I think these tubes sound fantastic, especially for the price. Good ol' made in the USA 50s product. They have just a nice touch of air on the top end with great imaging and palpable soundstage. I'm a bit surprised as all of the European made NOS tubes sort of have this "old world, old vines" kind of mysticism behind them--so much so that an ordinary old American RCA was not as valuable.
I'm curious to see how I like these after 25 hours or so more. |
I also have a stash of these, via Brent Jesse - his description:
“This is a nice industrial type which is nearly identical to the standard 12AU7. RCA made a nice blackplate version of this tube, Sylvania has a gold pin version, and GE has it in their 5-star broadcast line. The plate voltage rating is a little lower than for a 12AU7, but for most applications, it will work fine. It has a rugged cathode and should be long lived, similar to the 5814.”
That specially-designed cathode is said to withstand long periods of time in cut-off without damaging the tube (cathode poisoning). This made them a great choice for NORAD computers, which led to a good supply of them here on the West Coast.
A great article on using computer tubes like the 5963 for audio use:
http://www.effectrode.com/tubes-computer-applications/
I use them in my TADAC (Tube Audio Designs DAC) and have, like yourself, marveled at the quality and value. They are dead-silent and seem to have an unusually long lifespan. Very satisfied with the sound they produce.
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Don't know about the
5963 but I had all the different brands of the massive 805 set tubes, and the RCA Blacks were the best sounding.
Cheers George |
The 1950’s RCA 5963 sounds more dynamic than the standard 12AU7 Blackplate, IMO. It’s also a low-noise tube.
The RCA 5814A is also a great Blackplate. My favorite is the 5814A JAN RCA triple Mica, a military grade tube.
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I wish I understood the appeal of tubes...but I really just don't get it, even my very 1st transistorized amplifier I liked better than any tube amp I had heard at that point...from then on it was just technology that had lived well past its prime to me. That said, I have heard some say that a class D amp with a tube buffer is audio nirvana. I hope I get to hear one before I pass.
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I wish I understood the appeal of tubes...but I really just don’t get it
@livinon2wheels , I think it might be kind of like when I was in the Air Force almost 50 years ago, there were a bunch of us that liked big bore high reving Japanese 4 cylinder bikes, and then there were a bunch of guys that liked to shake around on their leaky Harleys.
If I was going to ride a bike again at this stage of my life, it would be a shaker, and 30 years ago when I got interested in "better end" audio it was tubes that grabbed me.
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livinon2wheels
For me, tubes bring out the realism of the sound of voices and instruments. If I close my eyes, on a good recording, it sounds like the voice or instrument are in the room with me. Also, it conveys the emotion of the performance to you. You can actually feel it, so it's a sound and emotional experience, which is what watching live music is. Transistor equipment can be really good too, but for me, not to the same degree.
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I know this is an old thread - 5963, yeah I like this tube in place of 12AU7. RCA’s black and gray plates are very good sounding. For me, they should be limited to use in power amp slots only. They tend to be very microphonic in preamp and phono stage slots. These tubes were not "designed" for audio applications (the upside of this - they're still relatively affordable)! Quite alike the old 6SN7GT in the microphonics respect, actually (though 6SN7GT was designed for audio, it is very old). I guess if you’re dedicated you can sift through enough tubes to find a quiet set for your preamp.
RCA 5963 black plates used to be the tube of choice for VAC amps (circa 2000s), before they switched to 6SN7 front-ends for most of their amps.
I generally like tubes better than solid state. But sometimes a good SS component can surprise me at how good it sounds, and I’m definitely not opposed to mixing 1 or 2 into my systems. But an all-SS system - no way. I’d by far rather go all-tubes.
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mulveling, did you compare various RCA blackplates from 50s to Raytheon blackplates from the same time period ? I really like the RCAs in the driver section and how they work together with 12AX7 Mullards in the preamp. I was thinking about trying both Raytheon blackplates and Mullard 12AU7 at some point, though there is no need really.
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mulveling, did you compare various RCA blackplates from 50s to Raytheon blackplates from the same time period ? I really like the RCAs in the driver section and how they work together with 12AX7 Mullards in the preamp. I was thinking about trying both Raytheon blackplates and Mullard 12AU7 at some point, though there is no need really.
@inna I have not, sorry. My experience with 12AU7 types is much less than 12AX7, and I've had very few Raytheons of any type (strangely). I do very much like the RCA 5963 (either black or gray plates) in 12AU7 amp driver slots, though. I currently have them in a Rogue Stereo 100, driving Tung-Sol 7581A tubes.
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mulveling, I see. I thought you had all VAC electronics, or this is your second system.
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mulveling, I see. I thought you had all VAC electronics, or this is your second system.
Yes, the 2nd system / office rig is sort of my "sandbox" system. That’s where the ST100 is. I have VAC Master monos and premap in the bigger loft rig. Also got a VAC Statement 450S floating around lol. Speakers have been Tannoy Canterbury GR in the loft for years; recently re-introduced my old Canterbury SE in the office rig.
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So, RCA 12AX7 black plates from 50s are not microphonic, I understand, I might want to try them too instead of Mullards, though I would not anticipate the improvement, but who knows ?
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So, RCA 12AX7 black plates from 50s are not microphonic, I understand, I might want to try them too instead of Mullards, though I would not anticipate the improvement, but who knows ?
I mean they can be microphonic - all tubes can. But in practice, yeah my RCA 12AX7 (including 1950s black plates) have generally been usable even in phono stage slots. In fact I used black plate RCA 12AX7 in a Rogue Ares phono stage, several years ago. I liked them a lot there. And right now I've got them in the ST100's V1 slots, in front of 5963. It's a good all-around tube. Definitely not bright, and not too warm. Mullards ended up being a bit "thick" for my liking (12AX7/CV4004, 12AU7/CV4003, EL34). And I'm a guy who loves SPUs and Koetsus - so I don't know why Mullards turn me off like that, but they do. Somehow those come off as "too thick" and syrupy, whilst Koetsu and SPUs come off as "full bodied", "natural", "energetic", and "organic". But you really just have to try for yourself. The Mullards are fine tubes to be sure. I just never end up leaving them in for long.
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mulveling, I understand why some might not be particularly fond of Mullards, it is really a matter of taste and system match. I prefer somewhat loose vintage sound with silky highs and full bodied midrange. But perhaps even for me the full Mullard set-up would be too much of that. I will probably just stay with RCA blackplates for 12AU7 in the amp and Mullard lonplates for 12AX7 in the preamp.
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