5AR4 rectifier tube question

@jjss49 jjss49

 "sometimes our own egos do a disservice to others seeking guidance"

Really? I mean, I gave my honest opinion based on my experience, in a context limited to a particular component and qualified it by the voicing of the overall system. 

What did I do wrong, in your estimation? That it cost money to get a true NOS tube as opposed to a pull? 

Andy is real good. I would recommend doing a browser search for DubStep Girl’s Massive 5ar4 Shoot-Out. It is comprehensive and has her comments on the sonics of each tube. I have a number of these rectifiers. My fav, which is not a direct equivalent, is a GEC u52. I’ve had them as brown base and black base. I own several different old Mullards, including a NIB/NOS Philips/Miniwatt metal base- it sounds dramatically different than the GEC.

Some of this is probably due to the circuit, so I’d think you’d want to compare notes with somebody who has rolled using at least the same component. In my case, it was an Allnic phono stage with outboard power supply.

The metal base sounds different than the first bakelite "fat base" or any later Mullard 5AR4/GZ34. I found, in the context of my application (a power supply for an Allnic H3000, where the rectifier is the only tube I roll), that the metal base from Holland (actually, a Philips/Miniwatt) has unbelievably good bass and more "punch" (without being in your face), but in my overall system, it doesn’t have finesse of my preferred tube-- the top octaves are simply not as open or airy.

The Mullards are a standard good old tube, known for good sound, reliable service and long life.

What you’ll usually find in the open market are "pulls"- used tubes that test good. Some of these rectifiers can apparently live almost forever. But finding true never used tubes from WWII and later era is a whole other thing. Andy has been a good source for that.

@immatthewj - did you ever look at that Dubstep Girl’s Massive 5AR shoot-out?

You will not typically find the WE tube at all. The GEC is available usually as a pull, and tres cher. I found a NIB, never used industrial version in Mumbai with one week shipping. I have a brown base too--branded as Brimar, with original box that I put some miles on. Is there a difference, yeah, but the black base I got from India  is fine and a "fresher" tube. 

The old WWII era double bottom getter RCA is supposed to be the bomb, and not at rarified prices, but it isn’t a straight equivalent to the 5AR4; I have a NIB one, but haven’t tried it.

I rolled, I found a good tube and for my system, I’m sticking with it. But I did go through the process, and have a bunch of back-ups, as well as the benefit of trying different things to optimize. Maybe swapping out rectifiers in some gear makes less of a difference, but for me, the rectifier roll was the most important tube in the Allnic.

The factory tube was tizzy.

I have no idea of this guy’s system or room. You know, @jjss49 you gotta be there.

Trying to do remote troubleshooting is far from the mark. I am hardly a guru. I just know what I’ve experienced. Which is probably a lot given how old I am, and where I was from 1981-2017 in NY City. I was a member of the NY club (which had an annual dinner with the Chinese club-- sort of dare you to eat that stuff in Chinatown- I wish I had paid better attention in the ’80s). Horns and SETs, vinyl for sure.

I’m not a zealot. Whatever gets you there. I’m pretty open to new ideas; I got into digital for the first time just pre-Covid. But vinyl is still my go-to source, both for the material- sometimes, obscure when it should not be, but that’s a matter of taste, and quality of the gear-- admittedly I have not spent money on digital the way I have on vinyl. I would totally understand someone today saying, for most purposes, I’m good with digital and streaming. I’m not gonna diss them. When it becomes a matter of dogma, I stand back. To each their own.