Run, don't walk, and get WE 396A tubes

[rbc3]

I picked up an NOS pair of Western Electric 396A tubes and to my pleasant surprise, they're a significant improvement in sound in the Paramount vs other input tubes I've tried.  I already have a pair of 50's GE 5670 square getter black plate triple mica tubes which were great.  But these WE black plate D getter 396A tubes are really nice.  I've only listened to them with my 2003 Svetlana "winged C" 300B tubes, but with these they have a much larger sound stage and finer clarity (more lush detail) than any other input tube I've tried. They're not cheap, but a lot cheaper than the high end 300B tubes.

I've listened to a lot of high end audiophile stuff and don't really notice the difference between things like high end interconnects vs. decent quality interconnects.  But these tubes are noticeable.  Put them on the highly recommended list and get yerself some!

[Doc B.]

Just to add to the database, my experience over the years has been opposite. I find a lot of the WE tubes to be a little too warm including the WE396A, and prefer the 5670. I also prefer the 6C45pi to the WE437A and the Raytheon 5842 to the WE417A. All this stuff is very listener dependent.

[johnsonad]

I had a hard time with any of the WE tubes that work in the Paramount. Very few were strong enough to get up to the correct voltage and like Dan, I felt they were not the best match. My favorite of the 20 plus pairs in my system were the GE 5 stars. If you want to try something special, get a 5670 to 6sn7 converter and give them a try!

[Gerry E.]

Hi Robert:

I'm with you, the WE 396A was my favorite too... Until I tried Aaron's suggestion of using an adapter in order to use 6SN7s.  I don't know if it has anything to do with the lower gain of the 6SN7 but it just sounds overall better to me.  I'm alternating between a pair of 1940s Raytheon VT-231 (6SN7) and Tung-Sol round-plate, black-glass 6SN7s.

In case anyone is curious, there was a post the other day titled "A Better 6SN7 Adapter" in the General Discussion forum.  This adapter was for replacing the 12AU7 in the Crack with a 6SN7.  Since the 12AU7 has a totally different pin-out than the 5670, that adapter can't be used with the Paramounts. 

So I contacted the manufacturer of the "better" adapter and asked if he could make a special one for me for the 5670.  He got back to me and explained that he would have to create a new PCB board for the 5670 pinout and unless he could sell a quantity of them, it wouldn't be worth the effort.

Normally, I wouldn't bother to persue this any further but if you compare his adapter to the ones on eBay, you will see there's no comparison.  It's not likely we'll get enough people interested in the "better" adapter but if you are, send me an e-mail and I'll see how many we could order.  Thanks! 

Gerry

[rbc3]

Doc,

In putting some more listening time to the WE 396A, I have to agree with you.  I'm not backing down on my statement.  So far the WE 396A sound the best to me.  It must have a lot to do with my speakers.  The Tekton Design Seas Pendragon with Clarity Cap PX upgrade are very accurate and revealing.  The stock tubes with my speakers are overly technical sounding, almost dry.  I'm not complaining in any way.  The combination is very clear and detailed.  However, the warmth of the WE 396A is bringing in a texture that thickens the sound and makes it feel more natural  to me.  This is what makes audio so interesting and fun.  There are endless possibilities that makes tweaking fun and rewarding.