I find it quite surprising to read this BS. Arrogant and indifferent. That 470K are supposed to be high. It's not. It's mid.
Many amp-sim makers, such as Scuffham amps S-gear tells this in their requirements for using their software. Along with "Win/7 2,4 ghz cpu minimum..." and so on they say "sound interface with Hi-Z instrument input at 1 mOhm". You can read this for yourself on their site. On top of this, if you are using passive single coil pickups this difference is heard immediately and in a no subtle way. If you're using humbuckers, and active pickups, however, this doesn't matter, the difference is too subtle.
If you have active pickups such as EMG's these things doesn't matter. But I know several musicians who have looked elsewhere just because of this. 470 K is way too low.
I've tried a Radial JDV preamp before which has a drag control and goes up to 4 Ohm. Tried this with a RME babyface and there is a clear difference, especially in the transient attack, beginning of each note even if you pick hard or soft. Even without any amp sims. The clinical clear tone. Only above 1,5-2 mOhm no change is heard in any sound anywhere.
Since Fender tube amps has this for real, the guitar pickup becomes an integral part of the tube amp circuitry and acts accordingly. This is very hard to translate to digital world at all. You have this "limit" or "roof" that becomes the AD conversion anyway. Can only say that other makers has recognized this, and while 4 mOhm may be a bit of a stretch, this 1 mOhm is crucial in getting ANY amp-sim to translate what happens with a guitar signal. 470K isn't enough. Maybe 800K would be sufficient enough. The AD conversion hears this pick attack and high transients and the amp-sim converts this accordingly.
Otherwise you can bicker and whine about this to mr Scuffham himself, who was chief designer for Marshall amps in the 80s. I've just steered away a friend of mine from buying RME just because of this. I recommend him to search for sound interfaces that has listed their Hi-Z specs to a tee, and not only saying "Hi-Z" instrument input.
You may not hear any difference at all by just running a test sine wave into the input. Most people test just by doing that. Of course it sounds the same then. It's the start of each note that has high end transients. Before the actual note is produced, the percussive "thud" so to speak. Also when riding the volume knob on the guitar at the same time. You still get a lot of treble in the signal when turned halfway down, at 1 mOhm, but not so on 470K. I use M-audio Firewire to this day just because of it.
They have full 1 mOhm.
I find this very flippant, and loopy reply from the administrator. An input with 1 mOhm can do the same thing as anything with 470K in it. It's lower. But not the other way around, i e that a 470K input will be the same as a 1 mOhm input. Guitarists rides their volume pot on their guitars all of the time. You seem to make a false assumption that people are playing with it full out all of the time and leaves it at that.
I'll gladly attend a blind test any day. You guys pick the date and time! :-)