The Type 80 Rectifier

The Type 80 Globe. Here are a lovely collection of Type 80 globe tubes. This very early tube type dates to 1927 and was used in countless early radio sets. These are some of my favorite tubes in the collection, and are my first choice for rectification if available on the amp in question. These always sound very good and in my experience have been durable, long lasting tubes. Anywhere a 5Y3 works, I use an 80 on an Octal/UX adapter. Spec sheets for the 80 can be found here: here.

The Type 80 Globe. A Majestic 80 and a Cardon mesh plate 80.

The Type 80 Globe. A close-up of the mesh plates on the Cardon 80. Woven mesh material really seems to have disappeared in tube manufacture by the early 1930s. Likely the intensive hand work involved was just too expensive. The mesh does lend a certain something to the tube's sound signature. Of course this would have been completely unknown in its time period when hifi was a narrow mid-band and not much more. Strange that this tube needed to wait 100 years to be really appreciated for what it is.

The Type 80 Globe. An RCA Radiotron 80 and a Majestic 80. Notice the size of the Majestic tube's plates, nearly twice as big. For some reason Majestic made these tubes massive.

Type 80. Here are a selection of later production 80 tubes. The ST shape came along in 1934 or so, but some of these may date to the 1950's, as the Type 80 was made for a long time in support of the numerous older 80 equipped radios still out in use. This is often a very good tube as well.