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Wether or not to replace the rectifier tube is really a matter of personal tastes and the situation at hand. I for one, really like the tube rectifiers - I'd never replace one with solid state unless I had to, like if I didn't have another tube rectifier handy, or if heat was really going to be a problem in the cabinet. Some sets don't have the ventallation that they should have, such as the smaller metal portables. If a set with poor ventalation used a rectifier tube, and you were planning on using it a lot, solid state may be the way to go to cut down on the heat. _Personally_ I like the way rectifier tubes look, and they tend to warm up more slowly, whereas solid state is instant. But the point I was trying to make was that a plug in replacement doesn't count as a 'modification' in my book - since you can just swap the tube back in, and it would be all tube again. I would never replace a tube rectifier with solid state under the chassis. Not when it's so simple to make an easily removable replacement.
Elevated B+ will be a problem any time you replace an old rectifier with a modern silicon diode. Those old selenium stacks weren't all that efficient, and the diode will let a higher voltage through. Depending on the set/situation, this may or may not be a problem. With a cheap console or table radio, the voltages are rarely critical to performance, and the extra 10 volts won't hurt - might actually make it run better. In something like a television, a complicated one, the extra juice may be a problem. A power resistor may be necessary.
Aack. I did it again, rambling on and on when there's not really a lot to say. I read my last post again today, and it reminded me that I probably shouldn't be posting when I'm really tired... Ahem. Oops.
-Ian
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