Why tube rectification?

I don’t think there is anything close to a perfect correlation between electrical performance and preferred sound.  That is why tube gear is preferred by many, myself included, even if measured performance is not better.  The same probably applies to rectifiers vs. diode bridge.  A local dealer who also makes tube gear uses both.  He recently found an electrical engineer who designs, builds, and repairs gear as a sideline.  Although he is new to the shop, he makes bold decisions.  He took home to repair one of the shop’s custom build.  After fixing it, he said he was thrilled with the sound but thought that an amp this good deserves a tube rectifier and converted it without bothering to get permission.

I use tube rectifiers in my builds, partly to conform with the vintage circuits I’m trying to replicate, and partly because I prefer the sound. Even with ultra-fast diodes I can still hear a slight coarseness and reduction of fluidity and "air." OTOH there tends to be an improvement in the bass response, so it’s a bit of a trade-off. Another advantage of, say, a 5AR4, is the slow warm-up. With solid-state diodes you can, of course, add a delay circuit, but this adds more complications to the build.

That said, a lot of very nice vintage tube amps used diode rectification--the HK Citation II, the Eico HF-87, the Fisher 500C, among others--and very few tube-lovers will take issue with the sound of those pieces. And for anything above 30-40 watts per channel, solid-state rectification is probably a better way to go. And like any other audio design, you can voice the amp in many different ways to compliment the power supply design you choose.

For my purposes I stick with tube rectifiers because to my ears, and within the limits of the amplifiers I build, it’s just a nicer sound.

I am enjoying the thoughtful responses so far. Thanks gentle people.

I would just add that, in the case of well-designed tube equipment that enjoys a reputation for excellent sound, trust the designer. ;-)  Someone like Steve Deckert certainly makes a choice that works best for him and his customers.

I'll be the devil's advocate here. I just bought an all-tube higher end preamp that uses all tube except for the rectification. It even has a tube voltage regulator. My concern about tube rectification was the heat generated and the high failure rates of these tubes. It seems like every time I read a post about some tube equipment's failure it's the rectifier tube. This is just my personal opinion and I'm sure the tube makes a difference in the sound but by how much. I chose lower heat and reliability over the small amount of possible sound improvement for my purchasing decision. Just my .02.