called niobium. Not cheap at GBP 19.50 a pop but I really hope they sound better or at lease similar to the old Shinkoh tantalum.

Link: https://www.audionote.co.uk/niobium-resistors

Quote:
"We have a new non-magnetic resistor coming soon. They are 2 watt, non-magnetic but rather than our usual Tantalum resistive layer we chose its sister (daughter material, if you study Greek Mythology) Niobium.

Niobium has never been used in a resistor as far as we know. We looked at its properties and felt it was worth testing, and discovered that it is finer and more even sounding than Tantalum.

As is the case with all of our resistors, they are manufactured using the sputter target process, which makes a much better sounding resistor but is also more difficult to use. Niobium is even harder to use than Tantalum as the temperature co-efficient of this material is far more difficult to control in production.

Its sound is very complimentary to Tantalum if used carefully in sound critical parts of the circuit.

Price will be £19.50 each for the 2 watt version. We do not yet have the 1 and ½ watt versions as the manufacturing processes are still under development, but there will be a 2 watt silver Niobium resistor coming next.

We will have the following values available: -
100R, 120R, 150R, 180R, 220R, 270R, 330R, 390R, 470R, 560R, 680R, 820R
1k, 1k2, 1k5, 1k8, 2k2, 2k7, 3k3, 3k9, 4k7, 5k6, 6k8, 8k2
10k, 12k, 15k, 18k, 22k, 27k, 33k, 39k, 47k, 56k, 68k, 82k
100k, 120k, 150k, 180k, 220k, 270k, 330k, 390k, 470k, 560k, 680k, 820k
1M

Contact us directly for ordering and availability information."

Yes, without a doubt top notch mod with the best parts available. But the base form of Leak 20 is relatively the same, as long as the transformers are all in good condition. Those standard Leaks are the ones I want and can afford. Modding is part of the fun, subject to the availability of funds and parts. Speaking about parts, any Jensen 32+32uF or 47+47uF you want to sell? I missed out getting them while I was hifi hibernating and Jensen is no more 

Hi guys i have just been around to a friends house to listen to his new Audio research Reference 160 M Monoblock Amplifiers running on Harbeth Monitor 40.2 Floorstanding Speakers. The amps had just finished the recommended 500 hour run in period suggested by Audio research and where ready to go. He also owned one of my own full on 1964 leak stereo 20s. So it was time for a shootout, The interest for me was to see how much better was the new technology amplifiers where over the old vintage stuff. He was quite neutral about the result, after all he owned both of these amplifiers, but had not listened to either side by side until the Audio research was ready. Well the time had come, the nagging question was will the Leak cut it. All my work and effort, it was time for the leak to show if it was indeed yesterdays news or tomorrows headline. First on went the Audio research Reference 160 M Monoblock Amplifiers. The sound was very clean ordered and precise, very nice, very modern sound and delivered by one of my favorite audio manufactures, Audio research. Now its the leaks turn, my heart was jumping, i was thinking will it be ordinary, have i been delusional, is it really just an ancient piece of audio history belonging in an old persons home. The time had come. The music started and out popped the timbre, not just timbre but timbre to die for, timbre that makes your hair stand up. Out flowed incredible musicality involvement warmth heart soul. The cello sounded like it was right in front of you with a rich you are there gut wrenching texture that makes you feel you can reach out and touch it. My friend summed it up nicely when he said the Audio research Reference 160 M sounds like he was listening to a good hifi system, but the leak stereo 20 sounded like he was at the concert. Was it that good, no it was better, just stunning. But we are not talking about any Leak we talking about a brilliant Leak stereo 20 properly modified. I say this, I doubt if there is a better push pull amplifier than this leak stereo 20.

This sort of post will just push up the price of the Leak even higher I only got one Stereo 20 and I still want another one (or two!).

Nice Yamamura IC, I need another pair for my bedroom system, you selling? 

And Rab's build begins....

Needed some inspiration as I was on a serious lull. Some new bass horns seem to have done the trick!

Nice And about time.

I got to try Matt's Abbas as he had it sent to me and picked it up a couple of days later.

I am impress, nothing stands out, it is all very real sounding, nothing over cooked or under cooked, not syrupy and not clinical or thin, everything just sounds correct and real sounding.