[somestranger26]

Mine is on its way, can't wait! Now to find some WE396A tubes for less than DARCELL sells them for

.

 

[Skylab]

Just buy some nice Sylvania black-plate 2C51's. They sound 99% as good.

 

[somestranger26]

Thanks for the suggestion, Skylab, I appreciate it. I've emailed a bunch of sites to track down some cheap 396A but am also looking at those black plate Sylvania's if the price is right.

 

[somestranger26]

Couldn't find any reasonably priced Sylvania black plates (Found some for about $45 shipped...) but I did find two places with WE396A in stock for cheaper than Darcell. I'll share

. Vacuum Tubes Radio Tubes - 5,000 different tubes in stock - Over 10 million tubes! quoted a matched pair for $58. If you call the guy at ANTIQUE RADIO STORE he said he had 4 for about $30 each and could match them at request.

Edit: Just got an e-mail from radiodaze:

"We have 5 Sylvania Black Plate 2C51 - $25.00 each and 4 Western Electric 396A Tubes - $35.00 each . We have 7 or 8 Sylvania 2C51 Gray Plates as well for $5.50 . "

 

[Duckman]

Not sure if this has been answered, but how does this little amp stand up against the Woo6?

 

[Skylab]

I can't answer that one - never spent any real time with a Woo6.

 

[somestranger26]

Got my amp today, took a little over an hour to put together (half of that must have been twisting the damn cables...). I don't have my Pro 900 back from RMA yet, but holy sh!t it sounds good with the Westone 3. The noise floor is lower than the Nuforce Icon Mobile for them. The midrange is just so smoooooooooooooooooooth and luscious but all the detail is fully present. I definitely know what "Tube magic" means now *jaw drops to floor*. That was with the stock tubes too... haven't tried the WE396As I also got today yet

.

Edit: Any tube experts (Skylab?) that could shed some light on my WE396As? They have date codes 239 and 339 (339 is apparently 1963) with identical black/dark gray plate structure and a square getter. Are these identical and just made at slightly different times or something?

 

[coredump]

I'm not sure what "tube magic" is but this amp definitely has something nice going on the mids. Luscious describes it well.

Can't wait to get your impressions with the WE396A.

 

[Skylab]

Quote:

Originally Posted by somestranger26 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Edit: Any tube experts (Skylab?) that could shed some light on my WE396As? They have date codes 239 and 339 (339 is apparently 1963) with identical black/dark gray plate structure and a square getter. Are these identical and just made at slightly different times or something?

I believe that those would be date codes indicating that they were made in the 39th week of 1962 (239) and the 39th week of 1963 (339). Should have no implication on sound, assuming the two measure the same.

 

[vkung]

I am so glad everyone is happy about this amp.
A lot of headphone amps are designed using modifications based on customer complaints to create an ultimate product. It won't happen in Elekit Products.

Regarding WE 396A, You can use this link to check your Date Codes
Electron Valves and Vintage Tubes

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

 

[somestranger26]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vkung /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am so glad everyone is happy about this amp. A lot of headphone amps are designed using modifications based on customer complaints to create an ultimate product. It won't happen in Elekit Products. Regarding WE 396A, You can use this link to check your Date Codes Electron Valves and Vintage Tubes Date Code 239 - Year 1952 Date Code 339 - Year 1953 Date Code 6239 - Year 1962 Date Code 6339 - Year 1963

Thanks! Exactly what I was looking for. Nice to know I got NOS early 50's tubes since they're supposedly the best.

 

[Skylab]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vkung /img/forum/go_quote.gif Regarding WE 396A, You can use this link to check your Date Codes Electron Valves and Vintage Tubes Date Code 239 - Year 1952 Date Code 339 - Year 1953 Date Code 6239 - Year 1962 Date Code 6339 - Year 1963

Hmmmm...Victor are you sure about this? My 1956 WE tube book does not list a 396A...I was under the impression WE was still calling them 2C51's in the 1950's, and that the 396A would be 60's, not 50's.

I could be wrong...hard to say for sure with these things.

