current recto

[lumox0013]

Has any one tried the new Genalex Gold Lion GZ34 / U77 in your rocket build. and if so how did it sound compared to what else you got? thanxx for any insight. cheers Lumox

[Blackburn]

I'm just curious why you're interested in what a rectifier tube sounds like.

FWIW, I've swapped the TAD 5AR4 around in a ton of amps with lots of startups and playing sessions and it is a solid tube, which is what you want in a rectifier.

My .02uf

[lumox0013]

like many of the people on this board I have done a fair amount of tube rolling. I use a rocket clone as my main amp and for a long time after building it I refused to believe that the tubes made that much of a difference ,I was wrong . after reading alot on this board i gave in and bought a lot of tubes. only adressing the recto tube in my personal amp i have tried a sovtek 5ar4 (cold and hard with a lack of harmonic content) ,TAD 5ar4 (muted and saturated),national red label gz34 (close to the sovtek but a hair softer) ,rca 5u4 (solid but lackluster), the turning point for me was reading that some of the vintage 5v4's are actually 5ar4's that were mislabled i tried a GE 5v4 and the amp came alive (very solid in the bottom end with a softness in the mids and sparkle up top and the underlying harmonic content is doubled across the board.I have since moved to a vintage tungsol 5v4 that does the same for the amp and although I cant afford a true mullard gz34 I now know why people say the amp is not the same without one.that is not to say there is anything wrong with any of the other rectos mentioned they worked fine they simply did not bring out the best in this amp design.the other tubes I am running and love in this amp are a matched quad of Telam el84s ,(v3)laffaette 12at7, (v1,2)60's rca blackplate 12ax7. in these amps I feel that changing the recto and the power tubes has a more drastic affect than any other amp I have owned ,so anyone who is rolling rectos through their rocket if you have tried the u77 please chime in. thanxx Lumox

[brewdude]

I don't have any rectifier tube experience to draw upon, but I was curious if there was any notable difference in the voltages found with the different rectifiers you mentioned?

[RockinRocket]

Well there might be some type of noticeable difference between rectifiers. Like how quickly they refill the filter cap. Or perhaps a slight different rectified voltage between brands.

On that note I don't see how its possible to here what you mention of all these descriptions "cold and hard with a lack of harmonic content" ect. To that degree at leat.

However I have noticed on the 18 watt amp "expected voltage sheet" that the in volts to the ez81 had rectified voltage varied as much of 50 volts between 5 examples but it did not specify what brands were used. There might have been a 10 volt AC difference before the rectifier in this sheet. I am to believe that there is some sort of voltage difference between brands but have not looked into it.