[dannie01]

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Any tube expert can decode a Metal Based GZ34? 
 
RS1
55B
 
I think it is manufactured in 1955.

Try to find HERE and HERE, hope you can find an answer there.

 

[jc9394]

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Try to find HERE and HERE, hope you can find an answer there.

I did tried them but did not see much on the metal based one.

 

[dannie01]

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I did tried them but did not see much on the metal based one.

How about THIS and I can find RS1 55A THERE.

 

[jc9394]

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How about THIS and I can find RS1 55A THERE.

I did found this, that is why I think it is 1955 but not sure on A vs B.

 

[dannie01]

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I did found this, that is why I think it is 1955 but not sure on A vs B.

"B" means Made in England-Blackburn? Any tube expert can chime in for this?
 

 

[jc9394]

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"B" means Made in England-Blackburn? Any tube expert can chime in for this?
 

or maybe version B? 

 

[takezo]

all metal gz34/5ar4 are made by philips. metal mullard and amperex are rebranded philips.
and all metal gz34 were made in eindhoven, holland by philips.
 
rs1 - 1954 to 55
tv2 - 1956 to 58
 
date code: bottom
for example: 55B means 1955 february
 
later non-metal gz34's were made in blackburn, sittard holland and brussels belgium.
by this time mullard bought out philips.

 

[jc9394]

 
Quote:

all metal gz34/5ar4 are made by philips. mullard and amperex are rebranded philips.
and all metal gz34 were made in eindhoven, holland by philips.
 
rs1 - 1954 to 55
tv2 - 1956 to 58
 
date code: bottom
for example: 55B means 1955 february
 
later non-metal gz34's were made in blackburn, sittard holland and brussels belgium.
by this time mullard bought out philips.

Thanks for the detail explanation. 

 

[dannie01]

Thanks takezo.

 

[jc9394]

The metal base GZ34 is a great rectifier, probably better than the Sophia Princess but not quite as EML 5U4G or 274B. It is more dynamic and full of energy, but the soundstage is more compress. It is excellent with rock and hip hop.

 

[dannie01]

 
Quote:

The metal base GZ34 is a great rectifier, probably better than the Sophia Princess but not quite as EML 5U4G or 274B. It is more dynamic and full of energy, but the soundstage is more compress. It is excellent with rock and hip hop.

I do agree with that, don't have a chance to try a GZ34 metal base but have had a Mallaurd GZ30 in my WA22. It's more dynamic and harder bass that the Sophia but with narrower soundstage. The EML is another league, better presentation in all spectrums. I would highly recommended this rectifier for Woo's amp, it sounds great with WA22 and WA5LE in my experience (never try in the WA6SE).

 

[TheAudioDude]

I just thought I'd share a few impressions with my newly acquired Ken-Rad 6F8Gs (well, one I've had for a while, and the other I received today).
 
For the past month or so, I've been listening with a pair of RCA grey glass VT-231s, combined with a pair of Tung-Sol 7236s and an EML 5U4G mesh.  The setup was/is great, but I've been wanting to get back into the realm of 6F8G.
 
For my 6F8G collection, I have a pair of the National Union roundplates, a pair of the Tung-Sol black-glass roundplates, a single grey-glass RCA (soon to be joined by another), and now a pair of Ken-Rads.  Both my NUs and TS's were very good, although I don't use the Tung-Sols because they are incredibly sensitive to any vibration whatsoever (and also pretty noisy).
 
I guess, that said, enter Mr. Ken Rad.
 
Right off the bat, my 'go-to' song, Comfortably Numb, sounds the same as it usually does.  Not a huge change, although compared to the VT-231s, the bass is definitely less bloated and more refined in certain parts.  The quantity is roughly the same, though.
 
I've been listening to a little bit of Neil Young lately.  'My My, Hey Hey (Out of The Blue)' shows a fairly large change.  The acoustic guitars in the beginning sound faster than with the VT-231s.  Everything is more up-front; as if I'm sitting on stage.  So far, I'm not really feeling any fatigue (could be the alcohol, though...

).  With my VT-231s, I would feel fatigue just after a few songs, although they sound so good!  I guess it's a double-edged sword, or something.
 
Mr. Ken Rad has a pretty smooth sound.  Any 'sharp' transients I may have heard before seem duller; in this case, being dull is a good thing.  There's no piercing sounds in my brain and no headaches to worry about.  Sometime this weekend, I want to put in my GEC 6080s and see how they mesh with Ken.  See that?  I just put names for three of my tubes into one sentence.

 
Anyways, time for some more music.  These are very lively and pretty fun to listen to.  There's nothing analytical about them, rather you can just sit back and enjoy the music.  There's one thing I would change, and it would be the soundstage.  Oh well, I guess you can't have your cake and eat it too!
 
Is the phone ringing?  No, it's just my ears begging for more musical bliss.
 

 
Or maybe you can.  Who knows?
 
EDIT:
 
Holy crap I'm listening to Eric Clapton's Unplugged album, and wow.  Soundstage, you say?  I said?  Well, maybe I take it back.  The soundstage isn't HUGE, but the sound is very open.  Placement is incredible and everything sounds so life-like.

 

[jc9394]

Only issue with the GZ34 is not as pretty as the Sophia and EML at night, that glow is simply a piece of art.  Now back to more listening with GZ34...

 

[jc9394]

 
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Phoenix?

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Audio-gd Phoenix?? 

Got it, it should be arrive next Thursday or Friday.  Now I need to find a place to hide this from wife, not an easy task, it is big...

 

[Xcalibur255]

Quote:

With my VT-231s, I would feel fatigue just after a few songs, although they sound so good!  I guess it's a double-edged sword, or something.

It's interesting you are getting fatigue with the greyglass VT-231.  I'm incredibly sensitive to this and, after some break-in, never had a problem with it at all.  Perhaps the greater power of the WA22 brings out other qualities in them as a signal tube.  One thing I've noticed, though, is that there seems to be an unusually high amount of variation in sound between these greyglass tubes.  I have two pairs, both test NOS with one from 1945 and the other 1948 and they sound almost nothing alike.  The older pair sounds pretty much the way most people describe them, and I really enjoy listening to them for most material though I do take issue with how they handle most vocals.  The other pair sounds like a pair of laid back 6EW7s.  No drive at all, with lazy dynamics and soft bass.  Thing is, the clarity and detail doesn't suffer and they actually have better texture and depth in the midrange than the other pair.  Vocals sound beautiful on this set, warm in the right way and always smooth but never veiled like the older set.  In the end their slow PRAT and gutless bass ruin them but they are a lovely tube to listen to with just the right kind of music.
 
If you haven't heard a pair of Sylvania bad boys I think they would be right up your alley.  Very smooth and natural, but they have better PRAT and are more open and airy than the greyglass are.  Very, very happy with these tubes and my newly acquired EML 274B complements their sound perfectly.