Tube Basics 101: What is a rectifier tube for?

I have question , will a rectifier tube affect the volume ? The left channel of my tube amp sounds a bit louder than the right channel , i was hoping that a rectifier could even out the sound in both channels , i have swap  the 6SN7, as well as the 2A3 tubes , the result is the same , any thoughts ? , i have bought a new and expensive volume potentiometer (100 K)to replace the one it has (50 K ),  will solve this issue ? , many thanks !!!

hi ibuy,
it is hard to determine the exact cause. it could maybe any of the resistor in your preamp that has drifted in value. it would be best to send it back to manufacturer to check out. However, if the imbalance is near the lower volume settings then it is definitely the potentiometer problem, because generally potentiomenter are poor in channel balance at lower volume setting unless you purchase those costly potentiometer.

Hi, Phillip , thanks for your response , my amp its totally new , unhappy with the Capacitors it came with i bought the best brand i could find , "Jensen" i changed three of them , , the amp its beautifully made Point to point and is starting to sound much to my liking , i just changed the RCA  5R4WGB rectifier with another one , can't tell which brand is it as the lettering its almost gone , BUT it made a difference in sound , i think both channels play more balanced , your are right about the potentiometer , it does play unbalanced at lower volume , which indicates that the issue is the potentiometer . fortunately i have one made especially for AN , by Audio Note , thanks again !!!

Just found this thread. It is too long to read all at once, but I have to disagree with Elizabeth. I believe rectifier tubes do make a difference in sound, based on my own experience.

What she actually said was: "The rectifier tube is not the direct cause of the quality of the sound in the power supply. The whole design of the power supply is what affects the sound quality. i personally would say as long as the rectifier tube is working properly, that is all it can do. A ’quality’ tube may be better because it actually does the job better." Is that the "wrong" part you’re talking about?