Rectification: solid state Vs. valve.

[andrew ivimey]

IMHO that there really is no necessity for valve rectification to be sonically better than solid state rect.

Valves look better and perhaps there is an aesthetic design principle, i.e. if the amp is valve, the PSU should be too.

Now a **** SS rect. is going to make and amp sound worse, but a well designed SS rect. surely, is not.

And one point on favour of diodes is that you can get a much higher HT out of them than with valves.

However, valves do not like big capacitors. Big capacitors can be very useful in helping a more constant supply of current from the PSU and you can use relatively whacking big caps with solid state that valves won't put up with.

OTOH, and this is where I am asking the people who know hugely more than I do.

Do large caps (with diodes) actually put more stress (resistance or draw of current) than smaller caps??? My feeling is that this is so.

Diodes (FREDs or your bog standard silicon diodes) seem to do this anyway.

It seems to me that lower values of caps (or even no caps at all!) are more desirable than adding more microfarads.