[pippen99]

Ordered this morning. Just received notice of shipment. Love dealing with Parts ConneXion!

 

[Tshaff]

I was interested in getting an endgame tube amp and was wondering what you guys think. Was debating between the Ampandsound Red October and the Woo Audio WA33 Elite Edition with JPS cables. I want to know if there is any of you who have had the pleasure of listening to both of these amps and can say which one sounds better? The Red October's lifetime warranty is really appealing compared to the WA33 3 year warranty, but if the WA33 EE JPS sounds way better than I would still get it. I have heard Ampandsounds lower end amps compare with amps in this price bracket though so if their Red October could compete or even be better than the WA33 EE I would get it. Any help would really be appreciated please! Thank you!

 

[ThanatosVI]

Does anyone here have Woo Audio 9 pin to 9 pin socket savers and is able to tell me the Dimensions?

I'm curious if they would fit my Octave V16

 

[pippen99]

Received the Elrog ER5U4G this afternoon. Actually quite impressed with Parts ConneXion and FedEx. Ordered the morning 12/22 and received the afternoon of 12/27 with Xmas in the middle. Also remember it had to go through Customs. After letting it warm to room temp it has been running for about two hours. If I do not like it I can always sell it to the Coast Guard to use in a lighthouse. Man this thing is bright! Anybody have experience or opinion how long it will take the tube to settle in?

I will be unhappy if does not last longer than the Taks(13&15 months). But if it does not at the purchase price it will still be a less painful hit than when the Taks blew up!

 

[Roasty]

Received the Elrog ER5U4G this afternoon. Actually quite impressed with Parts ConneXion and FedEx. Ordered the morning 12/22 and received the afternoon of 12/27 with Xmas in the middle. Also remember it had to go through Customs. After letting it warm to room temp it has been running for about two hours. If I do not like it I can always sell it to the Coast Guard to use in a lighthouse. Man this thing is bright! Anybody have experience or opinion how long it will take the tube to settle in?

I will be unhappy if does not last longer than the Taks(13&15 months). But if it does not at the purchase price it will still be a less painful hit than when the Taks blew up!

elrog dealer said give it about 50 hrs.
I'm really liking the 5u4g. very quiet tube, excellent background quietness, and quite dynamic too. just about perfect with the utopia 22.

 

[rivonlol]

Received the Elrog ER5U4G this afternoon.

Let me know how it compares to the KR 274B and what you can remember from the Tak274B!

 

[ColSaulTigh]

Received the Elrog ER5U4G this afternoon. Actually quite impressed with Parts ConneXion and FedEx. Ordered the morning 12/22 and received the afternoon of 12/27 with Xmas in the middle. Also remember it had to go through Customs. After letting it warm to room temp it has been running for about two hours. If I do not like it I can always sell it to the Coast Guard to use in a lighthouse. Man this thing is bright! Anybody have experience or opinion how long it will take the tube to settle in?

I will be unhappy if does not last longer than the Taks(13&15 months). But if it does not at the purchase price it will still be a less painful hit than when the Taks blew up!

I've been running mine since June and you're right about the brightness!

They settle down in the 50-100 hour mark, and they've remained strong the entire time. Someone's put the bug in my ear about the Philips Minniwatt GZ34 metal base tubes, but costing more than the Elrogs has turned me off these. For now, the Elrog remain king of the castle.

As for lifespan vs. Tak's, I think that has more to do with the fact that the Tak's are 274B's and not designed to run in a 5U4G (while compatible). Voltage differences will shorten the lifespan, which is why (IMO) they tend to pop more frequently than other tubes. Takatsuki are built to a very high standard, and in the case of the 274B, that standard is the 274 Rectifier, not a 5U4G. This is my thought process, and by no means should it be taken as gospel.

