5AR4/GZ34 Rectifier Tubes

Erndog I am also using the Sophia as my 6SN7 tube and also haven't looked back for my Modwright / Sony.

Jburidan I will be keeping my RCA (Mullard) as a back up to my Create tube. As a reference point I use Vintage Tube Service for any NOS stuff. I have no economic interest in them but am a satisfied customer.

I could be wrong, but the Create Audio 5AR4 looks like a relabeled Shuguang.

Whart, "I haven't tried any tubes that are currently manufactured, apart from the Chinese tube mentioned above."

If it's the standard Shuguang 5AR4, the Mullard provides a good step up in sonics. The JJ also will, and in most of the applications I've tried, sounds almost as good as the Mullard. Unfortunately, the Shuguang has proven much more rugged in comparison to. The JJ tend to arc over at conditions the Mullard and Shuguang do not.

Trelja- according to the importer of the Allnic, the factory supplied tube was a Shuguang 5Z3PJ. I can't say i listened to it critically, because the unit was burning in at the time. I have a whole pile of vintage rectifier tubes including a couple more of the factory supplied Shuguang. The fat base Mullard first series, which was pricey, sounds lovely, particularly now that I have several hundred hours on the unit, and the step up transformers have broken in. Interestingly, this piece doesn't require any tube rolling on the audio circuitry, only in the power supply. And, I've been playing with various types of physical isolation for the power supply- I did a blind test with my wife as the beta-tester, and she heard noticeable differences in various cones, footers and isolators on the PS. It all makes a difference.

If Trelja is right as usual, then Create Audio has taken a page from the EAT playbook, i.e., charging triple for relabeled tubes.

Well I pulled the trigger on the Create 5AR4 tube for my Modwright Oppo 83 and it replaced a vintage Mullard. Since getting the Create, I have no desire to put the Mullard back in. Music sounds cleaner with more detail and a little less warmth compared to the Mullard.

It's all about system synergy, so this tube will not be a good match for some systems.