[hvu]

yellowruby and somestranger26 are those matched Western Electric 396A tubes and how much did you pay for them?

 

[somestranger26]

Look at my post on page 6, I linked a few places I found the WE396A. The ones I got from vacuumtubes.net were matched for $4 extra. 75/73 73/71 on whatever tester they use, and they're new but not in original boxes. Total cost was $58 + $6 shipping.

Edit: According to Victor, the tubes don't need to be matched; I just like matched since I could get 'em matched.

 

[coredump]

I ordered some from the Vacuumtubes.net as well. I think it was the same price.

 

[coredump]

I'm trying to figure out the dates of my tubes.

They're labeled,

WE 396A 839
WE 396A 6126

According to that chart those date codes belong to a 1948 311A and a 1961 398A.

 

[hvu]

I just got my 396a tubes and they sound pretty good.
I just have one strange issue, when I tap the case, drop the volume nob down to 0 or plug in my headphones I hear pinging noises has anyone else experienced this issue?

 

[Slash47]

Having used this amp for a while now, here are my impressions:

I thought it was a bit unclear how to order. The website I got to was a mess and it took me a while to realize I had to go to Audiogon. Once I got in contact with the person who sells them, everything went fine. It wasn't 'professional', but friendly and effective which is OK with me.

The (well packed) package took a while to get here because of lazy customs. In the meantime I ordered 4 WE396A from electrontube.com which was a very nice experience, very friendly folk and very fair prices.

Once the kit which I ordered got here, assembling took around 4 hours and was very easy. The manual was not in perfectly clear English and the images were slightly vague sometimes, but everything was very acceptable and they at least made a good effort.

On to the amp itself. It feels solid, you wouldn't want one to land on your head. I love the design and the metal housing, although the hexagonal screw at the front are unnecessary in my opinion. Might as well be normal ones, looking at the thing. I also find the feet to feel plasticky and flimsy, although they look fine. I hate the stickers. They completely kill the looks, so I didn't use any of 'm.

The most important thing, of course, is the sound...

I think it sounds good with the WE 396A. It surprised me with it's detail and relative tonal neutrality. It's quite forward and has very enthusiastic bass combined with my K701, although coming from a non-basshead that's not saying a whole lot. Voices and piano are great. There's a slight dryness which is because of the headphone, but voices sound better then any other headphone amp I've heard including some expensive models.

I notice depth in the soundstage, which I find very important. A lot of solid state gear has great width, but that's unnatural to me. A stage is not that wide, except when you're listening to a symphony orchestra or opera or something meant to be artificial. And when listening to that kind of music, this amp delivers width as well. So I like the soundstage.

If I were to fault it sonically, it would have to be the slight fuzziness when it comes to placement and sometimes a very slight harshness in the upper mids, which I noticed especially when listening to male vocals that went 'up there' funnily enough, but it almost disappears when it's been turned on a long time. You might think this is also because of the K701, but straight from my soundcard or my old Corda Arietta it's not there. Listening to the brass section and some violin pieces also requires the amp the to be warmed up for a while, else it can be unpleasant.

Some (way more expensive) gear sounds more fluid without sacrificing detail and neutrality. This amp is almost there. Close enough that it doesn't bother me one bit, though.

It's dead silent, which is awesome. No hum at all. Also, it doesn't get hot, only lukewarm at most, which is nice with pets and kids. It's a very safe tube amp.

I don't know whether or not it's good value and I don't care to be honest.

I like it

 

[Slash47]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hvu /img/forum/go_quote.gif I just got my 396a tubes and they sound pretty good. I just have one strange issue, when I tap the case, drop the volume nob down to 0 or plug in my headphones I hear pinging noises has anyone else experienced this issue?

Mine does that as well, it's probably something with the grounding. I'm not worried about it.

 

[Kitarist]

How long did it take you to build it

 

[Skylab]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hvu /img/forum/go_quote.gif I just got my 396a tubes and they sound pretty good. I just have one strange issue, when I tap the case, drop the volume nob down to 0 or plug in my headphones I hear pinging noises has anyone else experienced this issue?

That is a microphonic tube. It's not a problem, unless it bothers you, or the tube is noisy otherwise.

 

[somestranger26]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hvu /img/forum/go_quote.gif I just got my 396a tubes and they sound pretty good. I just have one strange issue, when I tap the case, drop the volume nob down to 0 or plug in my headphones I hear pinging noises has anyone else experienced this issue?

Yes, but I only notice it with IEMs. Happened with both sets of tubes so I disagree that it's a microphonic tube.

 

[mrarroyo]

Maybe because it is microphonic tubeS!

 

[coredump]

I've been using the WE 396A for a while now and I think I prefer the GE 5670. The WE 396A is wider and warmer while the GE 5670 provides more detail and more of that voice magic.

 

[Slash47]

I forgot to mention dynamics, which I think are good. Because of the somewhat hazy placement, the small micro-dynamics can get a bit lost in the flow of things, but it's not bothersome.

I'm listening to a live concert by Marvin Gaye, and it really sets the mood well, this amp. The crowd is like a part of the performance and the (poorly recorded) bass really makes your head move, awesome

I can't imagine preferring the standard tubes, though, but I guess it has to do with the headphone and source as well. I do not find the 396A less detailed at all, though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kitarist /img/forum/go_quote.gif How long did it take you to build it

It took me 4 hours, but I DIY partly for a living. The salesperson told me 5 hours is average for a somewhat experienced DIYer. I got the kit you need to solder as well (the 'R').

 

[jsplice]

I received my TU-882AS today. I had the whole thing assembled in about 1-1.5 hours. I've only had it running for about 2.5 hours so far, but already I can tell this amp is great. I'm still using my DacMagic as my source, but when it was combined with an Audio-Gd Compass, the sound was just much too dry/harsh. This amp really smooths out the digital sound fairly well. There's also something about that way tubes make electronic music sound; they have the ability to add a certain degree of magic back into electronic music. In my opinion, most synthesizers don't sound "correct" to my ears without tubes.

I've been reading good things about the WE396A tubes, so I may have to give them a try. I see vacuumtubes.net has them for about $27 a piece.

 

[vkung]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jsplice /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've been reading good things about the WE396A tubes, so I may have to give them a try. I see vacuumtubes.net has them for about $27 a piece.

Price is good . Please check the data code.
Electron Valves and Vintage Tubes
Regarding WE 396A, You can use this link to check your Date Codes

Date Code 239 - Year 1952
Date Code 339 - Year 1953
Date Code 6239 - Year 1962
Date Code 6339 - Year 1963