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5z3pal rectifier tube


mopardave

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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 have received the 5u4GB tubes from nesstone.  The Svetlana has 5 pins and the shuguang has 4 just as my psvanes do.  Will the 5 pin cause any amp damage?

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17 hours ago, mopardave said:

I have received the 5u4GB tubes from nesstone.  The Svetlana has 5 pins and the shuguang has 4 just as my psvanes do.  Will the 5 pin cause any amp damage?

 

You're good. I actually went and checked my original Shuguang (4-pins) and every other one I had left (5-pins).

 

I like the SED tubes' 8 little coils on the top. Cool looking fire bottle for sure.

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1 hour ago, KlipschFan61 said:

 

You're good. I actually went and checked my original Shuguang (4-pins) and every other one I had left (5-pins).

 

I like the SED tubes' 8 little coils on the top. Cool looking fire bottle for sure.

Not sure what tube your speaking of, but so far the SED Svetlana 5u3(5u4GB) is awesome. Right out of the box sonic bliss.  Haven't tried the Shuguang yet, but I did try the JJ and EH 5u4GB tubes and the JJ is nice, but the EH is very thin sounding.  I understand the EH takes 200hrs to come around, but not sure I want to listen to it that long without the magic.   More listening to do will see.   Thanks for the heads up.  Gonna order a couple more before their gone.

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33 minutes ago, KlipschFan61 said:

I tried both the EH and JJ and stuck with the SED. The vendor sent me a nice 274b I haven't tried yet but as long as the tubes I have now sound great, I'm in no rush to roll.

 

Glad you found those SED's . Good value for sure.

Been listening all weekend and yes, SED is best to my ears.   Still burning in the EH right now.  So far 11hrs.

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2 hours ago, mopardave said:

Been listening all weekend and yes, SED is best to my ears.   Still burning in the EH right now.  So far 11hrs.

Ok, my weekend has just about come to a close. After 13hrs with the EH 5u4GB burning in my amp I can say it sounds way better than first listen with it.  Its just a tad darker and I have to turn the bias down with it when first fired up because it runs beyond 70ma.   The Russian Svetlana SED 5u4c 5 pin is the winner IMHO.  It makes strings sound tighter, bass sounds more powerful and lower. The music fills the room better.  Every instrument sounds better with these tubes. Not by a huge margin, but for sure an improvement over the others.   Gonna order a couple more.    Thanks again Klipschfan, awesome tube.

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7 hours ago, Jeffrey D. Medwin said:

 

 

Hi Dave, 

 

I am glad you tried the EH.  Thanks !! 

 

Recall my post??  Here it is

 

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. "

 

Eleven hours is not enough.   Put 50 hours on an EH, if not 200, and then give it a second listen. Jump FACTOR !  Have fun.

 

Jeff .

ok, I left the EH tube on my desk and will run it off and on and see what its like at 50hrs.    It will be a while before it get 200hrs on it.

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42 minutes ago, Jeffrey D. Medwin said:

 

 

Hi Dave, 

 

Good.  Its entirely possible that the EH may not show its stuff in the tube amps you use. 

 

My good audio friend runs 2A3 mono blocks at his fome, which cost $19,750 a pair, and in his amps, the EHs are his 3-2019 favorite rectifiers. 

 

His amps will show differences in peak current delivery, because he has a special  ultra-low DCR B+ filtering system, and the amps use much heavier copper-silver  Mil Spec and pure silver internal wire in them.  So, the amps can preserve the instantaneous peaks of music playback.  My DIY SE amps are similar in design,  The EH 5U4GB , with its 1 Ampere capable plates, do this dynamic contrasting, with a " jump"factor,  best of all he has used.

 

YMMV.

 

Jeff Medwin

I think I have to agree with you, although the JJ is very good.

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17 hours ago, Jeffrey D. Medwin said:

The JJ 5U4GB has a BIT less of SLAM and JUMP factor, than the Ruskie Military EH 5U4GB, but the JJ " sounds nice" and has a decent overall balance.  JJ requires very  little break in time to sound AOK. 

 

These are 15 and 16 dollar rectifiers, which will probably outperform " botique" rectifiers, 274s, and gizmos like that.

 

I've designed a SEP KT88 amp the last several weeks, and I intend to use dual 5U4GBs, as rectification.   Since the Power  Transformer's high voltage winding is 820 VAC ( with a center tap, so 410 VAC -0-410 VAC ), I will run each 5U4GB, with plates in parallel. doing only ONE end of the transformer's output.  So, NO 820 VAC going across either 5U4GB, which would eliminate the chance of arcing across the rectifier tube internally. 

 

Final B+ will be 470 VDC, appropriate for a two-stage Direct Coupled Single-Ended KT88 amp. The KT 88 output tube will have a separated screen B+ supply, which will be SHUNT regulated to stabilize the screen into a near-ideal operating fashion.  Using EH 5U4GBs for rectification.   I am looking forward to DIY building this amplifier,  and having it on hand to hear.

 

Jeff 

Sounds like a nice powerful project.

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  • 4 weeks later...
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On 2/10/2019 at 4:04 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 said that here a couple of years ago in response to a similar post, I said different not better or worse and was seriously flamed by "tube experts" here that said changing the rectifier tube cannot change the sound....

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I still think the SED Svetlana 5u4gb is the best sounding in my system.  From time to time I will use the EH 5u4gb over the weekend to get closer to the 200hr burn time so i get a good comparison to the Svetlana.

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11 hours ago, mopardave said:

I still think the SED Svetlana 5u4gb is the best sounding in my system.  From time to time I will use the EH 5u4gb over the weekend to get closer to the 200hr burn time so i get a good comparison to the Svetlana.

Sweet tube indeed.

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