[Galapac]

$200 a piece, right?
vacuumtubes.net isn’t a bad place per se but they are not in the business of selling to audiophiles like a Brent Jessee. https://www.audiotubes.com/

Just keep that in mind when buying from vacuumtubes. They only guarantee that they will light up, free of debris, etc.
They do not test for sound quality but if you know 5998s, they should sound good if they test good.

 

[Renexx]

200$ a pair. Other tubes are very reasonable priced also. But some people her at the forum seem to have made bad experiences with the seller. This was my only purchase there.

Can somebody tell about the measurements on my tubes ?

 

[Pansbjorne]

Any other good spots to look for tubes? Seemed like audiotubes.com only had RCA

 

[jonathan c]

In my experience, if one has a transparent amp, rectifiers have as much impact on the sound as the drivers or output tubes.

Given the role of the rectifier tube in the AC -> DC ‘rectification’, would not that tube’s performance directly impact the performance of any tube which ‘electrically followed’ it? [my non-EE expression] And thus have the most impact on sound quality?

 

[bcowen]

Given the role of the rectifier tube in the AC -> DC ‘rectification’, would not that tube’s performance directly impact the performance of any tube which ‘electrically followed’ it? [my non-EE expression] And thus have the most impact on sound quality?

That's one way of looking at it. The other way is that the tube is only converting AC to DC, so what difference could it possibly make as long as it's working correctly? Don't mean to turn this into a cable discussion though so I'll just say that I personally hear pretty substantial differences in rectifier tubes, regardless of the reason(ing) behind it. In fact, rectifier tubes were what actually started my tube rolling addiction hobby 30-some years ago replacing some Chinese 5AR4's with NOS RCA's. After hearing that, everything else followed.

 

[jonathan c]

That's one way of looking at it. The other way is that the tube is only converting AC to DC, so what difference could it possibly make as long as it's working correctly? Don't mean to turn this into a cable discussion though so I'll just say that I personally hear pretty substantial differences in rectifier tubes, regardless of the reason(ing) behind it. In fact, rectifier tubes were what actually started my tube rolling addiction hobby 30-some years ago replacing some Chinese 5AR4's with NOS RCA's. After hearing that, everything else followed.

…just think, had your first ‘roll’ been a GE, there would have been no addiction hobby…

 

[bcowen]

…just think, had your first ‘roll’ been a GE, there would have been no addiction hobby…

And I likely would have made a complete fool of myself singing praises about Chinese rectifiers...

 

[jonathan c]

And I likely would have made a complete fool of myself singing praises about Chinese rectifiers...

or about Mao Tse Tung…

 

[gibosi]

And I likely would have made a complete fool of myself singing praises about Chinese rectifiers...

Actually, this Chinese rectifier, A Shuguang 5Z3PA, manufactured in 1973, isn't too bad.

 

[David222]

Given the role of the rectifier tube in the AC -> DC ‘rectification’, would not that tube’s performance directly impact the performance of any tube which ‘electrically followed’ it? [my non-EE expression] And thus have the most impact on sound quality?

Feel free to beat up the tube newbie for interjecting....good learning experience

I agree with your post that rectifier impacts performance and whatever tubes "follow".

--> Isn't the perceived rectifier sound characteristics (pos., neut., neg.) the vDrop variance / relationship between vDrop and the output/Driver Tubes?

http://www.fourwater.com/files/fullrect.txt

 

[gibosi]

Feel free to beat up the tube newbie for interjecting....good learning experience

--> Isn't the perceived rectifier sound characteristics (pos., neut., neg.) the vDrop variance / relationship between vDrop and the output/Driver Tubes?

http://www.fourwater.com/files/fullrect.txt

Many claim that vDrop explains why rectifiers often sound different. But I found 3 very different rectifiers that had the same vDrop, as measured in my amp, and they all sounded different. But according to the vDrop explanation, all of the them should have sounded the same. So at least in my experience, vDrop values do not explain the sound of a rectifier.

To my mind, the sound of a rectifier corresponds to harmonic distortion. After all, the 50 or 60 Hertz coming out of the wall is essentially an audio frequency. And the upper harmonics, which are too high to be filtered by the average power supply circuity, are what determine the "sound" of a rectifier. But of course, many disagree with me.

 

[David222]

Many claim that vDrop explains why rectifiers often sound different. But I found 3 very different rectifiers that had the same vDrop, as measured in my amp, and they all sounded different. But according to the vDrop explanation, all of the them should have sounded the same. So at least in my experience, vDrop values do not explain the sound of a rectifier.

To my mind, the sound of a rectifier corresponds to harmonic distortion. After all, the 50 or 60 Hertz coming out of the wall is essentially an audio frequency. And the upper harmonics, which are too high to be filtered by the average power supply circuity, are what determine the "sound" of a rectifier. But of course, many disagree with me.

Great point and good learning (selfishly for me). I don't disagree and should have been clear in my previous post above (re: vDrop) that my comment was an observation when folks compare varying rectifiers 5AR4 to 5U4G (where vDrop delta is more substantial).

On an apples-to-apples basis I do not have enough experience to dare pass judgement and leave that to the professionals, you supremes

 

[jonathan c]

Many claim that vDrop explains why rectifiers often sound different. But I found 3 very different rectifiers that had the same vDrop, as measured in my amp, and they all sounded different. But according to the vDrop explanation, all of the them should have sounded the same. So at least in my experience, vDrop values do not explain the sound of a rectifier.

Another instance, then, where a phenomenon with multiple attributes - sound - cannot be captured by one measure (or by a mix of measures…)

 

[bcowen]

Another instance, then, where a phenomenon with multiple attributes - sound - cannot be captured by one measure (or by a mix of measures…)

Are you suggesting we can hear things that can't be measured? Blasphemy! All those years of reading Stereo Review down the toilet.

 

[jonathan c]

After all, the 50 or 60 Hertz coming out of the wall is essentially an audio frequency.

…the DarkVoice, then, is faithfully reproducing or transparently passing through that 50 Hz or 60 Hz . That makes it a pinnacle in the headphone amplifier world!