United Electronics Company | USAF-596 | Date 1957

robolton

Member
Dec 8, 2020
20
17
5
Houston
Just got two of these in for the collection ...

Base: UX-Base (4 Pins (2 thick, USA 1924, UX) 2 Top contacts.
Filament: Vf 5 Volts / If 3 Ampere / Direct / Specified voltage AND current AC/DC
Description: High-rel, high altitude (60000ft) version of 1641, full wave rectifier. 2.3KV PIV, 275mA average current. Designed and manufactured by United Electronics. The reference to RCA as developer is wrong.

IMG_4717.jpg IMG_4716.jpg IMG_4719.jpg
 

audioarcher

Well-Known Member
May 6, 2012
1,396
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970
Seattle area
Just got two of these in for the collection ...

Base: UX-Base (4 Pins (2 thick, USA 1924, UX) 2 Top contacts.
Filament: Vf 5 Volts / If 3 Ampere / Direct / Specified voltage AND current AC/DC
Description: High-rel, high altitude (60000ft) version of 1641, full wave rectifier. 2.3KV PIV, 275mA average current. Designed and manufactured by United Electronics. The reference to RCA as developer is wrong.

View attachment 75213 View attachment 75214 View attachment 75215
Try them in anything yet?
 

robolton

Member
Dec 8, 2020
20
17
5
Houston
Woo Audio WA5-LE, WA22 and WA33 for headphone setup ... The USAF-596 is in my all time favorite list: GEC U52, WE 422a, WE 274a/b and Cossor 53KU ...
 

audioarcher

Well-Known Member
May 6, 2012
1,396
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Seattle area
Thanks for the feedback. I ordered a Woo Audio 3es Elite and wondered if this rectifier would be a good match in it. Wont received the 3es for another month or so. Looks to be $400 each with adapter through Woo. Have not seen any others for sale online recently.
 
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robolton

Member
Dec 8, 2020
20
17
5
Houston
Jack is good guy. Just 2 yrs ago the USAF-596 was trading for $75.00ea but in today's market they're $200.00 to $250.00 when you can find them. If you look at what Jack is asking for them, it includes the $150.00 adapter so not to bad.

The 3ES Elite, you going to use STAX headphone? Also what you thinking on the 300B - EML 300B, 300B-Mesh or 300B-XLS, Takatsuki 300B or Elrog ER300B-Mo, unless you have some WE300B sleeping?
 

audioarcher

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May 6, 2012
1,396
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Seattle area
Ordered Stax 009S to go with it. This will be my first amp with 300b tubes, so I do not have any to play with yet. Will need to let my wallet recover a bit before I explore 300b's. I have 5692 RCA red base tubes to try for the drivers. Also have a small collection of 5u4g rectifiers to try as well. RCA 5u4g was the best I tried in my Allnic H-3000 phono stage when I had it. From reading online the tubes you mentioned above are likely better. Not sure what the stock tubes will be yet. Any suggestions for 300b and 6sn7?
 

robolton

Member
Dec 8, 2020
20
17
5
Houston
I understand the wallet thing, its tubes and DAC's that get me. The RCA 5U4G is a nice tube, I have a few from the 40's and 50's but they also have gone up in price, like north of $100.00 ...

If you look at the Woo Audio Tube Compatibility Chart for the 3ES, there are a lot of options.
- https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/1/d/1DdsZyTx3CJv9_cG9kVdCGZap-AldiTsvuY4Ms1K_p3k/pubhtml

Some of my favorite in the 6SN7 / compatibility:

6SN7GT - Tung-Sol "Round Plate Black Glass"
Sylvania VT-231 from 40's
Sylvania 6SN7GT 3-hole from late 1951, week 39 ("1/39") to early 1953, week 13 ("3/13")
Melz 1578 "Russian Military marking OTK"
6F8G - Tung-Sol, National Union and Sylvania - requires an adapter
CV1988 - Brimar "STC Oldway"
ECC32, ECC33 and ECC35 - Mullard "Blackburn"

Simplify the NOS 6SN7 search to the 40's and 50's, maybe a few from 60's for the following: Tung-Sol, Raytheon, RCA, Sylvania and Ken-Rad. As of the new production on 300B, they're sooooooooooooooo pricey ...
 

dminches

Well-Known Member
Oct 22, 2011
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Jack is good guy. Just 2 yrs ago the USAF-596 was trading for $75.00ea but in today's market they're $200.00 to $250.00 when you can find them. If you look at what Jack is asking for them, it includes the $150.00 adapter so not to bad.

The 3ES Elite, you going to use STAX headphone? Also what you thinking on the 300B - EML 300B, 300B-Mesh or 300B-XLS, Takatsuki 300B or Elrog ER300B-Mo, unless you have some WE300B sleeping?

There is no reason why that adapter should cost $150. I own one and it is no better than the $50 one I bought on ebay.

Some of my favorite in the 6SN7 / compatibility:

6SN7GT - Tung-Sol "Round Plate Black Glass"
Sylvania VT-231 from 40's
Sylvania 6SN7GT 3-hole from late 1951, week 39 ("1/39") to early 1953, week 13 ("3/13")
Melz 1578 "Russian Military marking OTK"
6F8G - Tung-Sol, National Union and Sylvania - requires an adapter
CV1988 - Brimar "STC Oldway"
ECC32, ECC33 and ECC35 - Mullard "Blackburn"

Simplify the NOS 6SN7 search to the 40's and 50's, maybe a few from 60's for the following: Tung-Sol, Raytheon, RCA, Sylvania and Ken-Rad. As of the new production on 300B, they're sooooooooooooooo pricey ...

I have used and own most of those. I should probably sell some that I just hoarding at this point. I don’t even have any equipment that used 6SN7s and equivalents.
 

robolton

Member
Dec 8, 2020
20
17
5
Houston
dminches - the adapter is made out of unatium. Yes, I see these adapters on eBay all the time but he likes nice things and it's always fun spending other peeps $$$$$$
 

audioarcher

Well-Known Member
May 6, 2012
1,396
51
970
Seattle area
The Woo Audio adapter does look fancier than the ones on ebay. Doesn't mean it will sound any better.

Hard to say what direction I will want to take the sound until I get it, and get some hours on it.
 

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