mopardave Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 Do different rectifier tubes change the tone of an amp like preamp and power tubes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mopardave Posted January 16, 2019 Author Share Posted January 16, 2019 Just did some research on the web. To answer my question the answer is depends. It depends on if the rectifier you replace/install passes more or less current. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimjimbo Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 Just now, mopardave said: Just did some research on the web. To answer my question the answer is depends. It depends on if the rectifier you replace/install passes more or less current. I have some 5Z3 if you are interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mopardave Posted January 16, 2019 Author Share Posted January 16, 2019 11 minutes ago, jimjimbo said: I have some 5Z3 if you are interested. Ok. Thanks. What brands do you have? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimjimbo Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 I have probably 15 or so tubes, various brands, RCA, Sylvania, Philco, Dumont and others. I will get a list together today. Are you looking for any in particular? Thanks Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mopardave Posted January 16, 2019 Author Share Posted January 16, 2019 36 minutes ago, jimjimbo said: I have probably 15 or so tubes, various brands, RCA, Sylvania, Philco, Dumont and others. I will get a list together today. Are you looking for any in particular? Thanks Jim Just ordered a little 13w/ch Douk kt88 amp. Has one 5z3pal psvane rectifier tube. Thought I might roll some tubes thou just to see. So something in a 5z3pal that might be an improvement from the psvane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mopardave Posted January 16, 2019 Author Share Posted January 16, 2019 1 hour ago, jimjimbo said: I have probably 15 or so tubes, various brands, RCA, Sylvania, Philco, Dumont and others. I will get a list together today. Are you looking for any in particular? Thanks Jim What's the difference between 5u4g and 5z3p? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimjimbo Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 1 hour ago, mopardave said: What's the difference between 5u4g and 5z3p? I honestly don't know the specifics, but from the brief reading I've done, it looks like the 5z3p is a Chinese tube, that is supposedly, supposedly, a replacement for a 5U4g. The tubes I have are all 5Z3, and US made. I also have 5U4g. Let me know your thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mopardave Posted January 16, 2019 Author Share Posted January 16, 2019 4 minutes ago, jimjimbo said: I honestly don't know the specifics, but from the brief reading I've done, it looks like the 5z3p is a Chinese tube, that is supposedly, supposedly, a replacement for a 5U4g. The tubes I have are all 5Z3, and US made. I also have 5U4g. Let me know your thoughts. I'll do some more research. I'll let ya know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToolShedAmps Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 12 hours ago, mopardave said: Do different rectifier tubes change the tone of an amp like preamp and power tubes? In most cases, the difference you hear will be due to a change in the operating point/s of the amplifier/pre-amplifier with a rectifier change as the amount of voltage dropped by different rectifier types varies. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mopardave Posted January 18, 2019 Author Share Posted January 18, 2019 On 1/16/2019 at 10:00 PM, ToolShedAmps said: In most cases, the difference you hear will be due to a change in the operating point/s of the amplifier/pre-amplifier with a rectifier change as the amount of voltage dropped by different rectifier types varies. Ok. That's how I understand it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Lammers Posted February 7, 2019 Share Posted February 7, 2019 On 1/16/2019 at 3:25 PM, mopardave said: What's the difference between 5u4g and 5z3p? Electrically they are interchangable. You could also use a 274B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mopardave Posted February 10, 2019 Author Share Posted February 10, 2019 On 1/16/2019 at 4:40 PM, jimjimbo said: I honestly don't know the specifics, but from the brief reading I've done, it looks like the 5z3p is a Chinese tube, that is supposedly, supposedly, a replacement for a 5U4g. The tubes I have are all 5Z3, and US made. I also have 5U4g. Let me know your thoughts. I'm thinking about trying the EH 5U4GB in place of the psvane 5Z3. I'm at about 60hrs now on the original tubes. I do have some psvane kt88-T ordered. Can't wait to try these as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mopardave Posted February 10, 2019 Author Share Posted February 10, 2019 32 minutes ago, Jeffrey D. Medwin said: My amps are usually LOWER in current draw than most others. A stereo amp of mine may have only 72 to 126 mA. total draw at idle, ( depending if its SE or P-P ) so I can use JJs. Likely, your KT-88 amp pulls more current, so the beefy EH is worth a try, knowing the tube needs break in. Please inform us of how that all goes!! Thanks. Jeff Besides the EH rectifier tube, here's a few more. What do you think? First is a 5U4G and the other two are 274B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mopardave Posted February 10, 2019 Author Share Posted February 10, 2019 2 minutes ago, Jeffrey D. Medwin said: Hi, I have already told you, the 5U4G is like using a 6 cylinder motor, and the 5U4GB is beefier ( 48 % more so ) .........like using a V-8. Why don't YOU look at the data sheets, and try to determine whats more beefy, a 274B or a 5U4GB. See for yourself !! Learn. ok, I will check that out. