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WTB: Bendix 6385 vacuum tube


ajcllc

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That looks like a pretty sweet DAC! If you want something similar, I have the Aune T1 and love the way it sounds. Its easy to get different tubes for it too:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Aune-Second-Generation-Amplifier-Decoder/dp/B00IWK8FK2/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

 

I replaced the stock tube with a Amperex 7308 Gold Pin and it was a definite improvement of sound.

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I finally found my Bendix on eBay! How does the GE "US Army" 5670 compare to the Bendix as well as the Tesla pinched waste 6CC42 and Ericsson?

 

I believe you'll be happy with the Bendix tube. I think I've got one of those Bendix tubes around here somewhere.

 

Never rolled in a Tesla and the only pinched waist tube I've owned is a late 1950's Dutch ECC88 which I have run in a different DAC that takes that tube and not one of the 396A/5670/2C51 family. The tube for your DAC that most people compare to is the WE 396A tube.

 

In my tube DAC the US Army version of the GE 5670 has it all it's lush, detailed and fast. Whereas the WE396 is equally detailed but less lush. The WE396 was purpose built to last a long time and transmit the human voice clearly. It is musical, but not as musical sounding as the other top tier tubes I’ve rolled in my DAC.

 

When it comes to tube preference there are as many opinions as there are people rolling tubes.  :) 

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One of my favorite 396A/5670/2C51 tubes for DAC's is the GE 5670A marked 'US Army'. Beats the later production GE 5 Stars

 

In my DAC recently, I've been rolling Western Electric 396A, Tesla pinched waist, GE 5670W, Sylvania 5670 and most recently the GE 5 Star 5670.

 

While every single one of these tubes sounded good to me....each one had their own flavor....the GE 5 Star has really hit a sweet spot in my system......and they're dirt cheap!

 

Been rolling op-amps as well....OPA-627's and Sparkos Labs Dual discrete SS3607's. Trying different combinations, the WE pairs up very well with the discrete op-amps and the winner turned out to be the OPA627's with the GE 5 Stars.

 

Of course different gear upstream and downstream will influence the outcome and preference but this has proved to me that the whole 'tube buffer thing' is no gimmick.....that's what I assumed going in. Glad I was proved otherwise.

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In my tube DAC the US Army version of the GE 5670 has it all it's lush, detailed and fast. Whereas the WE396 is equally detailed but less lush

 

I don't believe I have the 'Army version' but that's exactly how I'm hearing the GE 5 Star compared to my WE396. It has that lush, almost 'juicy' sound to it.

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In my tube DAC the US Army version of the GE 5670 has it all it's lush, detailed and fast. Whereas the WE396 is equally detailed but less lush

 

I don't believe I have the 'Army version' but that's exactly how I'm hearing the GE 5 Star compared to my WE396. It has that lush, almost 'juicy' sound to it.

 

 

I've owned several of the GE5670 tubes labeled as '5 Star' usually made in the late 1950's and early 1960's. Some had red labels, some white. All of the 5 Star GE tubes sounded the same to me. I've only owned one labeled 'US Army'. It came from a guy that had acquired a ton of tubes (including GE 5 Star). The were mostly white boxed marked JAN. He told me he had acquired them from former military stockpiles sold off in mass or from US defense contractors.

 

According to him, the smaller tubes were supplied for use in the military's communication equipment and had to stand-up to significant vibration from artillery batteries firing, etc. 

 

If you look at some of the Soviet tubes being made at the same time for their military you can see they also specified tubes built for the same kind of usage.

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The GE 5 Stars that I acquired have white lettering, square getters/black plates. The first one I tried with the Sparkos discrete op-amps......was impressed but nothing like I am when I tried the second one with the 5 Star/OPA-627 combo.

 

So does the white lettering, square getters/black plates tell you anything? Like I said, these were very affordable compared to the WE and the like but really hit a home run in my system.

 

Cheaper = better? I can dig it. :emotion-21:  :emotion-21:

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I think I've rolled pretty much every US made tube of the 5670 family; Sylvania, GE, Rayrheon, CBS Hytron, Bendix, Western and Northern Electric and even one Swedish made Ericsson. When I moved the DAC that used that tube to a secondary system a few years back I sold every tube with the exception of keeping a single: a 1950's CBS Hytron, Bendex and GE US Army. I kept 2 Western Electric 396A tubes to sell as a pair at some point later on. 

 

The tubes I kept are the tubes I preferred the sound of in my DAC. Every pony show has to have a best of show group.

 

With my DAC that uses 6922/ECC88/6DJ8 tubes I have one best in show. The pinched waist ECC88 tube. I've have rolled a lot of tubes in the 6922/ECC88 family including Telefunken, Seimens, Valvo, Mullard, Phillips and all the US brand 6922/6DJ8 I've found.

 

As to construction of the 5 Star tubes; its too many years since these the last of these were sold for me to remember (I sold off a few sleeves of 5 GE 5 Stars NIB, in 2011). That said, I believe the construction of 5 star tubes were all the same. I agree the GE 5 Star when I sold them were the best bang for your buck.

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I have several of the JAN 5670W tubes by GE with the green paint, and the USA "Triangle" designation.  All are NOS, two in original boxes.  I will never use them.  I purchased them as part of a box lot with some other tubes I needed.

 

I also have two that are RCA, and one that is branded AMC, don't know the manufacturer of that one...

 

I honestly don't even know what to ask for them?  $10 each shipped?  Please PM me if interested.

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