5U4 Shoulders or not

[cbenham]

Originally Posted by Zenith26kc20

For applications that let you see the tube the ST is great but I find they don't last as long.

Hmm. Don't tell that to the two ST 5U4s in my RCA 630TS with 252 date codes.
It runs almost daily.

[kramden66]

i'm thinking of 2 to 4 hours a week if that , i really don't want to go solid state , as far as appearence they wont be seen so thats not as important as them functioning.

i will see what i have on hand and go with one or the other , the later gb would be tougher on the set or no?

mike

[Boobtubeman]

STs are just cool lookin tubes they say CLASSIC


SR

[bob91343]

None of the tubes stress the set more than the other. They all draw the same filament power, and if operating within ratings, perform the same.

[Einar72]

ST's have that "shoulder to fry on", so more stuff lands there and gets heated up, producing more of that enchanting tube-set smell!

[kx250rider]

Originally Posted by Einar72

ST's have that "shoulder to fry on", so more stuff lands there and gets heated up, producing more of that enchanting tube-set smell!

Oh yes!!!!!!!!!!!

Charles

[bob91343]

The smell of burning dust.

Reminds me of water on concrete in the summer, similar odor.

[Boobtubeman]

Burning dust... The popouri of vintage electronics...

SR

[Kevin Kuehn]

Don't forget the Russian built 5U3C which is a shoulder envelope with the same basic specs as a 5U4G. Seem to go pretty cheap on ebay.

[bob91343]

Give it a shot, might work okay.

[Zenith26kc20]

C'mon guys, don't all of us use a Western Electric 274B instead of those lackluster 5U4's! Paying less then 700 dollars for a rectfier tube shows your lack of respect for your TV!!
I actually know a few audiophiles with the WE274B's in their headphone amps!!!!!!
Can we adapt the 300B in the TV's also

[kvflyer]

The term Audiophool comes to mind. Sorry...

[teevee]

or "Audiot" (Contraction of audio and idiot)

[Zenith26kc20]

Audiophobe.....
They can be fun!
Anyway, Getting back to 5U4's, watch out for some early solid state adapters. They are nothing but silicons in a tube socket filled with epoxy. They can run the voltage a bit too high.
I have used the russian with good results. I have never seen a chinese one but I do stay away from the chinese tubes.

[StellarTV]

Let's not forget about the "Holy Grail" of rectifier tubes...the Western Electric 274B.

These go for between 1000-1300 usually and are essentially a 5U4G. Somehow, the consensus is that this tube delivers only the 'finest' and 'best sounding' B+ of any rectifier!! From an engineering standpoint, I don't understand it at all. It's just a tube rectifier to me.