Yes they are. The ones I have labelled 80 are medium sized coke bottle shape, whereas, x280 and x380 are globes.

Tried ST type 80's in the Zen-CKC.
I like the RCA's best, next the "made for RCA /Cunningham's", The NU came in last. When all said and done the Mullard & Mitsubishi GZ34 are my faves with 5R4GYS Phillips and RCA's just behind. RCA 5U4's next.

Around $125 or so...

Alper

I'm beginning to dip my toes into the Type 80 rectifier tube pool. I now have four to play with: an Arcturus/Crosley globe, a pair of RCA small bottle type, and a bottle type RCA.

So far I've just used the globe. . . and really like what I'm hearing.

The Arcturus globe is a really nice rectifier. Warm and sweet. I can be very happy with this  one.

Now I have the bottle-shaped RCA in. This one has the same bass balance and yet is more detailed in spatial cues and more dynamic. It's only been in an hour or so . .  if this keeps up it may become glued into the Taboo Mk IV.

I'm using the RCA 12AU7 (?} that Steve sent with the ZROCK2 in the ZROCK2, and a Sylvania 7308 in the Taboo Mk IV as well as Svetlana SV82 and the Type 80 RCA. I'm leaving this tube complement in for a while, really nice sound.

I'm hesitant about the Aqua for several reasons, chief among them that I really am not a big fan of the Valve Arts 274B and suspect this tube may hold similar traits. I could be wrong, and when I've had the SE84UFO3-25 Monoblocks I've ordered in hand and broken in I may consider investing in a pair.

Right now I'm enjoying the three different Type 80 that I have purchased, each has their charm and I'm hard-pressed to name a favorite. The small straight ones being a matched pair will get a trial in the Monoblocks when they arrive and have a very compact and detailed, warm sound. The Crosley/Arcturus globe has a big resonant sound. The RCA ST-type shares a lot of the characteristics of the globe but with more spatial cues, seemingly more "resonant." Great tubes to have. I'll be keeping an eye out for different types in pairs while waiting for the Monoblocks.

Ha, we'll see. I bet it sounds like one of the tubes you have. All three of these types sound pretty similar, with distinguished characteristics separating them. . . but much more similar than different.

I'm thinking I'm going to want a matched pair of globes to try in the Monoblocks. . . that will be my first target.

Hey Alper,

I would need to spend more time comparing the two.  I’ll see if I can spend some time tonight or tomorrow and get back on this.

Now if only we could get Lon to compare with the Arcturus .

Hi Joman - does the Sophia Electric tube require an adaptor with the Super Zen?  If so, is it the same adaptor that works with the type 80 globe rectifier?  Thanks...Margot

Thanks, Buster.  What other tubes are you using there with the Sophia Electric?

Thanks! Margot

I’m using Siemens E88CC grey shield for the driver and NOS Svetlana SV83 for the power.  The SV83 are the “older” version.

I got the Siemens at a very reasonable price and so picked up 4 spares so that should do for quite a while.  I think I got them for about $50.00.  Last I looked they were crazy expensive.

Thanks, Buster and Joman.  The tube I have on hand is a Phillips Dario Miniwatt (Green Label) 7308.  Is it your sense this would be too rich with the Sophia Electric rectifier tube?  Thanks!  Margot

I just received the Sophia Electric Aqua 274B today.  I am hearing it from the other room, yet what I hear is quite fine so far.  I need to get in front of it and spend some time after another 30-40 hours maybe.  Then I will post my experience here...

But is that tube ugly or not, man?  It changed the whole mojo of my SE84UFO!  A weird blue on black?  Does not match my furniture!  :)

Cheers,

Alper

OK, here are my initial impressions of the Sophia...  

I do not know if this makes sense, but this tube seems to increase the headroom of the amp.  In comparison to the NOS Mullard GZ32, which has been my favorite rectifier tube, the bass is a bit tighter and more controlled.  In some albums, the album with the GZ32 could sound slightly, but just slightly, boomy.  I have attributed this to no room treatment more than anything else.  But with the Sophia, it sounds a little less so.

