Rectifier Tubes


Hi all, can anyone tell me why I hear so much of a change in my amplifier's sound (Coincident Frankensteins; 6em7 driver tube, 300b output tube) when I change the rectifier tube? 

I just got the following message from a tube vendor:

"Further, rectifier tubes (5U4) don't pass or amplify any sort of signal so our policy of no returns for tone especially applies to rectifiers. Changing a rectifier tube shouldn't change the tone of your amplifier at all, not even a little bit. This is why many high end amplifiers have solid state rectifiers. "

They actually did authorize a return (I was returning because the tubes were distorting, not because of tone), so I'm not gathering ammo for a fight.  I'd just like to understand why my experience is so different from this (presumably highly knowledgeable) individual's beliefs.

Thanks.
128x128cal3713
In some tube pre-amps I've owned the rectifier was THE most important
tube for sound .
Ideally, a tube characteristics is less important than the filter that follows it.

The tube rectifier will determine the voltage, but ideally, the filter should eliminate noise, and is responsible for any supply sag, not the rectifier overall.
I guess this is quite variable.
I have a deep respect for those who have electrical engineering backgrounds.  They bring so much to this forum!   I do not have a background in electrical engineering, so I tend to make judgments based on empirical evaluation rather than first principle considerations.  But based on my simplistic empiricism,  I am amazed that anyone with normal hearing, especially a tube vendor, would dispute that different rectifiers, and here I mean different brands of the same type rectifier as well as different types of rectifiers, can have a profound effect on how a component sounds.  For all I know all of this may be limited to differences in sag or rise times.   I'd love it if all rectifier differences could be attributed to measurables.  I will say that I have noticed some pieces are more influenced by tube rolling than others.  Perhaps Erik's comment is relevant to that phenomenon.   
Of course we all respect EE grads, one of hardest majors in any university .But , just because it was so hard they sometimes cling to things that have been proven wrong by neurology which has made huge bounds and leaps
in last decade .Perhaps the greatest of any science  in that length of time in history .