Ray Tubes Launches Select 5U4 Rectifier Tubes

Ray Tubes added another tube model to its Ray Tubes Select Collection. The Oakland-based vacuum tube company expanded its line-up with new-production 5U4 rectifier tubes in its Select Collection Rectifiers. Although the 5U4 aren't always top-of-mind, they’re a crucial component of tube amps for high-end audio, besides being an essential component in guitar amplifiers, prized for its ability to handle high peak currents. Select 5U4 vacuum tubes are now available from Ray Tubes' global network of retail partners.
 
Ray Tubes, the Oakland, CA-based company specializing in new-production vacuum tubes designed and tested specifically for audio applications, continues to expand its line-up, already including some of the most common models, including the 12AU7, 12AX7, EL34, 6SN7, KT88, and 300B. The company buys from existing suppliers, working with multiple contract manufacturers across Asia and Eastern Europe, and locations that are better not to ask about. Because no manufacturer covers the entire range, and each manufacturer specializes in different types of tubes, Ray Tubes sometimes sources parts and assembles in-house. No matter where the tubes are made, each one goes through the same strict quality control process. Which is of enormous value these days.

The 5U4 is a common full-wave rectifier tube used in power supplies to convert alternating current to direct current. Its twin-diode design uses a shared cathode and two anodes to convert both halves of the AC cycle. "We’re proud to bring our first rectifier tube to market," says  Ray Tubes CEO Nelson Wu. "Rectifiers like the 5U4 are sometimes overlooked, but like power and signal tubes, they can greatly influence the sound of a tube amplifier." The Select 5U4 goes above and beyond the baseline with more involved production and stricter selection. Hand-selected and tested, the Ray Tubes Select 5U4 is a substantial upgrade from both New Old Stock and other new production tubes. Fewer than 5% of production meet the Select Collection standards.

Like all Ray Tubes vacuum tubes, they are manufactured specifically for audio applications and undergo a seven-step quality control procedure backed by the Ray Tubes One-Year Warranty. "Designing a rectifier tube was a new challenge for us, and it's taken us longer to bring the Select 5U4 to market than any of our other vacuum tubes," adds Wu. "And since our future product roadmap is always rooted in the needs of the audiophile community, we can't wait to see how everyone responds to the Select 5U4."

Select 5U4 vacuum tubes are available as single tubes. Among many other Ray Tubes distribution partners around the world, in North America, Solen is now distributing Ray Tubes, and all its available products are now listed in its online store. Solen is a world-leading producer of high-end crossover components, but also the distributor for many of the world's best brands of speaker drivers and vacuum tube brands.
www.raytubes.com