Preamp Rectifier Tube Confusion

If the voltage drop is different it can affect the sound. %AR4s tend to be about 50 volts with a light load. The unit will sound perkier with the higher voltage. You could have the unit set up with HEXFRED rectifiers and be done with the whole thing :)

@atmasphere Thank you for the science lesson! Fascinating stuff 🤯

@jl1ny

not to be a killjoy in your case - but if you are going to tube roll to better the sound of the your system, do it with input tubes - spending $ to roll rectifiers are barking up the wrong tree

https://www.primaluna-usa.com/tube-rolling

@jjss49 I did! replacing the OEM 12AX7/12AU7 with Gold Lion. But I fell down the rectifier rabbit hole when I read about the Philips 5R4GYS. Ima sucker for aesthetics...the WE274B is sexy piece of glass! I figured if I can improve sonics AND have some cool looking glass then why not? 

Ima sucker for aesthetics...the WE274B is sexy piece of glass!

The two tubes have the same pin base with similar voltage limits and current specs, so you can interchange them and see how it goes. What is less obvious is the voltage drop you will see between the two- since the specs are very similar I suspect there will be only a minor difference between them.


You could also use a 5U4 which has the same pin base, but 5U4s have a greater voltage drop, and the 5AR4 was designed to have a controlled warmup time so as to allow the audio tubes (in particular, power tubes) time to warm up to prevent a phenomena called 'cathode stripping' which really does not occur with signal tubes as seen in a preamp circuit. The 5U4 warms up almost instantly. I've no experience with the WE tube. I'm saying that if looks are important, the ST-7 envelope used by the WE tube is also used by the 5U4. But I suspect you will find the 5U4 to sound a bit 'sleepy' due to the higher voltage drop across it, but they are so cheap you might get a pair and see what you think.