I am not hearing the mid-forwardedness of the tube that John has observed.  But I believe our tube complements as well as sources and rooms are significantly different, so one on one such comparison does not make sense to start with.  At the same time, the deemed increased headroom might be due to the improved (and increased mids) that I claim not hearing...

The trebles of the amp are also  tad better, I believe...  All in all, the Sophia is a better performer than the GZ32.  Not by a lot, but just by a hair...  However, I cannot get over the fact that it is one ugly tube!  :)  What's with the blue, man?  I think I saw some explanation on their website, but tubes have this visual charm as well; looking at them in the middle of the night make me so happy.  So I will force myself to use this one for a while.  But the GZ32 is already so good as well, I might go back to it any day!  :)

Cheers,

Alper

Well I would have to agree with Alper on the appearance of the Sophia when it is installed amongst the associated tubes.  Kind of seems out of place, but I can live with the appearance.  

I would also stress the point that Alper made and try to in my comments about system synergy.  I do not believe it’s a matter of how one tube ‘sounds’, rather it’s the combination and of course the components.

In my case the rectifier in the CSP3 makes a significant effect on the UFO2.  I have rolled too many to list.  I did so to get a first hand understanding of what one can expect from rolling tubes and the limitations of doing so.  Otherwise as much fun as it can be initially, rolling tubes can become an unrewarding distraction.

After inserting the Sophia in the UFO2 I rolled rectifiers in my CSP3 with ones that I have kept in my inventory of rectifiers to see what the overall result would be.  The result changed quite significantly as the rectifiers in the CSP3 were rolled.  It was the combination of the AWG 5AS4 in the CSP3 with the Sophia in the UFO2 that produced the end result and not one or the other alone.  

The interesting thing is that I always seem to prefer the AWG 5AS4 in the CSP3 in combination with whatever rectifier I put in the UFO2.  So now I have settled on that  one one the CSP3 and roll only the rectifier in the UFO2.  That also has now come to a conclusion, after all this is about music and the musicians for me.

I feel the same way about my UFO2.  But, I’m in for the A-Amp.  Largely because the system has exceeded my expectations to a degree that left me with this feeling that a lot more is possible with the 2 watt amp with the right high efficiency speakers.  Getting the ‘right’ mating components is always a challenge whether it be high or low efficiency.

At times I still have to get my head around the speed of the system.

Tell me about it Lon!  Among the four tube amps I have, I have enough stuff that would carry me for another 30-40 years!

I am not even getting into bass amplification at this point, as I have mostly SS stuff and only some of my recording gear has tubes.

The good thing is three of the four amps are Decwares (SE84UFO, TABOO mkIII and SE34I.2+) so there are a lot of common tubes, at least the input and rectifier tubes, so that is the only point that I economize!  :)

I picked up a Sophia Aqua this week based on the reviews here. So far I've only used it in my Yamamoto amp, where initial impressions are that its not quite as good as the 40's RCA JAN 5U4G that it replaced. The Yamamoto 45 is quite different from the SE84UFO though.

I'll try it in the UFO this week coming and report back.

Thanks for the tip, this is one that wouldn't have been on my radar otherwise. I think the blue color is a kickback to the 1920s Arcturus tubes which had blue glass.

Sorry for the delay.

For me, the Sophia Aqua 274B brings more focus and firmness to the presentation than the 80 globe does. That said, I still prefer the 80 globe with its warmth and spread. It’s friendlier, for want of a better description. Still sounds best to me.

Now that its got some hours on it, I find that like the Sophia tube a lot in the Yamamoto 45 though.

I really like both of these tube types, the Sophia Electric 274B Aqua and the Type 80. I have type 80 bottle shaped in RCA and Tungsol pairs and I have a third RCA, and I have one globe 80, an Arcturus. I slightly prefer the 274B Aqua in the Monoblocks though I might prefer the Arcturus globe 80, its sound is a bit less focused but a bit warmer . . . but I don't have a pair of globe 80s to try. I'll hang with the 80s in the Monoblocks and the Arcturus in the Taboo Mk IV and I have RCA 80s in the Torii Mk II and Tung-Sol 80s in my CSP2+ and Taboo Mk III in my second system. I'll keep an eye out for a reasonably priced pair of Type 80 globes. . . .

