5AR4 rectifier tube question
I am sort of shopping for one or more 5AR4s for a Cary SLP05 power supply because I’d like to have at least one spare and because I’d maybe like to roll two or three ad see if I can hear an improvement or vice versa. I make no claims of knowing much about the vacuum tube game; occasionally I get lucky & stumble on something that really works for me. As far as the 5AR4, I did a hit at Uncle Kevin’s site, and there were some that looked interesting (I am thinking of one in particular, it had a Japanese sounding name that started with a ’M’) but when I click on it, all I get is a picture of Uncle Kevin’s screaming face telling me "not to buy tubes" (later, when I finally took time to read, apparently his tube tester is down).
So I started doing hits on Ebay, and oh my gosh! I was inundated with choices and the variation in prices! Which do I stay away from and which should I be interested in? Would a 5AR4 from Bugera also be suitable for what I’d want to use it for? Could a rectifier tube provide a big sonic upgrade if I spent enough money on it? Can I make a sonic upgrade from what I believe (I haven’t opened up the power supply yet) is the stock EH 5AR4 without breaking the bank? I would be totally good with the $50.00 range and picking up 2 or 3 different ones to play with if those with experience thought I could improve the power supply in that range. If I had to I guess I could go more (the $100.00 range) but I probably wouldn’t be buying too many of them, and I was kind of HOPING not to go much over that.
Anyway, thanks in advance for the input; I always consider it part of my education.
Not certain about many of the NOS rectifiers, out there, but: a Mullard Blackburn, GZ34, in pristine condition, will always bring above $150, from what I've seen of late. One reason for the demand and price, is the presentation, which (of course) is a matter of the palate. Another huge one: typically, the tube will still be testing GOOD, long after the first purchaser has expired. |
@rodman99999 ’s point is the key one here, as far as i am concerned - when rectifiers fail, they usually do some ancillary damage to the circuit, big or small - so to me the most compelling case for these old stock 5ar4 is their tremendous durability... i myself went through a period using dan wright’s modded cd players, which in turn use his sweet sounding outboard power supply based on the 5ar4 rectifier... these were initially shipped with the grim sovtek 5ar4, two of which failed over the course of the first 12-18 months, and i got tired of the smell of electrical components burning, then shipping to darn ps back to dan in washington for repairs to the pcb
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Rectifier tubes drop the B+ voltage by different amounts. 5AR4 vs. 5V4 vs. 5U4 vs. 5Y3/80 vs. ... and they are rated for different current handling. Find a copy of Vacuum Tube Valley and read the article/survey of different rectifier tubes. Changing the B+ voltage in a tube circuit will also change the various operating parameters in the circuit. That is why it is best to stick with the designer's choice of recrtifier tube. Otherwise performance will be compromised! . |
