Every component in a circuit has a sound to it. Altogether, the hundreds (or thousands) of parts that make our HiFi systems work contribute a mash of sonic qualities that we end of listening through.
It's rather a dose of hubris to think we can ever get perfection out of all the various flavors and colorations each component adds.
Of course, an easy way to not get flummoxed by all these problems is to ignore them altogether. There's plenty of engineers who honestly believe one resistor sounds the same as any other. It's how we wind up with mindless and heartless designs some people are unknowingly subjected to.
I find it somewhat comical to be on both sides of the argument. On the one hand, I sympathize with engineering types fresh out of school or long in the workplace faced with an entirely new set of variables like the sound of components. It's not listed in textbooks, certainly not taught in schools, and ridiculed by those faced with the concept. That's what people do when faced with the unknown. Easier to rally against it then be open to the ideas.
I also understand the practical side where engineers wake up to what's really happening with components. It's daunting to add the categories of sound for different passive components like caps, resistors, and inductors (let alone semiconductor types) to your knowledge base. But, just because something is daunting it doesn't mean it's not true or worth pursuing.
We can't escape the sound of components.
Fortunately for you, there's a dedicated handful of companies that not only get it but revel in the choices available. These choices open up new methods to get the sound we're hoping for, to get closer to the music, and to find the purity buried in recordings.
The sound of components can be the sound of music in knowledgeable hands.