OT: anyone who'd like a copy (pdf) of the 1956 WE tube book, PM me.

 

[vkung]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skylab /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hmmmm...Victor are you sure about this? My 1956 WE tube book does not list a 396A...I was under the impression WE was still calling them 2C51's in the 1950's, and that the 396A would be 60's, not 50's. I could be wrong...hard to say for sure with these things. OT: anyone who'd like a copy (pdf) of the 1956 WE tube book, PM me.

Yes, I am using this site as my reference. They are quite reliable as the Japanese own more WE tubes .

 

[yellowruby]

As a follow up to my earlier post, I have since upgraded my TU-882R. First, I put in a pair of Western Electric 396A tubes. They made an immediate difference in terms of transparency and soundstage, more in line with what I was expecting from a tube amp: I got more of the tube-type warmth in the sound quality. About a month later, I installed a set of Auricaps, which replaced the C1, C2, C5, C6 coupling capacitors. I got 1.0 mF 600V caps. I had to carefully drill out the PCB with a 1/16" bit to accomodate the wires on the Auricaps, which were installed sideways. Again, an audible difference, this time in clarity. They took away a bit of the tube-type warmth, but added more definition. Next upgrades: a new volume pot and a DIY cable for my HD580 headphones.

 

[somestranger26]

Just got my Pro 900 back today. My impressions are comparing some fresh-out-of-the-box PRO 900 between the TU882 (with WE396A tubes) and the EF1 I sold (I used a Mullard long plate with it, and I have a good memory). I will add some comparisons to the GE tubes later but I agree with yellowruby that the WE396A improve the soundstage and add a bit more tube glow to the music.

Bass: The amp gives the Westone 3 some really satisfactory punchiness in the bass, while with the Pro 900 it seems to tone down the bass that many complain about being overpronounced. The bass is more on the punchy and detailed side rather than the boomy side now. It's very natural and blends well with the other frequencies. It also has a bit more detail in the bass than the EF1.

Midrange: As others have said, the vocals have a 3D-like sound to them, but I find it depends greatly on the recording; some have it, some don't. However, all vocals carry a more natural and smooth tone that is very pleasing to listen to. Guitars and piano and the like just sound great, very natural. That's definitely my favorite word to describe this amp: natural. I don't listen to much jazz, but Gota Yashiki sounds excellent with the amp.

Highs: Not a whole lot to say here, but this amp is very detailed. I wasn't expecting this level of detail out of a tube amp -- it definitely surpasses the EF1 w/ Mullard long plate and OPA-SUN which is a surprise. I'm hearing small nuances and details in songs I hadn't noticed before.

Soundstage/Separation: The soundstage seems to be about the same size in terms of width as the EF1, but has a lot of added depth like Mrarroyo's review touched on. The vocals and anything else that falls into the midrange seem to benefit the most. It cuts through complex passages like butter, for example: just about anything by Rodrigo y Gabriela or Into Eternity; also power metal, psytrance, etc.

Overall, I'm very impressed with this amp and it has excellent synergy with the PRO 900. I'm using the 40Ω PRO 900 at the medium impedance setting, but I haven't messed around too much with the impedance settings to see which is best. I have a friend who also tried his HFI-780 out with the amp and we both thought it smoothed out their harshness and boosted the soundstage. I couldn't say more since I didn't have an amp to compare them with.

It is also quite good for the Westone 3 as well since the low impedance output has an extremely low noise floor so I don't even need to use the inline volume control they come with to control hiss. It gives the Westone 3 a pretty significant boost in the soundstage department, as well as making the bass very punchy and well-pronounced but not overpowering as I said before.

In addition to all of that, I love that it has three impedance settings (and multiple outputs that don't seem to degrade the sound) to match a wide array of headphones. I also love the RCA bypass functionality so that I can hook up my receiver from the amp without having to connect both of the DAC-19MK3's outputs. In the aesthetics department, this amp is just super sexy and imposing in person and I couldn't be happier (I have a deep-seeded love for industrial designs). Highly recommended.