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Who actually produced 5692s in the USA is a controversial issue amongst tube lovers; here are some of the competing theories:
- All red base 5692s were made by RCA.
- All red base 5692s were actually made by GE, but for RCA (explains the high incidence of GE labeled red bases).
- All brown base 5692s were made by CBS-Hytron.
- Raytheon made a brown base 5692.
- Sylvania made a brown base 5692.
- Westinghouse made a brown base 5692.
[My opinion, based on personal experience, is that GE made red-based 5692s for RCA, and that CBS-Hytron (earlier) and Sylvania (later) made brown-based 5692s.] |
Just to make matters worse, I have a pair of red-base 5692's that are Sylvania branded
But here is the skinny on the 5692. The original 5692 was introduced by RCA in 1949. However, RCA red base 5692's were never manufactured by RCA, they were built under contract by General Electric, as the OP indicated. General Electric branded 5692 red base tubes are also quite common, and are identical of course to the RCA's, and as a side benefit generally sell for less oddly enough. I am almost 100% certain the Westinghouse branded ones are also GE made.
CBS-Hytron, Sylvania, and Raytheon 5692's, as the OP surmised, are indeed NOT the GE tube. CBS-Hytron manufactured their own 5692, as did Raytheon and Sylvania. They look virtually identical to the RCA/GE except for the brown base (although there are some Sylvania Red Bases as well). Standard Electric of Sweden also made the 5692 usually labelled 33S30, and some consider it the best sounding, although it is almost impossible to find.
Many people, me included, feel the CBS/Hytron sounds better than the GE/RCA. I think it sounds MUCH better, actually.
Later black-base tubes from RCA labeled 5692 are not really 5692's are are not good sounding tubes.
