My Cary took a dump 2.

[Bernard]

You run a risk with a ss replacement. The voltages come up very quickly and the circuit may not do well since it was designed for tubes in the first place. I'd rather see you with a good tube rectifier than chance a solid-state replacement that may possibly cause damage. Of course, the sound of the preamp will change also!

If I remember correctly, some of these devices are designed so that the voltages do not come up quickly; I cannot remember the circuit details, though. That said, I agree that a tube rectifier is best. I was just offering Joey one more tube rolling (suck it and see) option.

 

[risabet]

Joey, there is a company (can't remember the name) that makes a solid-state replacement for the rectifier, that just plugs into the tube socket. It is inexpensive, so while tube rolling you may want to try it out just for the hell of it.

Joey,

You just discovered for yourself the effect that the rectifier can have on the sound. Why stick a SS rectifier in a circuit designed for a tube? Stick with what the designer intended. If a SS rec was better, Cary would have probably used one!

 

[sleepysurf]

Somehow I missed this thread. Consider yourself lucky, Joey! A couple weeks ago the rectifed power supply blew out in my Modwright. I was HOPING it was the tube, but after replacing it, and powering back on, the fuse blew. Now it's on it's way back to Dan for warranty repair. Interestingly, I thought it had been sounding "funky" lately, not nearly as "crisp" as before. In fact, that's why I ordered the passive CIAudio VPC-3, thinking that "less" might be "more". In retrospect, I guess some component in the power supply was failing. I hope to get it back soon.

BTW, I got lucky, and scored my NOS Mullard 5AR4 on eBay for <$100. It packed a lot more bass and midrange detail than the stock Sovtek.

 

[Joey_V]

Somehow I missed this thread. Consider yourself lucky, Joey! A couple weeks ago the rectifed power supply blew out in my Modwright. I was HOPING it was the tube, but after replacing it, and powering back on, the fuse blew. Now it's on it's way back to Dan for warranty repair. Interestingly, I thought it had been sounding "funky" lately, not nearly as "crisp" as before. In fact, that's why I ordered the passive CIAudio VPC-3, thinking that "less" might be "more". In retrospect, I guess some component in the power supply was failing. I hope to get it back soon.

BTW, I got lucky, and scored my NOS Mullard 5AR4 on eBay for <$100. It packed a lot more bass and midrange detail than the stock Sovtek.

Alan,

Hope your pre returns to you in good health! Best wishes on the broken little guy!

BTW, your Mullard, do you have a link to the ebay auction that you bought it from? Are there any Mullard 5ar4 on ebay that you recommend at this moment?

 

[sleepysurf]

...BTW, your Mullard, do you have a link to the ebay auction that you bought it from? Are there any Mullard 5ar4 on ebay that you recommend at this moment?

Don't recall the seller, but if you search 5AR4 on ebay, you'll find quite a few. I had a specific "date stamp" in mind, and wanted NOS, so it took a while to find exactly what I wanted. I then emailed the seller not only to confirm they were NOS, but to see how fast he responded. I might have been "lucky" but his response, and packaging/shipping were top-notch. Sorry, I tried to find his name in my ebay history, but it's gone.

 

[Bernard]

BTW, your Mullard, do you have a link to the ebay auction that you bought it from? Are there any Mullard 5ar4 on ebay that you recommend at this moment?

Joey, I may have mentioned this in another thread, but you could try Upscale Audio and PartsConnexion, as they both carry NOS tubes.

 

[twich54]

Joey.......As I said during our conversation last week, you have one of the BEST tube guys right in your own back yard.......Jim McShane !

You need not go any further !

 

[Joey_V]

Joey.......As I said during our conversation last week, you have one of the BEST tube guys right in your own back yard.......Jim McShane !

You need not go any further !

Ah my friend.. Jim McShane has no 5ar4... *sigh*...

 

[twich54]

Ah my friend.. Jim McShane has no 5ar4... *sigh*...

Bummer !! FWIW, he's an excellent guy to deal with as I said, hopefully on other tube needs (down the road) he can help you out !

 

[Joey_V]

Got It!!!

Finally after almost 2 weeks of being out of the loop, I finally decided to plop the cash for the absolute best and most sought after 5ar4 tubes on the planet...

... the Philips Miniwatt GZ34! Yes... 1957 goodness!!!

An obligatory pic...

It comes from france... let's hope it gets here in 1 piece.... or that's $245 down the hole and then I'm going to have to settle for some Sovtek tube.

 

[Bernard]

It comes from france... let's hope it gets here in 1 piece.... or that's $245 down the hole and then I'm going to have to settle for some Sovtek tube.

You should get that Sovtek as well, do a comparison, and report your findings here. Do you have any idea how long burn-in is expected to take?

 

[jtwrace]

Finally after almost 2 weeks of being out of the loop, I finally decided to plop the cash for the absolute best and most sought after 5ar4 tubes on the planet...

... the Philips Miniwatt GZ34! Yes... 1957 goodness!!!

An obligatory pic...

It comes from france... let's hope it gets here in 1 piece.... or that's $245 down the hole and then I'm going to have to settle for some Sovtek tube.

Now you need to throw some cash down to replace the 6SN7's. The stock ones are the same as the rectifier tube. JUNK!!!

 

[Joey_V]

You should get that Sivtek as well, do a comparison, and report your findings here. Do you have any idea how long burn-in is expected to take?

That would be a cool endeavor to take... but then I gotta buy a Sovtek and stuff.

The 05 uses stock Ruby tubes, I wonder if I should get a spare and compare that.... only problem is that the rectifier is hard to access because it's in the power supply case and is hard to get to for quick tube rolling ala A/B testing....

Joey

PS
Jason -

Which section yields the most change in the sound? The left 4?

 

[jtwrace]

PS
Jason -

Which section yields the most change in the sound? The left 4?

Yes sir.