Sorry to hear that busterfree. Those things are not cheap.

I too have joined the club and I've got a bunch of different manufacturers in all the bottle shapes. I'm using the newest ( straight glass shape ) in my SE84CS and my ZP3. I love the sound.

That said, however, the globes especially won't go in there until I modify the power supply. Historically the data sheets list a max cap value after the rectifier of 30 uf. The ZP3 is 47uf and my SE84CS is 40 uf. That stresses the tubes. We're all taking a chance, but especially with the globes as they were the the earliest ones made and probably more fragile.

I need to get into the SE84CS and change the PS config to make it safe for the type 80 rectifier. I really do like it a lot, even more than my EML 5U4G mesh plates, and that's saying a lot. Great tubes.

Cheers,                             Crazy Bill

I too have not encountered any problems or failures with Type 80. The only globe one that I have, an Arcturus, actually has a base that is a little loose and I treat it with careful kid gloves, and it has not given me a problem at all. The others are all bottle-shaped with the exception of a pair of small straight-shouldered RCAs and they work flawlessly. I admit I don't have months and months and months of use, but I've been using them. I'll keep an eye out for trouble.

Though I have the Sophia Electric Aqua 274B back in the Monoblocks and they'll probably stay there. . . . My CSP3-25 just went to packing and we'll see what sounds best in that component. . . .

Lon,
How does the 80 globe rectifier sound in your ufo25 compared to the Sophia Aqua 274b??
Thanks!
Jared

I provided my impressions of the Globe 80 here along with the 274B.
https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl?num=1557290083

Recently my tube rolling took an interesting turn with unexpected results which has given me a new perspective.  Both my Sophia tubes gave out one after a year and half and one after minutes at best.  So I had to find something in my inventory as an in term solution.  Of the type 80’s that I had, one type was left, AWV Type 80 (ST Bottle).  Never really gave this tube a good try.

I popped this in my UFO25 and after a few hours things started to come alive so much so that I picked up a couple more made in the 40’s.  For the price, a fraction of the Sophia, I felt that this was a really good back up.  At the same time another tube caught my eye, AWV 5AS4G.  I have been using The AWV 5AS4GB in my CSP3 and that, up till now, has become my go to tube for the CSP3.  So, at the price, I picked up a couple of those and boy oh boy am I glad I did.

With the AWV 5AS4G the tonality, transients and decay are shockingly good and yet to be equaled.  The speed of the system is that of an electrostatic speaker based system.  Not only do the speakers disappear, the whole system seems to vanish and what’s left is this expansive sound stage filled with beautifully layered and completely captivating music.  When listening to violin passages I am left with a lump in my throat, I kid you not.

As I thought about what was happening I realized that this tube, the AWV 5AS4G, was doing something that none of the others were able to do or at least had done.  It was connecting all of the components and tubes into one harmonious ‘unit’ bringing out the best of each.  Recently I settled on a Raytheon 5814A WM Getter in my ZR-2, I could really hear what it was contributing without drawing attention to itself.  So too with the Type 80 in my UFO25, and all the other tubes and components.  I look at this tube as I would a view the roll of a ‘Conductor’ in an orchestra.  

That is my new perspective of what a tube can do.  So if I’m right, then I should be able to replace a tube and still end up with similarly engaging results even if the character of the presentation changes somewhat, somehow.  That’s what I did next.

Earlier, I tried a National /Matsushita 7DJ8 and really didn’t care for the results, so much so that I put it in my ‘sell’ pile.  Took it out of the ‘sell pile’ and put it in the driver position of my CSP3 to see what would happen.  The perspective of the presentation changed but, I really, really liked it.  In the end I took the National 7DJ8’s out of the sell pile because I could easily put one of these in for an evening of a different perspective of engaging music.  We don’t eat the same meal every night no matter how much we may like it.

In the end I’m back to the Type 80 in my UFO25 that cost less than a quarter of the Sophia and I doubt that I’ll buy another tube that is that much money.  As Busterfree said... better spent on music.