Guess what I just ordered.....

[organ]

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D


http://www.thetubestore.com/mullardgz34.html

All you tube heads better get them before they're completely gone. Or you can buy a whole bunch and make a lot of money by selling them on e-bay in 10 years:).

http://store4.yimg.com/I/thetubestore_1753_902877

Maurice

[madmax]

Rectifier? The next obsolete part... Good call!
madmax

[Jstas]

I would if I had a use for it.

[organ]

madmax,
They're not the next obsolete part. There are plenty of GZ34 rectifiers that are currently in production. This one is special because it's a Mullard. According to audiophiles, these are THE best rectifier tube you can find. They've been out of production for over 20 years and are becoming very rare. They are the best sounding GZ34 tube that provide the most warmth and vintage sound. Their price increased 4x in the past 8 years.

Maurice

[Tour2ma]

Thanks for the heads up organ... bagged two plus a Sovtek and a Tesla for playtime...

[organ]

That's super cool Tour. Where did you order them from?
Let me know how the Tesla sounds. I'm currently using the Sovtek. People who have tried Sovtek have a love/hate relationship with them. Some say it produces crappy highs and find NOS to be "fuller" sounding.
Did you get the JJ/Tesla or a NOS Tesla before the JJ?

Maurice

[gidrah]

Thanks for the heads up. I'll have to get one (at least).

[Tour2ma]

organ... tubestore and the tesla is a JJ.

Also got free shipping upgrade due to size of order...

[organ]

You lucky bastard:). I once ordered a quad of EL-34, a pair of 7199 and a GZ34 from the tubestore and did not get free shipping:(. Anyways, the tube should arrive tomorrow and I get out early from school. I'll be running home to play with it. If you're getting more rectifiers, DON'T get the Chinese(Sino). Even though they're suppose to sound really good, they have problems with ST-70's. That's how they got the name "fire cracker in a bottle".
I'll give the Mullard a good listen and report back tomorrow on how they sound compared to the Sovtek. btw, what speakers/pre/source do you have hooked up to the ST-70?

gidrah,
One Mullard is good enough. Some inmates at the audio asylum have been using them for 30+ years and they still test good.

Maurice

[organ]

Tour and gidrah,
I received the tube today and I've been listening to it for about 2 hours. I think you guys are going to be very impressed:).

Maurice

[Tour2ma]

Mine arrived as well. Will be a while before I get a chance to play with them. I'm Variac huntin' now.

But will check them out on "new" TV7 D/U I nailed last week on ebay...

Oh, and the shipping I got. It was just a free upgrade to air, which apparently Jon recommends for tubes... less handling, etc.

[organ]

That's cool. thetubestore is about a 1.5 hour drive from where I live. I always get my orders in less than 48 hrs. Please let me know what you think of them after you try out the different rectifiers. I want to make sure I'm not hearing things:). To my ears, the improvements I got is bigger than any pre-amp or EL-34 tube upgrade.

Soon I'll be variac hunting as well. I've been reading some posts on audioasylum and several people recommended a variac for the ST-70. Back then, the power outlets had 117V AC. They say that using a variac will be easier on the power tranny. The extra 3 volts we're getting now makes the PT run hotter. I checked the back of the unit and sure enough it says 117V~50/60Hz.

Maurice