 

[pippen99]

I am about 20 hours in on my Elrog ER5U4G rectifier. I am going to hold off on comparisons and impressions until the 50 hour threshold. One peculiar behavior I have noticed and am wondering if it is normal. When turning on the amp the filament(?) in the middle is almost intolerably bright. It stays that way until the amp finishes it's inital opening cycle and then dims. Is this normal. None of my other rectifiers have exhibited this behavior. Video attached.

https://redirect.viglink.com/?forma....ms/u/s!AnanFkRWvAbP8Rp9WXkiBdrDqtOx?e=qLPi6Z

 

[paradoxper]

I am about 20 hours in on my Elrog ER5U4G rectifier. I am going to hold off on comparisons and impressions until the 50 hour threshold. One peculiar behavior I have noticed and am wondering if it is normal. When turning on the amp the filament(?) in the middle is almost intolerably bright. It stays that way until the amp finishes it's inital opening cycle and then dims. Is this normal. None of my other rectifiers have exhibited this behavior. Video attached.

https://redirect.viglink.com/?format=go&jsonp=vglnk_167254171283612&key=1e99669452acedd7650a94861c9354cb&libId=lccrfyrw0101zlp1000DL1riihixl6w3oh&loc=https://www.head-fi.org/threads/dubstep-girls-massive-5ar4-5r4-5u4g-rectifier-review-comparison-rectifer-tube-rolling-thread.694525/page-162#post-17325469&v=1&out=https://1drv.ms/u/s!AnanFkRWvAbP8Rp9WXkiBdrDqtOx?e=qLPi6Z&title=(1) Dubstep Girl's Massive 5AR4/5R4/5U4G Rectifier Review/Comparison! (Rectifer Tube Rolling thread) | Page 162 | Headphone Reviews and Discussion - Head-Fi.org&txt=https://1drv.ms/u/s!AnanFkRWvAbP8Rp9WXkiBdrDqtOx?e=qLPi6Z

You are likely overheating the tube and they will not last long.

 

[paradoxper]

Here is Thomas Mayer's response:
"
I don’t know if it is normal for this particular amp I would hope not as this is not good for the tubes. But the way the start up delay seems to be implemented indicates that this is normal behaviour of this device.The step in brightness when the delay relays click clearly shows a massive step in filament voltage.
Either it starts normal and after the relays click runs at under voltage, or more likely the tubes are way overheated at start up and then revert to normal.

In either case this is extremely harmful for the tubes and they will not last long.

I assume this is what happens:

At start up only the filament is powered from the mains transformer and the high voltage to the rectifier is disconnected via relay.
Since the heater winding and high voltage winding are on the same power transformer it sees less load as long as no high voltage is drawn.
This causes the output voltages of the transformer to rise above specified value. Once the relays engage the full power is drawn from the transformer and voltages settle at their nominal value. This is normal behaviour of power transformers. It is called voltage regulation.

This is similar when using a 274 instead of 5U4 since the 274 needs much less filament current the output voltage from the transformer is higher than nominal. Due to the delay procedure it is even worse for 274 tubes during start up. No wonder they die quickly.

Since 4 2A3 need to be powered that is a substantial load difference to the power transformer.

Also hitting a fully warmed up tube (and in this case even overheated) with the full load current of 4 2A3 at an instant is not healthy either.

If a 274B has an instant short at first turn on when used like this I am not surprised either

The tubes are clearly operated out of spec and I am very sorry but I cannot recommend to use Elrog tubes in this manner."

 

[ThanatosVI]

I'm curious what the official response from Woo is.
@pippen99 did you inquire an official response on what's going on during start up?

 

[pippen99]

I will send off an inquiry now. This BS is out of control. First I am told I should not use 274B tubes and I try to do the right thing and try the 5U4G and I can't use it either. I think I was better off with my eyes closed wallowing in blissful ignorance. I will see what Woo has to say. I guess my choices are to play it and hope it blows at 11 months and I get another year under warranty or sell it and use tubes(WE 422 or USAF 596) that I have found average in performance.

 

[ColSaulTigh]

I'm really quite interested in this. Is it possible your unit is defective?

 

[Roasty]

with the Elrog 5U4G rec and WA33, during the startup sequence, yes the Elrog is lit quite bright, and the brightness subsides a bit once the WA33 is ready for listening.

 

[Roasty]

any reply from Woo yet?

wa33 with the Elrog 5u4g + we417a + kr2a3 hooked up to the Utopia 22 is a really magical combo...