Western Electric Rectifiers - The Holy Grail

rockitman

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Sep 20, 2011
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I have tried many rectifier tube variants in my phono stage...the Allnic H5000 DHT. It is amazing that changing this pair of tubes really influences the performance of the component. I have tried literally all of them from 5U4G (3 amp filament current) to the 5R4Gy's (2 amp filament current) GZ 32, 34, 37 by the likes of Mullard, Phillips and RCA. Both consumer and military JAN spec. I have always been curious about the very expensive Western Electric 422A (3 amp) and the 274B (2 amp).

IME with this phono stage, I found the higher filament current tubes produce a more extended, dynamic presentation. Many of these tubes do certain things better than others. Some do bass better at the expense of rolled highs, other do the highs well but suffer in bloom and decay times (unnatural/truncated). Bass can range from bloated and soft to well controlled and tight. I have finally found a tube that is far and a way above the rest. The WE 422A. There are two types...Pre 1960 Grey Plates with a much larger bottom getter and the 1960 going forward Black plate. My first NOS pair is the 1960. It does everything well....natural sounding bloom and decay and a relatively flat, but fully extended throughout the range from low to high. The bass is rock solid, the mids are luscious and the highs sparkle. Just when I didn't think it could get any better, I ran into a pair of NOS 1954 422A's with the grey plates and bigger bottom getter. I received them yesterday and heard them for the first time last night. Even though they are not broken in, they seem to elevate the fidelity of the 1960 422A's I have been using for about 6 months. They are expensive. I paid $900 for the 1960 set and $1,250.00 for the 1954 set. They are worth it for a phono stage at this level. I implore all Allnic phono users to consider trying the WE 422A. The next best tube that probably gets you there 90% are the JAN RCA 1945 or earlier 5Y4GY with double bottom getters. They are much more affordable. For the best though, WE is it. Here are some pics comparing the two. The older 1954 tube are on the left, 1960 on the right.

Note to Allnic H5000 DHT owners...early production used a resistor in the PS that would only allow 2 amp filament current. Using the 422A would blow the resistor. later builds used a more heavy duty resistor that allows the use of 3 amp filament current tubes like 5U4G and the 422A. For those that have the weaker resistor, the WE 274B would be your choice. The 274B is a more traditional looking tube and has a plate structure very similar to the 5R4GY RCA WW2 era double bottom getter tubes. The 422A is a completely unique plate structure design and looks nothing like the 5U4G's where it is a substitute for.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/694525/dub...eview-comparison-rectifer-tube-rolling-thread
 

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doukhobar

New Member
Sep 8, 2016
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Hi there Christian, I am considering getting one of these 422A tubes myself. Thing is, the ones for sale that I see, it is hard to identify which version of this tube it is. From pictures, without side by side comparison, it seems hard to differentiate between the plate colors. Would you agree that the gray plates are significantly lighter? and that the getter rises higher up on the side of the glass?
These are pictures from a seller who says his are gray plate:
gray 1.jpg
gray 2.jpg
Would you agree this is an example of a gray plate?
 

bonzo75

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Feb 26, 2014
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I have a WE 422A from 1857 or something but did not like it in my Lampi as much as the KR 5u4g. The KR audio one was a special made for Lampi users. The people who own multiple rectis report the Takatsuki and the WE 274b the best, followed by the KR. The KR is a steal for the money at roughly 300 euros.

Christian, Al rainbow lives near NY and has all these rectis so maybe you can ask him to help you to a shootout of rectis on your phono, but I guess you need a pair instead of just one?
 

robolton

Member
Dec 8, 2020
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Houston
Western Electric Pre-60's will have the grey plate and Post-60's will have the black plate.

Western Electric 274B can provide at most 225ma
Western Electric 422A can provide at most 400ma
 

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