it’s all good @whart, i probably shouldn't have gotten snippy
we are all just sharing our experiences and observations... we will let the noob sort it out...
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.
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I have no idea of this guy’s system or room. You know, @jjss49 you gotta be there. Trying to do remote troubleshooting is far from the mark. I am hardly a guru. I just know what I’ve experienced. Which is probably a lot given how old I am, and where I was from 1981-2017 in NY City. I was a member of the NY club (which had an annual dinner with the Chinese club-- sort of dare you to eat that stuff in Chinatown- I wish I had paid better attention in the ’80s). Horns and SETs, vinyl for sure. I’m not a zealot. Whatever gets you there. I’m pretty open to new ideas; I got into digital for the first time just pre-Covid. But vinyl is still my go-to source, both for the material- sometimes, obscure when it should not be, but that’s a matter of taste, and quality of the gear-- admittedly I have not spent money on digital the way I have on vinyl. I would totally understand someone today saying, for most purposes, I’m good with digital and streaming. I’m not gonna diss them. When it becomes a matter of dogma, I stand back. To each their own. |
I’d like to believe the OP capable of sorting through the (seemingly convoluted) preponderance of info and experience offered, once the tubes they’ve ordered are in hand. It appears they are disposed to trusting their own ears and don’t mind spending a few bucks, to experiment with their own equipment, in their own room. As long as they’re having fun/enjoying themselves, after the past 24 months of mandated misery: I say KUDOS! Worse case scenario: they’ll have a few good tubes to sell, once they’ve placated the Otic Nervosa beast.
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