Rectifiers, a McShane score and Gold Lion GZ34s vs. antique Mullards

I like old tubes. Nada can beat an antique Tung-Sol, RCA or Sylvania American-made signal or power tube, and the Europeans made some pretty sweet glass back in the day. I hoard old 6xx7 tubes 'cuz they go into my Holger Big Boppers in the driver slots, and my Troy-built SP-14. At any time I am burning at least eight 6SN7s; four in the Big Bopper slots and four in the pre-amp. (I seek out 6922 types from Heerlen days for my Janis phono preamp. A guy can't have too much.)
But I'm on to new stuff as well, if the price is right. Sometimes yes, sometimes no, it works.
On a flyer, I acquired four of Jim McShane's new Gold Lion (Genalex) GZ-34s. These are beefy bastards,will survive a toss through the front window (as does a GL KT-88) and even by new Russkie standards, not cheap at $40 a pop but a bargain for sure. Pulled the antique Mullards and I swear, these are better rectifiers. The Gold Lions pulled out a little bit of bass even the Mullards could not produce. Much faster recovery, and the filament demands won't queer your M-125-type amp.
At any rate, your bargain for the day, should you require a decent GZ34 or 5AR4, is the GL GZ-34 from McShane. I don't work for him, nor does he for me. I just got a good deal, and my antique Mullards are relegated to the spares pile.

Interesting. Thanks for sharing.

Do you think that you achieved better bass with Genalex GZ34 because, perhaps, they sag less under load?

I have a Genalex GZ34 and a KT66 quad in transit from Jim McShane. Eager to hear how the VTA ST-70 sounds with this combo.

sendwaves wrote:Interesting. Thanks for sharing.

Do you think that you achieved better bass with Genalex GZ34 because, perhaps, they sag less under load?

I have a Genalex GZ34 and a KT66 quad in transit from Jim McShane. Eager to hear how the VTA ST-70 sounds with this combo.

Sendwaves,
I think there is a sag issue here, and that's why we love our old Mullards, because they are quick. But from my brief experience with the Genalex 34s the response time is even faster. I run two in parallel in each of my Holger M-125s; have run the precambrian Mullards and the Weber s/s rectifiers in the same holes. I am guilty of tube-rolling but try to give each iteration at least 3 months unless it whole-heartedly stinks from the get-go, to stabilize the electronics and let my ear get a taste for it. So having run the Genalexs for just a week or two I cannot give you a definitive review, except if they last a couple of years at this performance level I intend to corner the market.
Just an after-thought. Buy a crummy 5AR4 for $10 off Tube Despot or one of the other mass-marketers, listen to it for a dozen hours, THEN put in the Genalex. If you don't hear a difference I'll buy those GL babies for what you paid for 'em.

With all this in mind, and having found the Genalex GL KT-88s such a pleasant surprise, I'd like to hear from anyone with experience of how a single GL GZ-34 performs in the VTA ST-120 - where the single rectifier is pushed pretty hard.

Kentley wrote:With all this in mind, and having found the Genalex GL KT-88s such a pleasant surprise, I'd like to hear from anyone with experience of how a single GL GZ-34 performs in the VTA ST-120 - where the single rectifier is pushed pretty hard.

Email Dr. McShane. Splain your situation. He will get back to you right quick with advice. Do not deviate, deviant. Follow his instructions. QED.