[Sorrodje]

I'm usually kinda reluctant to over-emphasize the merits of so called "upgrades" which are too often mere overpriced placebos in my opinion but in that case, i definitely think the gap is quite significant. Significant enough to cure definitely my upgraditis once for all.

The only move I'd consider know would be to switch to full stat and downgrade anything else but it's a whole other story.

 

[Frihed89]

"Definitely agree but considering the upgrades make the Stratus leading toward more neutrality and reference sound i see how some people could be disappointed to loose a good chunck of tube bloominess. In my humble opinion."

Since I did only part of the upgrade, I found that by switching from AVVT to RCA dual black plates, I got the best of both worlds, better balance, but still engaging.

 

[Sorrodje]

yea. Definitely "tunable" by Tube rolling indeed.

 

[Donald North]

Hi Donald,

Can you describe what the latest grounding techniques of version 3 improve in technical terms and what differences you personally notice in the sound?

In version 3 I change the ground point location for audio path to shorten it; I also change the grounding on the balanced outputs. These changes help reduce the noise floor further.

The other major change in version 3, and even more influential on the sound, are the cathode bypass capacitors.

 

[vc1187]

Thanks for the information Donald
Great to also hear from other users about the direct differences heard after the upgrade.

Like bigfatpaulie (while my setup is nowhere near as top notch as his), my habit of reaching for high end headphones had been completely lost in the past 5 or 6 months. Speakers were always more convenient for multi-listener situations rather than firing up multiple amps and remaining stationary. I had forgotten how much joy headphones had brought me until...I decided to make a small upgrade to my HEK v1, and replaced the v1 pads with v2 pads in the past 2 weeks. This has rekindled the habit of listening to my headphones and as always, I attribute much of this to how well the Stratus drives each of them.

 

[claud W]

Finally was able to buy just one WE422a on Ebay. Up to now, they only wanted to sell pairs. I think that will be my last tube purchase until my Stratus arrives sometime in October. I have some other vintage rectifiers and power tubes as well as 6BQ7s and 6N1Ps

 

[RubyTiger]

Finally was able to buy just one WE422a on Ebay. Up to now, they only wanted to sell pairs. I think that will be my last tube purchase until my Stratus arrives sometime in October. I have some other vintage rectifiers and power tubes as well as 6BQ7s and 6N1Ps

Congrats on the 422A. Every Stratus owner should have one. It certainly is a gorgeous sounding rectifier. I like to think of it as liquid sunshine in a bottle. As far as it being the last tube to purchase before your Stratus arrives, have you considered the EML5u4g Meshplate rectifier? I bought the 422a around the same time as a new EML meshplate and at first couldn't decide which one I wanted to keep as my main rectifier. While I really liked the WE422a's tone I also like the EML's precision. As it breaks in the EML is great from top to bottom but especially good up top. Brass instruments, cymbals, triangles, bell's etc .. sound like the real thing. Depending on your choice of power tubes the bass can be exceptional as well. It's a great rectifier for anyone that doesn't want to spend upwards of $600 or more. The EML is nearly half the price.

I know there are some great nos rectifier's as well. To speak plainly, I think one should consider new production tubes of which there are some very good ones. They're also replaceable so you don't have to worry about the day your nos tube dies.

We now have information on most all of those here on this thread. My setup with the EML and Sophia Carbon's is just stunning. I would warn anyone pairing them together new will literally make you ear's hurt at first. So many session's I had to stop because my ear's were burning so bad. Now that they're broken in I can say it was totally worth it. I'm no longer looking for my rectifier or power tubes. I'm done. At this stage of the game the 6n1p is the last important variable and actually make's a great deal of difference I don't have to tell anyone the WE422a is getting scarce. My guess is most of those sold on Ebay are not really nos. NOS should mean New Old Stock but if a tube test's ok within certain parameter's they can be called nos. I do recommend buying a tube advertised as nos because you will probably get a working tube. You've probably noticed that practically no one advertises test results and no guarantee's either. Sometimes you can talk to a seller and he will guarantee it will work on arrival. Just don't take my word on it.