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mopardave Posted February 23, 2019 Author Share Posted February 23, 2019 On 2/10/2019 at 5:04 PM, Jeffrey D. Medwin said: Absolutely, IMHO, they change tone. Some rectifiers are dark and murky sounding to me, others have a better overall balance, bottom to top. Some need up to 200 hours of break-in, to come into their own. A 5Z3 is part of a group of tube rectifiers which are directly heated, there is no cathode, it is a " filamentary rectifier ", ( in the way that the 2A3 is a filamentary triode. ) I prefer these types of directly heated rectifiers, musically, over rectifiers that have a separate cathode, because these, in a good amp, sound becomes more " direct " and spontaneous to me, on music playback. My favorite go-to amp rectifier choice among all of them is a 5U4GB. Not the 5U4G you are discussing !! There is a slight difference in B+ voltage, when the 5U4GB is substituted for the 5U4G, as I recall, several volts lower. if you observe the specs between a 5U4G and a 5U4GB, you will notice the 5U4G can do a maximum instantaneous pulse of 675 mA. The 5U4GB is rated, however at 1,000 mA. A large improvement. In a well wired amp, such a peak current delivery is totally audible, on transients of all types, and particularly drum solos, one of my tests in building amps. 5Z3s are no longer made to my understanding. Of the existing stock, maybe one out of 100 NOS 5Z3s are the "original" design and are fantastic sounding. To my way of thinking, that is not a ratio conducive to employing a 5Z3 in a build. On the other hand, 5U4GBs are readily available, made currently, and yes, like all rectifiers, they each sound slightly different, brand-wise. My interest is current production tubes, that are plentiful. I have two recommendations to try in 5U4GBs. For " easy" loads, the $16.00 JJ 5U4GB is a very nice, balanced-spectrum-wise purchase. If you have a amp where you seek a little more instantaneous snap, then I would suggest listening to a Electro Harmonix 5U4GB, about $15 .00 as I recall. The EH 5U4GB is a Russian Military tube, re-branded, and it is beefier in construction than the JJ and some of the other GBs. The Electro Harmonix takes at least 50 hours to break in, and friends have told me its "at its best" after 200 hours, so ignore the first ten hours. The JJ, on the other hand, is sweeter sounding to me, and others, from early on . But the amplifier's " jump factor" is better with the EH, so....... that is what I usually use for myself. At 15 and 16 dollars each, order both and YOU decide what sounds best !! Either one of these 5U4GBs, in a good circuit, will out-perform musically, a 5U4G. If the B+ is 7 to 10 VDC less with a GB, that is usually of little consequence, and if anything, will help in improving sonics and in tube life. You can use PSUD 2 to simulate and VDC differences, between the two rectifiers, but that is not of importance, as it is......to use the best-sounding and best-acting rectifier in any optimized amp, IMHO, IME. Hope this helps, and doesn't confuse you. Jeff Medwin I have the EH 5u4GB and the JJ 5u4GB rectifier tubes ordered. Will see how they do. Ever used this tube? Not sure i'm reading the specs correctly. Max inst pulse 140ma? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KlipschFan61 Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 These are my go-to rectifiers for the 5U4-G https://nesstone.com/product/sed-5u4gb-winged-c-premium-rectifier-tube/ I've got a few backups just in case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mopardave Posted February 27, 2019 Author Share Posted February 27, 2019 On 2/25/2019 at 10:23 AM, KlipschFan61 said: These are my go-to rectifiers for the 5U4-G https://nesstone.com/product/sed-5u4gb-winged-c-premium-rectifier-tube/ I've got a few backups just in case. I ordered a couple. 5 or 10 bucks a tube. Why not. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KlipschFan61 Posted February 28, 2019 Share Posted February 28, 2019 Good deal. I got as kick out of the original boxes they came in. You could almost smell the Communism emanating from them...😎 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mopardave Posted February 28, 2019 Author Share Posted February 28, 2019 1 hour ago, KlipschFan61 said: Good deal. I got as kick out of the original boxes they came in. You could almost smell the Communism emanating from them...😎 LOL. Where can I find the specs on these tubes? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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