Sorry, I didn't mean to go on a tirade. I just really love the EML 5U4G. It's also the best rectifier to pair with Psvane WE275's. Or, that's what my ear's tell me anyway.

 

[DMck2000]

]
Congrats on the 422A. Every Stratus owner should have one. It certainly is a gorgeous sounding rectifier. I like to think of it as liquid sunshine in a bottle. As far as it being the last tube to purchase before your Stratus arrives, have you considered the EML5u4g Meshplate rectifier? I bought the 422a around the same time as a new EML meshplate and at first couldn't decide which one I wanted to keep as my main rectifier. While I really liked the WE422a's tone I also like the EML's precision. As it breaks in the EML is great from top to bottom but especially good up top. Brass instruments, cymbals, triangles, bell's etc .. sound like the real thing. Depending on your choice of power tubes the bass can be exceptional as well. It's a great rectifier for anyone that doesn't want to spend upwards of $600 or more. The EML is nearly half the price.

I know there are some great nos rectifier's as well. To speak plainly, I think one should consider new production tubes of which there are some very good ones. They're also replaceable so you don't have to worry about the day your nos tube dies.

We now have information on most all of those here on this thread. My setup with the EML and Sophia Carbon's is just stunning. I would warn anyone pairing them together new will literally make you ear's hurt at first. So many session's I had to stop because my ear's were burning so bad. Now that they're broken in I can say it was totally worth it. I'm no longer looking for my rectifier or power tubes. I'm done. At this stage of the game the 6n1p is the last important variable and actually make's a great deal of difference I don't have to tell anyone the WE422a is getting scarce. My guess is most of those sold on Ebay are not really nos. NOS should mean New Old Stock but if a tube test's ok within certain parameter's they can be called nos. I do recommend buying a tube advertised as nos because you will probably get a working tube. You've probably noticed that practically no one advertises test results and no guarantee's either. Sometimes you can talk to a seller and he will guarantee it will work on arrival. Just don't take my word on it.

Sorry, I didn't mean to go on a tirade. I just really love the EML 5U4G. It's also the best rectifier to pair with Psvane WE275's. Or, that's what my ear's tell me anyway.

I'm somewhat confused on the WE 422A. It seems like there a bunch of different versions on ebay with varying ranges in price. Which one are you referring to specifically?

 

[claud W]

DMck2000, There are a lot of similar, but not actual WE422a tubes on Ebay where they throw that designation around casually to lure the unsuspecting. First the real ones cost around $600. Also they are made by WE (Western Electric}. The pics of the one I bought included testing pics. I would have loved to pay less, but its the market, Ruby Tiger, An EML 5U4G is in my plans as well as a set of Sophia Carbon plates. I already have some nice RCA 5U4Gs and power tubes. Since I am planning to run my Stratus for two months as stock. I will have plenty of time to get new manufacture tubes.

 

[Frihed89]

No one should overlook the RCA VT-244 as an excellent and inexpensive back-up.

 

[Sorrodje]

If anyone want a used EML 5U4G , shoot me a PM . I don't know how many hours of use but the seller and the first owner told me it was kinda low ( <100Hours).

 

[RubyTiger]

There are only two version's of the WE422A. The older 50's grey plate and later 60's black plate. I have only heard the 50 so I'm not sure if there's any audible difference. As far as the 'other' seller on ebay don't drink the koolaide. He's obviously using it as a gimmick to trick people into looking at his add. The nos 5U4G rectifier's you want are the pre-50's with the hanging filaments (two vertical rod's in the center). Like so:

 

[m17xr2b]

I really hate that seller, My 422A alerts trigers every day with his crap. The 422A only has domino plates like the 5998 or WE421A, and as rubyTiger said grey or black plates. They also have single or double D getters and I believe halo ones for the later versions with black plates. I have two grey plates with different getters and I cannot pick up any difference between them.

 

[claud W]

Which Ebay seller are you talking about. My WE422a was made in April 1978. It has black plates and round getters.

 

[claud W]

M17xr2b, have you sent your Yggy in for the latest upgrade? I put my name on the list a couple of days ago. Its an analogue board upgrade, not the Gen 5 USB upgrade. I'm having both done to help the resale value. I use a coax interconnect to my Oppo instead of USB.